Why Smita Patil Was Infuriated With Mahesh Bhatt After The Release Of Their Film Arth

Arth, released on December 3, 1982, is one of the critically acclaimed films directed by Mahesh Bhatt. It is often called a timeless masterpiece, which won accolades because of its two talented performers Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Smita Patil had a shorter role compared to Shabana Azmi, but she managed to leave a strong impact on the audience. Did you know Smita could never come to terms with the shorter length of her role? As stated in the reports, Mahesh Bhatt had edited out many scenes, featuring Smita, from Arth’s final cut. It is because Arth was directed from the viewpoint of a wife. Smita was playing the role of the person the lead hero had an affair with. Reportedly, Smita Patil was infuriated with this decision. She and Mahesh Bhatt avoided interacting for many years.

Still, Mahesh Bhatt remembers Smita Patil for her simplicity, generosity and extraordinary talent. In an interview with Rediff.com earlier, he recalled how he had once reached Mumbai’s Film City studio. He had given Smita the narration of her character Kavita Sanyal in Arth in this studio. Smita was shooting for the film Tajurba, directed by Nikhil Saini, in the Film City studio. She was impressed with the character and even signed a letter of consent for taking up the role. Mahesh then gave Smita the signing amount for the role but she was shocked by it. “Arre, you are giving me an extraordinary role, and money for doing it too!” Smita had said. Mahesh recalls being taken aback by her reply. According to Mahesh, Smita had worked in parallel cinema and was used to working with little or no money.

Arth is remembered for another reason. It was based on the real-life incident of an affair between Mahesh Bhatt and Parveen Babi. Arth narrates the storyline of Pooja Malhotra (Shabana Azmi), who is cheated on by her husband Inder (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). He cheats on her with Kavita Sanyal (Smita Patil). Kavita Sanyal’s role was modelled on Parveen Babi, while Inder’s role is inspired by Mahesh Bhatt. The audience also loved Arth for the melodious ghazals by Jagjit Singh and Chitra.

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