Himani Shivpuri recalls arranging her husband’s funeral during DDLJ shoot: ‘I was the only actor missing in climax’

Veteran actor Himani Shivpuri said that her husband had died while she was filming Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) in 1995. In a new interview, she said that the climax scene was supposed to feature the culmination of her story with Anupam Kher in the film.

Directed by Aditya Chopra, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge featured Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles. Himani Shivpuri essayed the character of Kammo Kaur, Kajol’s aunt. Her character develops a romantic connection with Anupam Kher’s character, who essayed the role of Shah Rukh’s father.

In a new interview with Free Press Journal, Himani said, “I was the only actor who was missing in the climax of DDLJ because my husband passed away just before we had to leave for the outdoors. The Yash Raj unit was very understanding even though there was supposed to be a culmination of my story with Anupam Kher. I had no time to think about all that because I was alone in a strange city, arranging the funeral of my husband, then carrying the ashes to Haridwar.”

Last year, in an interview with Hindustan Times, Himani shared her experience of working in the film. “It always seems so fresh. You don’t feel that it’s dated. Everything seems so relevant. I knew Shah Rukh from the Delhi theatre scene. I also knew Anupam (Kher) from NSD (National School of Drama) and my character Kammo and his character had a cute romantic angle. We all used to eat together. We enjoyed doing it. None of us thought that it was going to become a milestone, these things just happen. Everything worked beautifully — the casting, the story, the song, everything just fell into place. It just created magic,” she said. 

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The film also featured Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Mandira Bedi, and Satish Shah, among many other actors. DDLJ shattered all box office records and is one of the biggest all-time blockbusters in the history of Hindi cinema. It also went on to become the longest-running Hindi film of all time.