Shagufta Ali Claims Karisma Kapoor Had ‘A Lot Of Attitude’ On Hero No. 1 Sets: 'She Was Hardworking But...'

Veteran actor Shagufta Ali has spoken candidly about working with Karisma Kapoor in the 1997 comedy Hero No. 1. While acknowledging Karisma’s discipline and work ethic, Shagufta claimed the actor was “over-ambitious” and carried considerable attitude on set.

In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Shagufta was also asked why the popular screen partnership of Govinda and Karisma Kapoor eventually came to an end despite delivering several successful films together.

Shagufta Ali On Govinda And Karisma Kapoor’s Pairing

Offering her assessment, Shagufta said, “Interest khatam ho gaya hoga. Pyaar mohabbat khatam ho gaya hoga. Heroines ke mood ka bhi kya bharosa hai. Aur bahut zyada ambitious hona bhi achha nahi hai. Karisma over-ambitious

thi. She was very hardworking, lekin attitude bhi bahut zyada tha.”

Translated, she suggested that the two stars may simply have lost interest in continuing the partnership. She added that excessive ambition could also create problems, describing Karisma as hardworking but someone who, in her view, displayed a great deal of attitude.

Govinda and Karisma were among Hindi cinema’s most successful comic pairings during the 1990s. They worked together in films such as Coolie No. 1, Raja Babu, Saajan Chale Sasural, Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Shikari.

‘There Has To Be Give And Take’

Shagufta then explained why she believed an actor’s conduct away from the camera could influence the work being done on screen.

“It was evident everywhere. The attitude you bring to the set and the way you behave make a difference too. If someone is your co-actor, there has to be give and take,” she said.

She argued that actors sharing a scene or an interview should allow each other equal space. According to Shagufta, cooperation also extends to being present while a co-star performs and providing cues when required.

“If I’m there on set to give you cues, then you should also be there for me. Or don’t be, I can perform scenes without cues too. That’s how I’ve managed to survive in this industry for 40 years,” she added.

Their Film Together

Shagufta and Karisma worked together in David Dhawan’s Hero No. 1, which also starred Govinda, Paresh Rawal, Kader Khan, Satish Shah and Tiku Talsania. The comedy became a major commercial success and remains one of the most widely remembered films from the Govinda-Karisma phase.

Karisma was most recently seen in the psychological thriller series Brown, in which she played a detective. The show also featured Surya Sharma, Jisshu Sengupta, Soni Razdan and Ajinkya Deo, and is currently streaming on ZEE5.