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25 years of Fiza| Actor Shabana Raza Bajpayee: My only aim was to somehow persuade Khalid to increase my scenes
As a newcomer back then, actor Shabana Raza Bajpayee recounts her journey with the film Fiza
Shabana Raza Bajpayee recalls playing Shehnaz Sulaiman, paired opposite Hrithik Roshan in Fiza: “I remember when I got the narration of the story. I liked it so much, not just its canvas but the bunch of talented people who were involved .”
The actor reveals that her main goal during production was to get director Khalid Mohamed to broaden her role. “My only aim was to somehow persuade Khalid to increase my scenes, as I loved the story so much and, like any other aspiring actor, I wanted to be there in more frames,” Shabana explains, adding, “No one could deter him even a bit from the original plot.”
Shabana fondly remembers shooting one of her most successful songs from the film. "Aaja Mahiya was one of the most beautiful numbers of its time, be it music or lyrics, all about it was just too perfect to believe," she says. "We shot the song for over three days at various locations in Mumbai. Thankfully our choreographer Farah (Khan) was exceptionally cool with us, otherwise matching Hrithik’s moves for any one is a big task."
Her favourite scenes were those that she shared with veteran actor Jaya Bachchan. "She’s a great actor I loved whatever scenes we had together, as a newcomer as it was my second film it was more the learning for me. For newcomers, what matters most is to constantly learn from our seniors. I was lucky to have gotten a chance to share the screen with such co-stars," she states.
She also reflects on working with her husband, actor Manoj Bajpayee, who played Murad Khan. “Manoj had a small but memorable role,” she says, adding, “Every character was an anchor to the story in their own way, and that's what makes the film more special. For me, however, the film will always be very special in every aspect.”
