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“My father, Jagdish Raj, was the permanent policeman in Hindi films along with Iftekhar-ji. But he was a great disciplinarian and a family man, and so the family was kept away from the movies. My sister and I are trained with the legendary Gopi Krishna in Kathak, and so at one of his annual programmes, Yash Chopra-ji saw me and told A.K.Hangalji’s son, then a still photographer, to shoot my pictures because he was planning a film and wanted me. I thought, “Why not?” and my father was supportive, being very close to and a regular in the films of Yashji and B.R.Choprasaab. I had this strong feeling that the photographs would come out well - and they did! But the project that was being planned got scrapped, though Yashji showed Hrishida (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) my photographs.
“It’s amazing to think about it now, but Hrishida signed me for Accha Bura only on the strength of how I looked. He just said, “You are working with me!” A complete darling, he was so chilled out on the sets. He never bound me to a contract either, so that when his film got delayed, I was lucky to sign Tahir Husainsaab’s Dulha Bikta Hai and Pawan Kumarji’s Prem Geet as a back-up. And Prem Geet was my first release and since it was an author-backed role and the film too did well, I was appreciated. Raj Babbar was my hero in all these films, but that was just coincidence. I have done the maximum number of films with him, Mithunda and Sanju (Sanjay Dutt).
“It was Hrishida who gave me the name Anita Raaj, which I spell with two ‘a’s before the ‘j’. He came to know that I was Jagdish Raj, and when I said that my name was Anita Raj Khurana (dad’s full name was Jagdish Raj Khurana), he ‘shortened’ it.”

FAMILY BONDING
“My father and I shared three films, Taaqatwar, which was produced by my brother Bobby, Bad Aur Badnaam and one more, but sadly, we never shared a frame. Dad turned 80 the other day, he’s become thin but still looks impressive. He was always a meticulous man and till today his on-screen police uniform is kept crisply ironed in his cupboard. He was always particular about this, and there were umpteen times when he was mistaken for a real police officer or commisioner! I recall once being stopped by a policeman for breaking a signal and he told me, “Aap Jagdishji ki beti hain. Aap ko aise nahin karna chahiye!” Of course I benefitted a lot from his goodwill.
“My brother Bobby turned producer with Mera Haque in 1985. He then made a few films, of which Taaqatwar was one. He was a very close friend of David Dhawan, and it was he who gave David a directorial break in that film. Today, Bobby makes films and serials for DD Metro. He even turned director with Zamane Se Kya Darna starring Sanjay Dutt and Raveena Tandon, but after that he made a fiilm that was delayed and indifferently released because Govinda gave him a lot of trouble!”

THEN AND NOW
“I was so naive that on the first day of my shoot I did not even understand what make-up was and how and why it was done. In those days, we learnt on the job, which I think was good in a way. Today’s artistes come trained and groomed, give perfect shots on the first day and know everything about looks and fitness, which is good for them. But one misses the warmth, congeniality and team-spirit. When we went to shoot at Mahabaleshwar for Accha Bura, Raj, Amjad Khan, Ranjeet, Hrishida and I were like a family on a vacation. When we finished, we were upset it had all ended.
“I also remember going to New Delhi for the complete schedule of Ab Aayega Mazaa - none of us wanted to come back after it was over. There were Alok Nath and Girija Shankar, NSD alumni who were producing their first film, Pankuj Parashar who was starting out too, Faroque Shaikh and I.
“Every film had a family atmosphere where everyone ate together. We would all look foward to the all-important lunch break that was like a mela. Now it’s all different and all about going into one’s own vanity vans.
“But change is inevitable. There is better marketing, better awareness and we have zoomed ahead in technology and budgets. Filmmaking is completely different from what it was, but it’s great that we are competing with Hollywood in every way!
“I did Eena Meena Deeka, a sitcom in the ‘90s and I am open to any great role in films even today. But otherwise, having worked from a very early age for over 15 years at a stretch, I do not exactly miss the arc-lights, even though I must be the actress who worked most after marriage! Right now, I am doing Sahil Chadha’s production Thodi Life Thoda Magic, which is about 5 characters in whose lives a magical person comes and changes them forever. I did the film for Sahil, who’s a dear friend and reminds me of my brother in many ways. The film is directed by Aanand L.Rai.”

