Big B’s three takes

Aarakshan is the first movie that will have Amitabh Bachchan working with director Prakash Jha and the producer, Feroz Nadiadwala. Find out what Big B has to say about the actors.

Aarakshan

HT Image

is the first movie that will have Amitabh Bachchan working with director Prakash Jha and the producer, Feroz Nadiadwala. Here, he speaks about his co-stars and memories of actor Smita Patil, Prateik Babbar’s mother.

Saif Ali Khan

“I have worked with Saif in

Eklavya

before. I think, Saif was about six or seven years old, when he first visited one of my film’s sets. I was shooting a song in Film City with his mother Sharmila

ji

, who I have worked very often. She said, ‘He wants to be with you and watch the shooting’. So I took him along. He was a very confused looking youngster. I remember, he sat on a rock near the helipad in Film City and watched the shooting. We have watched him grow so brilliantly. He is now a fine actor and brings a lot of variety in every performance that he takes up.''

Prateik

“Whenever I look at him I think of his mother, Smita. The resemblance, the attitude is so, so unique that I am afraid it is going to be a little emotional for me. Smita was a very dear friend. We have spent a lot of time together and we talked a lot. There was a great understanding for the kind of work that she wanted to do. She was very apprehensive about the escapist cinema I was associated with. Therefore, when she got the first opportunity to work with me, she was so scared."

“We had never met socially. Yet, when I was shooting for

Coolie

in Bangalore, one night, at about 1 o’ clock, I got a call. The operator said, ‘Smita Patil wants to talk to you.’ It was indeed Smita. She said, ‘Amit

ji

, I’m sorry to disturb you. But are you okay?’ I said. ‘Yes, I am fine.’ She explained, ‘I just got up from a very bad dream and I just wanted to call you and find out if you were okay.’ I said, ‘Yeah I am fine.’ That was it. Next morning, I had my accident on the sets of

Coolie

. It was just unbelievable.

Deepika Padukone

“With Deepika, it is another first. Abhishek has beaten me, he has already worked with her. I look forward to being with her. I hope we will have a good time bonding.

Bollywood News Service