It was a muhurat party with a difference. Usually film muhurats are star-studded affairs where directors get stars to enact a shot and you have some of the most loved faces from the astral firmament make polite conversation.
Six months after Amitabh Bachchan’s AB Corp rolled off Ranveer, family friend Amar Singh, sounded the clapper board for Viruddh (the English version’s titled Vs), even as Mahesh Manjrekar (one of the busiest directors in the film industry at the moment) canned the mahurat shot on Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore.
The Big B and La Tagore who shared the screen space two and half decades ago in insignificant films like, Faraar and Besharam (both commercial disasters) reunite as a couple who fight against corruption.
The party kicked off at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, well after 9 p.m. with Jaya Bachchan felicitating crusaders Sundarlal Bahugana, Anna Hazare and Medha Patekar, besides Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal. T N Seshan sent a message to the Big B congratulating him on having the courage to make a film about Vidyadhar Patwardhan, an ordinary man who took on “the corrupt system.”
The felicitation was followed by a 14-minute enactment from the film where the spotlight was firmly trained on the Big B! Manjrekar who sounded off the script of Viruddh (simultaneously being shot in English and Hindi) to Bachchan on the sets of Kaante (their last screen outing was a huge hit) is over the moon of course: “I can’t quite believe it. I am directing two of the most talented performers in India. And before you can say so, Mr Bachchan and Sharmila ji aren’t doing a film like Baghban (the Ravi Chopra flick co-starring AB and Hema Malini, which revolved round a couple in their twilight years) here.
{{/usCountry}}The felicitation was followed by a 14-minute enactment from the film where the spotlight was firmly trained on the Big B! Manjrekar who sounded off the script of Viruddh (simultaneously being shot in English and Hindi) to Bachchan on the sets of Kaante (their last screen outing was a huge hit) is over the moon of course: “I can’t quite believe it. I am directing two of the most talented performers in India. And before you can say so, Mr Bachchan and Sharmila ji aren’t doing a film like Baghban (the Ravi Chopra flick co-starring AB and Hema Malini, which revolved round a couple in their twilight years) here.
{{/usCountry}}Viruddh is about a man who’s unafraid to champion the cause of truth. John Abraham plays an important role as Amitabh Bachchan’s son in the film.
Bachchan who’d initially scheduled the mahurat party in late June (that was postponed because of the untimely demise of his dear friend, producer, Yash Johar) was a gracious host at this otherwise low-key do (by film standards). Close family friend Prakash Mehra (who directed AB in Zanjeer, his ticket to superstardom in ’73), exhibitor-film producer Manmohan Shetty, Amrish Puri, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu were among those spotted at the rocking party.