During the 70s and 80s, it wasn’t uncommon for actors to fall in love while shooting films. One such romance blossomed between Love Story (1981) co-stars Vijayta Pandit and Kumar Gaurav. The film, directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Rajendra Kumar, the father of Kumar Gaurav, saw the young actors falling for each other. However, this love story faced strong opposition, especially from Rajendra Kumar himself, as revealed by Vijayta in a recent exclusive interview.
In her first-ever candid conversation about her relationship, Vijayta Pandit, now 57, opened up on Lehren Retro about her love story with Kumar Gaurav and the intense reactions it provoked. She shared that while shooting in Kashmir for 2-3 months, she and Gaurav grew close. “We fell in love during the shoot. It was a natural outcome of spending so much time together,” she said. However, Rajendra Kumar, who was also on set with them, quickly noticed their growing affection for each other and was strongly opposed to it.
Recalling Rajendra Kumar’s anger, Vijayta said, “Rajendra Kumar guessed that they’re falling in love aur vo iss baat ke bahut khilaaf the (and he was very against it).” She further revealed that the actor-producer would often drink in the cold Kashmiri nights, becoming angrier at his son for falling in love. “He used to not like that we were falling in love and he would get very angry. Even during the shoot, he would drink at night and shout at Bunty (Kumar Gaurav), saying, ‘Tum kaam karoge toh kuch hoga, abhi se pyaar mein padoge toh tumhara kya hoga career ka?’ (If you work, something will come of it, but if you fall in love now, what will happen to your career?).”
Vijayta Pandit further she shared a specific shocking incident that often happened during the father-son arguments. “Rajendra Kumar used to say, ‘Tum prince ho, main tumhare liye princess launga’ (You are a prince, and I will bring you a princess). I used to get very scared listening to this.”
She continued, “Even though Rajendra Kumar refused to accept our love, Bunty would retaliate by saying, ‘No, I love her, and I don’t care about this.’” Hearing these tense arguments, Vijayta admitted that she often felt scared and conflicted. She even considered keeping her distance from Gaurav but her emotions got the better of her. “It was my first love and the heart doesn’t listen to refusals,” she confessed.
Despite their strong feelings for each other, the relationship eventually reached the end. Rajendra Kumar who was determined to end their love story and went on to arrange Kumar Gaurav’s engagement with Raj Kapoor’s daughter Reema Kapoor.
To learn more about how this love story unfolded and the challenges it faced, watch the full interview with Vijayta Pandit, where she opens up about her experiences, heartbreak and the impact it had on her life.
