Anees Bazmee recalls the day he angered Raj Kapoor on set
Synopsis
Long before 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', Anees Bazmee was a nervous assistant director on a Raj Kapoor set — and a single costume error on an otherwise perfect shooting day turned a cast-and-crew party into one of the most embarrassing nights of his early career.
Key Takeaways
Anees Bazmee shared the story on The Kapil Sharma Show , recalling an incident from his days as an assistant director on a Raj Kapoor film.
Raj Kapoor completed an unusually high 17 to 18 shots in a single day and announced a celebratory party for the cast and crew.
Around 7 to 7:30 pm , Bazmee and fellow assistants realised actor Kharbanda had been given the wrong costume during the shoot.
An angry Raj Kapoor summoned his assistants, and all five received a public reprimand — just before attending the party.
Bazmee made his directorial debut with 'Hulchul' in 1995 and broke through commercially with 'Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha' in 1998 .
He is currently directing an untitled film with Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan .
Filmmaker Anees Bazmee recently shared a candid behind-the-scenes story from his early days as an assistant director — one that turned a celebratory evening into a very uncomfortable night. Speaking on The Kapil Sharma Show, Bazmee recalled the incident that left him and his fellow assistants on the receiving end of Raj Kapoor's rare fury.
The Incident That Spoiled a Party
Raj Kapoor, known for his meticulous approach on set, typically wrapped his scenes in 3 to 4 shots per day. On this particular occasion, however, he delivered an exceptional 17 to 18 shots — a feat that left the veteran filmmaker so pleased that he announced a party for the entire cast and crew that evening.
The mood shifted dramatically when Bazmee and his fellow assistants realised, around 7 to 7:30 pm, that actor Kharbanda had been given the wrong costume during the shoot. 'I told the fellow assistants. So, everyone on the set was happy except us 5 assistants,' Bazmee recalled.
Raj Kapoor's Reaction
When the chief assistant broke the news to Raj Kapoor, the celebrated director of 'Mera Naam Joker' was visibly upset and immediately demanded, 'Where is my assistant?' The five assistants, according to Bazmee, received a thorough dressing-down that evening — right before they were expected to attend the very party that had been announced in celebration.
'The problem was that there was also a party in the evening, which we had to attend,' Bazmee shared. At the gathering, every person they encountered reminded them of the blunder. 'Everyone was looking at us as if we had committed a massive crime,' he remembered.
Bazmee's Journey From Assistant to Blockbuster Director
The anecdote offers a glimpse into the rigorous school of filmmaking that shaped Anees Bazmee before he became one of Hindi cinema's most reliable commercial directors. He made his directorial debut with 'Hulchul' in 1995, featuring Vinod Khanna, Ajay Devgn, and Kajol.
His first major commercial breakthrough came in 1998 with 'Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha', again led by Ajay Devgn and Kajol, which ranked among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of that year.
A Blockbuster Track Record
Over the decades, Bazmee has built a formidable catalogue of crowd-pleasers: 'No Entry' (2005), 'Welcome' (2007), 'Singh Is Kinng' (2008), 'Ready' (2011), 'Welcome Back' (2015), 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' (2022), and 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' (2024).
He is currently at work on an untitled project starring Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan in the lead roles.
Point of View
But it also illuminates something rarely discussed: the unforgiving discipline of old-school Hindi film sets, where even a single continuity error could unravel an entire day's goodwill. Raj Kapoor's reaction — fury on what should have been a triumphant evening — reflects a production culture where craft accountability was non-negotiable. For Bazmee, that formative embarrassment arguably laid the groundwork for the tight commercial instincts he would later deploy across a string of blockbusters. The anecdote is also a reminder that India's most beloved entertainers were built in an era of analogue consequences, where there was no digital undo button for a wrong costume.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Anees Bazmee reveal on The Kapil Sharma Show?
Anees Bazmee recalled a set incident from his days as an assistant director where a costume error on a Raj Kapoor film turned a celebratory party into an uncomfortable evening. He and four fellow assistants were reprimanded by Raj Kapoor after actor Kharbanda was given the wrong clothes during a shoot.
Why was Raj Kapoor upset with Anees Bazmee?
Raj Kapoor was upset because his assistants, including Bazmee, had given actor Kharbanda the wrong costume during what had otherwise been an exceptional shooting day — one in which Kapoor himself had completed 17 to 18 shots instead of his usual 3 to 4.
What is Anees Bazmee's directorial debut film?
Anees Bazmee made his directorial debut with 'Hulchul' in 1995, featuring Vinod Khanna, Ajay Devgn, and Kajol. His first major commercial success followed in 1998 with 'Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha', which ranked among that year's highest-grossing Bollywood films.
What are Anees Bazmee's biggest hit films?
Bazmee's blockbuster catalogue includes 'No Entry' (2005), 'Welcome' (2007), 'Singh Is Kinng' (2008), 'Ready' (2011), 'Welcome Back' (2015), 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' (2022), and 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3' (2024).
What is Anees Bazmee's next project?
Anees Bazmee is currently working on an untitled film starring Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan in the lead roles. No release date has been announced yet.
