As actors it's a given that they can pull off roles and costumes, that's their whole career after all. What happens though when they're really good actors, almost unrecognisable? It can land them in trouble.
Jaya Bachchan once became an unsuspecting audience member for Sanjeev Kumar who tried to surprise the actress in costume. The talented actor ended up convincing Jaya Bachchan that he was a beggar and she was so taken aback that she asked the security to take him away.
When Sanjeev Kumar shocked Jaya Bachchan as a beggar
A mark of a good actor is to turn into the character so much so that their real self is unrecognised when they're playing them. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Sanjeev Kumar was lauded as one of the most talented actors in Bollywood during his time.
Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachchan had worked on a few films together including Koshish in 1972 which won huge praise for the pair's portrayal of deaf and mute characters. The two came together to work on the 1974 film Naya Din Nai Raat. The film further propelled Kumar into the status of being an immensely versatile actor.
In the film, Kumar had to play 9 different characters which was a massive feat. One of his roles was that of a beggar. He reached the studio in character one day, and he happened to see Jaya Bachchan sitting under a tree. Kumar was curious to see if his get-up was actually convincing, or not. So, he thought of testing it on an unaware Jaya Bachchan.
He got off the car at the gate and approached the unsuspecting actress. He began begging before her, the actress was caught off guard and was scared. The actress began screaming for the security to take away the beggar. The security who also didn't recognise Sanjeev Kumar began reprimanding him and shooing him away. That's when he realised this had gone on far enough and yelled saying that he was in fact Sanjeev Kumar and he was only in costume. Jaya wasn't convinced even though she recognised his voice. She realised she had helped him test his costume.
