Padmini Kolhapure made her lead debut in the 1981 film Ahista Ahista, after starting her career as a child artist. Her role in Raj Kapoor’s Prem Rog the following year brought her huge stardom. On his birth anniversary, she shared fond memories of the legendary director in an interview.
Talking to Instant Bollywood, Padmini recalled her first meeting with the late director Raj Kapoor. She shared that she was very young and performing a dance on stage when Raj Kapoor, as the chief guest, was present at the event.
Padmini further shared that after Raj Kapoor saw her dancing, he immediately called her over and asked if she would work in his film. She replied that she was already acting in films. Raj Kapoor laughed and asked again if she would like to work in his film, then inquired who had come with her. When she mentioned her parents, he called them over, and the rest, as she put it, is history.
Padmini Kolhapure worked in two films directed by Raj Kapoor: first as a child artist in Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) and later as the leading lady in Prem Rog (1982), which also starred Rishi Kapoor.
Padmini Kolhapure and Raj Kapoor shared a close bond, but they had a disagreement during the filming of Prem Rog. The director reportedly asked her to do an intimate scene with co-star Rishi Kapoor, which made Padmini uncomfortable. When she voiced her concerns, Raj Kapoor became upset and walked off the set, followed by Padmini. After a brief tension, they resumed filming without the intimate scene. Reflecting on this, Padmini mentioned in an earlier interview that Raj Kapoor had a strong temper, which could sometimes lead to heated moments.
