AMITABH SAYS NO TO NEW ASSIGNEMENTS

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who just returned to shooting after a long gap recuperateing from illness, will not take up new assignments as doctors have placed some restrictions on him.

The superstar has shot a few scenes for Karan Johar’s ‘Kabhi Aalvidaa na Kehna’ and make-up man Deepak Sawant’s Bhojpuri film ‘Ganga’. The actor expressed his gratitude to his fans who prayed for his recovery.

You are facing the camera after nearly three months. How does it feel?
It feels the same, not much difference. Same people, same mode of work, camera still rolls and cuts, trolleys and cranes work, music plays, and life moves on. On the first day at the shoot for Karan’s film people showed respect and joy at my return. I feel odd and embarrassed.

Which film have you started with, and why?
I started on March 20th with ‘Kabhi Aalvidaa Na Kehna’. It was a day’s shoot with Shah Rukh, Rani, Preeti and Kiron Kher. There was no particular reason why, just that the dates worked out in this fashion. On Tuesday it was a Bhojpuri film being produced by my makeup man Deepak Sawant. He has been with me for 30 years and has with great courage put together this project. He was the one affected the most due to my illness. It’s a small-budget film. It would have finished in November, so I gave it priority.

How were you welcomed on the sets?
Yash ji (Yash Chopra) was in his new state-of-the-art studio, with flowers and a warm hug. Karan came with chocolates and gifts. That’s it. Otherwise it was like just another normal day back at office.

There's jubilation and elation at your return.
I did not witness any jubilation except the TV crews and OB vans following me from 6 in the morning as I went to the gym and then on to the studio, such a waste of tape and time over nothing, really. I don’t think it (return to work) deserved so much attention. But fans… yes… they were warm and emotional and affectionate. They prayed for me and I got back on my feet because of them. I thank them and acknowledge their love. But it’s still insufficient and I have no adequate words to express my gratitude to them. God bless them all. I owe so much to them.

There must be a pile-up of work. How would you cope? After 'Kabhi Alvidaa...' what's next?
It’s not so bad. The producers have been very kind and gracious. They haven’t thrown me out or replaced me, and timing-wise there has not been a marked difference in their planning. No serious delays have occurred and everyone is quite happy. I think unless I am unable to see something. I’ll be doing the Bhojpuri film for a couple of days. Then a few days of ads, leading on to “Babul” for a while and then “Kabhi Alvidaa” again in one final schedule.

What about new assignments?
No new projects at the moment. There are restrictions to how much I can take on. And I need to finish those I committed to do before thinking ahead. But I meet and I like what I hear from Rakeysh Mehra and Ram Gopal Varma. There are others too. But I’d rather they took final shape before we talk of them.

Credit: This story was submitted by Ankit Jain of Footprints.in. They run their own movie Blog at DCECinemas. To submit your own articles for posting on radiosargam.com please email.