Shekhar Suman fondly looked back on his Bollywood debut in Girish Karnad’s 1984 romantic drama Utsav, where he starred opposite Rekha. Produced by Shashi Kapoor, the film featured Rekha as the courtesan Vasantasena and Shekhar as Charudatta, a poor man she falls in love with in Ujjain. Being a newcomer, it was quite a task for Shekhar to have intimate scenes with Rekha in his first film and she was an established star. But Shekhar reveals how she made him feel so comfortable.Recalling his experience, Shekhar said Rekha never carried the air of a superstar despite already being one of the industry’s biggest names. “She did it, right from the start. When there’s an actor who walks around with a paraphernalia and acts like, ‘Look at me, I’m a big star,’ that becomes a problem. They have so many people looking after them and expect you to just sit in the corner and watch all the stardom. But she was away from all that. She’d sit next to me and make me comfortable. So, even before I gave my shot, I was very, very comfortable,” recalled Shekhar in an interview with Screen.He also credited filmmaker Girish Karnad for helping him overcome the pressure of sharing screen space with Rekha. “He told me, ‘Look, you’re just playing a character. Don’t treat her as Rekha, but just as Vasantasena, another character,’” said Shekhar. Speaking about filming intimate scenes, he praised Rekha’s professionalism, adding, “Being a big star, she never said, ‘Don’t touch me here’ or ‘I don’t want to give another retake’. She was very, very normal.”Shekhar also reminisced about working with Madhuri Dixit in Manav Hatya (1986), directed by Sudarshan Rattan. At the time, Madhuri had debuted with Abodh but was yet to achieve nationwide fame, which came later with Tezaab and its iconic song “Ek Do Teen.”Remembering how he came on board the project, Shekhar said, “I remember working with Madhuri in my second film. The director called me and asked, ‘Would you work with a new girl?’ I said, ‘If Rekha could work with me, why would I not work with a new girl?’”He also recalled meeting Madhuri before filming began. “She stayed close by to me in Andheri. I wanted to meet her, so we both went to her place on a motorcycle. When I saw her, I thought, ‘Oh my god! Such a pretty looking girl!’ She was a huge discovery,” he added.Looking back at his early career, Shekhar said he never consciously avoided films where the female lead had a more prominent role. Whether it was Utsav, Manav Hatya, or Jyoti Sarup’s Rehguzar alongside Simple Kapadia, he was happy to accept strong supporting parts. “I just picked everything that came my way. Utsav was such a delight. To be chosen as the hero opposite Rekha! She was the bigger star and had a bigger role, but I was equally important and noticed,” said Shekhar.He also spoke about Naache Mayuri (1986), inspired by Sudha Chandran’s real-life story, where he portrayed a flawed character. “It revolved around the protagonist losing her leg, but she still comes out as a winner. I played the hero, but he was negative. When she loses her leg, he leaves her in the lurch, but comes back once she becomes famous,” recalled the actor.Sharing another memorable incident, Shekhar reflected on his role in Pati Parmeshwar opposite Dimple Kapadia, where his character eventually seeks forgiveness. He revealed that audiences strongly disliked his on-screen persona, something he viewed as a compliment to his performance. “Even Pati Parmeshwar, the film I did with Dimple Kapadia, I came back and asked for forgiveness. I remember my father watching it in a theatre in Jaipur, where the audience said, ‘Maaro saale ko!’ He was very upset! He asked me, ‘Why would you do a role like that?’ I said, ‘But that’s the victory of the character. I wanted people to hate me,’” said Shekhar.