Himani Shivpuri: When a mountain of sorrows broke on the sets of 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'

Mumbai, October 24 (IANS). Himani Bhatt, who grew up in a middle-class Garhwali family in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, shone on the school stage, inspired by the poems and Hindi classes of Shivpuri father Haridutt Bhatt Shailesh. While acting with brother Himanshu Bhatt, he practiced drama in the boys’ hostel of Doon School, then took a chemistry degree from DAV College, but his heart said he wanted to do acting. She came to Delhi and took training in NSD from 1982 to 1984. She started her career with a supporting role in ‘Ab Aayega Maza’. Rajshri Production gave her first commercial hit in ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’. After this, she rose to fame by playing the roles of aunts and uncles in Yash Chopra’s films. She was seen winning people’s hearts with her roles in films like ‘Pardes’, ‘Anjaam’, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, ‘Hero No. 1’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. She made a splash on TV with serials like ‘Happu Ki Ultan Paltan’, ‘Sasural Simar Ka’. Actress Himani Shivpuri is regarded as one of the most reliable supporting actresses in Hindi films of the 90s. There is always a natural smile on his face and a deep theatrical simplicity is evident in his acting. There is such a personal anecdote related to his most famous film ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, which shows how deep the pain behind the laughter was hidden behind the scenes. This is the story of a time when an artist had to fulfill professional responsibilities even in the midst of his greatest personal loss. The filming of the film ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ was done during the busiest and most successful phase of Himani Shivpuri’s career. In the film, she played the character of Kajol’s ‘Kammo Chachi’, which was memorable for its light romance and dalliance with Anupam Kher. While shooting for an important part of the film, Himani suddenly faces a major personal crisis in her life. Her husband, actor Gyan Shivpuri, has passed away. The tragedy occurred when the climax sequence of the film was yet to be shot. She and Anupam Kher had a brief but emotional scene in the climax. Himani Shivpuri immediately flew to her home as she had to take care of her only son at that time and attend the last ritual process. When she did not return, the Yash Raj Films unit had to remove her climactic scene. She was the only actress in the film’s lead who was not present in the iconic train climactic scene, even though her scene was part of the script. Himani Shivpuri later shared that Yash Raj flagship and director Aditya Chopra gave her full support during that difficult time. The unit was sympathetic to their plight and no one pressured them to return, to ensure that their personal tragedy did not affect them. –IANS JP/ABM