THE PROFESSIONAL HIGH
“I was immensely lucky all through - in my 60-odd films, that also included a Marathi film produced by my make-up man, I got to work with some of the biggest names in Mumbai and the South. Besides Hrishida and of course David Dhawan (who also directed me in Jurrat) there were Basu Chaterjee in Lakhon Ki Baat, J.P.Dutta in Ghulami, Rajkumar Kohli in Nauker Biwi Ka, Saazish, Jeene Nahin Doonga, Insaniyat Ke Dushmun and Pati Patni Aur Tawaif and my father-in-law Arjun Hingorani in Kaun Kare Kurbanie. I also enjoyed doing many other films like Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani and Ghar Ki Izzat with Kalpataru, Sagar Sangam with Dulal Guha, Saawan Kumar’s Laila and Pehlaj Nihalani’s Ilzaam.
“One film I always cherish is Clerk, though it did not do well. It was a well-made film, and when Manoj (Kumar)ji approached me, I was like ‘Wow! Manojji has offered me a film!’ I consider him one of our greatest directors!
“From the South too, I had a great list, with names like Dasari Narayana Rao, K.Raghavendra Rao and K.Balachander.But frankly, I did not enjoy working with Balachanderji because he had a nasty temper. He was of course a brilliant director and so everyone was in awe of him, but he would yell and I would be petrified, especially since I was a just few films old then. I firmly believe that one should not be scared of the director, and that a director must correct an artiste in a gentle, persuasive way.”

THE BUDDIES' CLUB
“I had a great rapport with all my co-stars. And there was virtually no star who mattered with whom I did not work. Besides Manojji, there were Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjay Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughna Sinha, Kamal Haasan, Rajnikant, Anil Kapoor - my youngest romantic co-star in Abhimanyu, Rajiv Kapoor and others. I was like a buddy to them all and now when I come to realize that so many of them are nearing or touching 70, I am amazed at how I was romancing them just 15-25 years ago and we still matched as pairs!
“I particularly cherish a compliment given to me by Sanjeev Kumar after a hospital shot in Lakhon Ki Baat. That day, he hugged me and said, ‘I did not expect you to react so well!’ I was so thrilled that one of India’s all-time greatest actors had liked my work! But with him, it was always about acting and reacting - he was so effortless!
“One name, however, went missing from my co-star list - and that was the man I consider the ultimate star - Amitabh Bachchan! I would love to work with him, and I hope that I get to do at least one film with him!”

A MUSICAL FEAST
“If I have got great films, directors and co-stars, I have got some truly awesome songs as well! I have always been mad about Jagjit Singh, and he happened to be the composer of my first film, Prem Geet. I had the privilege of getting classics like Honthon se chhoo lo tum, Tumne kya kya kiya hai hamare liye and Aao mil jaaye to enact in it. He also scored music for some action films of mine later.
“Among the other great songs I got were Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s Zeehale muskin from Ghulami and my huge favourite, Yoon besabab jahaan mein from Mehandi Rang Layegi, both sung by Lata Mangeshkarji, R.D.Burman’s Aisa samaa from Zameen Aasmaan, Bappi Lahiri’s Zamana to hai nauker biwi ka from Nauker Biwi Ka and his songs in Ilzaam and some of Anu Malik’s songs in my brother’s film Taaqatwar.”

THE REAL LOVE STORY
“J.P.Dutta was so clear about what he wanted that he took one look at me on the sets of Ghulami and declared that I would not be given any make-up. Sunil Hingorani saw me in the pictures and cast me in his directorial debut Karishma Kudrat Kaa. We fell in love and got married. My husband is a qualified dental surgeon, but he was never comfortable about practice and started an optician’s business that has flourished. Some years later, he also directed Ram Avtaar with Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor and Sridevi and then quit films. He is also the first in India to begin manufacturing plastic lenses for spectacles.
“I curtailed work after the birth of my son Shivam who is 19 today. My last films from my regular innings were Ghar Ki Izzat with Jeetuji and Gehra Raaz.”