Actress Meenakshi Seshadri, who appeared on the dance reality show India's Best Dancer, opened up about several memories linked to her superhit film Hero. She revealed that her friendship with Jackie Shroff began right from the first day of shooting, and that closeness later reflected in the romantic chemistry the two shared on screen.
Vaidehi and Prateek's performance brought back old memories
Contestants Vaidehi and Prateek performed a dance on a song from Hero on the show. Watching the act left Meenakshi emotional, prompting her to share several stories from the film's shoot. She also spoke about her on-screen pairing with Jackie Shroff, one that audiences have continued to remember for decades.
Shooting began on a jungle set, friendship formed on day one
Meenakshi said that after the film's muhurat, the very first schedule was shot on a jungle set specially built for Hero. She recalled that she and Jackie Shroff became good friends on that very first day of shooting. It was this early bond, she said, that translated into the chemistry audiences saw on screen, chemistry that eventually won the pair immense love from viewers.
Released in 1983, the film created history in Chennai
According to Meenakshi, Hero released in 1983 and turned out to be a massive hit not just in North India but across South India as well. She pointed out that Hindi films were not particularly popular among Chennai audiences at the time, yet Hero managed to create history there. The film ran continuously for close to a year at Chennai's Padma theatre, an achievement considered extraordinary in that era. Meenakshi added that her relatives lived in Chennai and took great pride in seeing their family's daughter's film receive such overwhelming love from local audiences.
Credit goes to director Subhash Ghai
Meenakshi credited the film's success to director Subhash Ghai, saying he presented both her character and Jackie Shroff's, along with their pairing, so beautifully on screen that audiences still remember the duo today. She said Hero turned out to be the film that changed the fortunes of both Jackie Shroff and herself, firmly establishing both actors in the industry.
