Watch: When Padmini Kolhapure greeted Prince Charles with garland and kiss, was 'left embarrassed' later
Back in 1980, when Bollywood was hiding their kisses behind dancing flowers and meadows, actor Padmini Kolhapure made jaws drop as she leaped in and confidently planted a kiss on Prince Charles' cheek during his visit to India.
Years before Prince Charles wedded Princess Diana, the heir to the royal throne had paid a visit to India. During his trip, he visited a studio where a Bollywood film was being shot. Hearing about his visit, an excited Padmini left to greet him.
A short video of their interaction was shared on YouTube, in which Padmini welcomed Charles with a garland and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek. The visual rocked India and the United Kingdom. So much so that Padmini, in an interview in 2013, revealed that she was recognised as the woman who kissed Prince Charles.
"He was visiting Mumbai and I don’t know what he thought that he wanted to see a shoot. We were shooting for Ahista Ahista at Rajkamal Studios. Shashikalaji did his Indian aarti and I just greeted him with a peck on his cheek. But, in those days, it became a big thing. I remember I went to London for a holiday and this British immigration officer asked me, ‘Are you the same person who kissed Prince Charles?’ I was left embarrassed," she told a leading daily in 2013.
Speaking with Hindustan Times, Padmini said, "It was just a peck on the cheek...the media took it somewhere else. It was no big deal."
Padmini began her career in Bollywood as a child artist. She starred in a few films, including Raj Kapoor's Satyam Shivam Sundaram. She played the role of a young Zeenat Aman in the film. Padmini went on to star in numerous films such as Prem Rog, Souten, Woh Saat Din, and Pyar Jhukta Nahin.
In a recent interview with a leading daily, Padmini had said that she rejected films that eventually went to Sridevi, Rekha, and Rati Agnihotri. She also confessed she regretted turning down Raj Kapoor's Ram Teri Ganga Maili, which starred the late Rajiv Kapoor in the lead role.