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

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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."

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