'Guide' was a challenge for me: Waheeda Rehman Nanda Das

The yesteryear actress says she took up the 1965 film as a challenge because it highlighted the grey shades in her onscreen character. The 76-year-old legendary actress, whose portrayal of Rosie was appreciated by the audience, said it was tough to play a rebellious character at that time when the film industry was not open for such roles.

Waheeda Rehman

"When I signed 'Guide', my colleagues in the industry said that I was doing a big mistake. They even said that this might be my last film because that was the phase when actresses in the industry were portrayed as submissive women. We used to do love stories or family dramas where women were ideal in every role. "But luckily, I had an open mind and took the project because it was a film and not real life. My character was an inspiration for me.

When the film became a hit and everyone found my character interesting, I remember those same colleagues sent me telegrams appreciating my performance," Waheeda told PTI. She started her career in Bollywood with Guru Dutt's crime thriller 'CID' opposite Dev Anand in 1956 and starred in many films including 'Pyaasa' and 'Kaagaz Ke Phool'.

Hailing from a non-film background, Waheeda said she did not face any difficulty in establishing herself as an actress when the industry was majorly ruled by male actors. "Call it my good luck or my open-minded nature; I never felt that I was overshadowed by my co-stars. I worked with actors like Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor but my character was equally highlighted."u00a0