This actor starred in Guinness World Record film, walked off from sets when Yash Johar arranged 99 camels instead of 100
Directed by Sunil Dutt himself, Yaadein featured him as the only actor throughout its entire runtime, and is thus listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Read on to know why Dutt walked off from the sets of Reshma Aur Shera.
Born as Balraj Dutt in the Punjab province in the now present-day Pakistan, Sunil Dutt was a man of many talents. He not only starred in multiple successful films, but also produced and directed them. Do you know that one of the films that he made is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records?
The 1964 black and white Hindi film Yaadein, which was produced and directed by Sunil Dutt, featured only him throughout its entire runtime. Dutt's wife Nargis Dutt appears as a silhoutte in the final scene. It is listed in Guinness Book of World Records under the category "Fewest actors in a narrative film." It also ended up winning the National Film Award for the Second Best Feature Film in Hindi.
There is also another very interesting anecdote related to another Sunil Dut directorial, Reshma aur Shera. Karan Johar's father Yash Johar was the production controller for the film and Dutt asked him to arrange for 100 camels for an important sequence. When Johar could arrange 99 camels instead of the 100 that the actor-filmmaker asked for, the latter walked off the sets.
Recalling the incident, Karan Johar told Film Companion in a recent interview, "Dutt sahab told my father overnight that for Reshma Aur Shera, he wanted 100 camels. My father was a production controller so he was given these requirements. Overnight, he went to the nearby villages and got the camels. They weren’t 100. He told him, ‘Dutt sahab, I am sorry. I couldn’t get you 100 camels. But I could get you 99.’ Dutt sahab looked at him and said ‘Pack up’ and walked off. He was serious because they weren’t 100 but 99 camels."
Released in 1971, Reshma Aur Shera starred Waheeda Rehman and Sunil Dull in the titular roles of Reshma and Shera. The film won three National Awards including the one to Waheeda for Best Actress. Also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Raakhee, and Ranjeet among others, the film was also India's entry for the Oscars in 1972 but didn't ended up being a nominee in the Best Foreign Language Film category.READ | Meet producers Tito and Tony, who first brought Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha together on screen; didn't even listen to Jaya Bachchan