Actor Jugal Hansraj recalled that Shabana Azmi maintained distance from him during the shooting of the 1983 film Masoom. Azmi, playing his stepmother, reportedly kept a distance to foster on-screen awkwardness and discomfort between their characters, a method acting choice. Hansraj noted Azmi was friendly with the child actors playing her daughters but distant from him. He later understood this approach enhanced the film's realism and emotional impact.