Poonam Dhillon recalls Kamal Haasan scolding her for being late on set: ‘Rajesh Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha would arrive late, I was used to that’ | Hindi Movie News

Veteran actor Poonam Dhillon recently shared an anecdote about working with Kamal Haasan, recalling how he once reprimanded her for arriving late on set. Having worked with Hindi film stars like Rajesh Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha, who were known for their relaxed approach to punctuality, Poonam admitted she had grown accustomed to taking liberties with call times.
Bollywood’s late arrivals
While speaking to Hindi Rush, she revealed, “The first time I got a scolding on set… it was by Kamal Haasan, because I was late.” She explained that in Mumbai, arriving 30-45 minutes late was considered normal since many top stars followed a similar pattern. However, when she was shooting in Chennai, she showed up an hour late for a 7 am shift, assuming it wouldn’t be an issue—only to be met with serious faces on set.
“Because in Mumbai, being late by 30-45 minutes was fine because my co-actors would be people like Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha. These people would show up when they wanted so we were used to taking liberty of 30-45 minutes when going on set,” she recalled.

A wake-up call in Chennai
Kamal Haasan took her aside and pointed out that the entire crew had been waiting since early morning, many of them having traveled long distances. His words made her realize the importance of discipline and the respect technicians deserved. She acknowledged that in the South Indian film industry, the working culture was different, with greater regard for crew members. Unlike in Bollywood, where star tantrums often dictated schedules, technicians in the South were treated with respect, from shared meal breaks to better working conditions.

This experience, she admitted, was a turning point in her approach to punctuality and work ethic in the industry.