Reena Roy on how Nargis Dutt helped her enter the film industry: ‘She noticed me playing on the road with my friends’

One of Bollywood’s most prominent faces in the 1970s and 1980s, Reena Roy is known for her performance in films like Jaise Ko Taisa, Zakhmee, Nagin, Apnapan, Jaani Dushman, Aasha, Arpan, Asha Jyoti, Naseeb and Sanam Teri Kasam. The noted actress started her acting career at the age of 15 with BR Ishara’s 1972 drama film Zaroorat, also starring Vijay Arora and Danny Denzongpa. 

Recently, Reena appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show, along with Moushumi Chatterjee as a celebrity guest and talked about her career in showbiz. Reminiscing about her early days in Hindi cinema, the actress opened up about how the iconic star Nargis Dutt noticed her while she was playing on the road and helped her in getting a role in the film.

“I was playing on the road with my friends from the neighbourhood when Nargisji’s car happened to pass by. She noticed me and requested someone to find out more about the girl who was running the fastest. Then, she sent someone to my house to get me to sign the film,” Reena elaborated.

The actress also spoke about landing her role in the 1976 film Nagin after many big names of that era declined the offer. “Back then, all the well-known actresses, including Asha Parekh and Rekha, declined the opportunity to play the role in the movie Nagin. Eventually, it was offered to me due to my proficiency in dancing,” she said.

Reena recalled how even her mother was apprehensive about her taking up the role. The actress said, “My mother was also worried about this role, but I reassured her that I genuinely liked the storyline and wanted to portray the character. Everyone had rejected this role, and that’s how I ended up with it. There was a lot of hesitation among people to take on this project because they feared it might tarnish their image, given the slightly negative nature of the role.”