Ram Teri Ganga Maili‘ is one of the most memorable movies made by Raj Kapoor. The film which released in 1985 starred Mandakini in the lead along with Rajiv Kapoor. But did you know that actor and politician Khushbu Sundar was originally supposed to play the female lead? In a recent interview she revealed that Raj Kapoor had liked her for the part but she was just 14 years old at that time. Thus, she was replaced by Mandakini.
In a recent interview with Vickey Lalwani, she said, “Raj Kapoor wanted to launch me in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. We also did a photo shoot for the same. After looking at those photos, Raj Kapoor had said, ‘She is my Ganga .’ The plan was to finish the Gangotri schedule first, but it was snowing at the time, so they decided to shoot in Kolkata first, where they would show the brothel scene, the character is already a mother to a. baby.”
She also spoke about her equation with Rajiv Kapoor (lovingly called Chimpu). Khushbu revealed that she was shocked to hear about his death as she had just spoken to him a day prior. “He (Rajiv) was keeping extremely low. He had a major issue with his knee, so he underwent a couple of surgeries. But that didn’t help him at all. We were definitely aware that Chimpu was unwell. I was in Bombay When Chimpu died, he called me and said, ‘It came as a rude shock to me.’
Khushbu further revealed he was addicted to alcohol. “He did have a heart issue, but because of his addiction to alcohol, we knew that it could create a huge problem. We were not successful in making him quit this habit.”
She added, “I spoke to Chimpu just a day before his death. He was down with very high fever and it was during COVID-19. Despite being unwell, he was being his usual self… He was taking his health lightly and promised to meet soon.”
Shedding light on their friendship, she said, “He has taught me so many things. I only put white nail paint on my toes because Chimpu once told me that it’s classy. He had told me this in 1983, and till date, I only He didn’t like the way I walk, so he made me learn how to walk with heels without making any noise.”
