“Shamitabh has a different and unusual storyline” – Amitabh Bachchan

Hailed as India’s legendary actor and the greatest icon, Amitabh Bachchan with his every movie undoubtedly proves that Bollywood is incomplete without him. The senior Bachchan now has donned upthe hat for the promotion of his latest flick that has already created a buzz with his ‘Toilet Song – Piddly’.
Rajesh Sharma from the Indus Age team in an exclusive interview with Mr. Bachchan talked about his latest Movie- ‘SHAMITABH’. Excerpts from the interview –
Q. 2014 saw only one release of yours, which was ‘Bhootnath Returns’. Are you also joining the camp of fellow actors who follow the mantra of ‘One Movie One year’?
A. No, No… It is certainly not like that. However, I consider myself fortunate that atleast I have one movie a year owing to the fact that people of my age hardly get work in this industry so I am very delighted that I have at least got one movie in the past year.

Q. ‘Shamitabh’s’ audio trailer has already created ripples everywhere. What does the movie hold for the audience?
A. The director of this movie R. Balki has always worked on diverse and unusual scripts. There is always some challenge for the lead character in his movies and Shamitabh is no different.It has a unique story and under my observation, perhaps the plot of this movie is quite different and has never been seen before in the Indian conema. R. Balki tends to use unlike scripts every time he works on a new project. There is a basic emotion in the film that of two individuals possessing certain acumen in a certain profession and how they come together. a journalist who recognises their capabilities and wants them to come together and achieve great heights. Once that happens and they achieve greater heights, ego comes in between about the contribution each has in their lives, their profession and so on.., and with this the story piles on that you shall see in the film.

Q. The look you have taken up in this movie was concealed for a long time. How was the idea of the look initiated and finalised upon?
A. R. Balki decides all these things, my character in the film is an old frustrated man. Slightly desolationwith whatis happening around him. He is obstinate and resorts to alcohol. He lives under very meager circumstances. Balki felt that this would be a very haggard kind of a look for the character I that play. He designed it and then we had a few makeup artists coming in from overseas who along with my makeup department put things into place andcreated the final look.

Q. Mr Balki and you click together as a team. What makes thatclick happen?
A. I don’t know. I think audience appreciation is very vital whenever a product is made. The final product is a dream and idea of an individual but eventually its an entire team that work day and night for that project. Hundreds of people come together for that project whether it is the artist involved, the management or the production team etc. The credit is deserved by all not an individual but I must say Balki’s ideas or vision must be given maximum creditbecause he is the one that conceived the idea but then to bring it to action various other people put in their hardwork and dedication.

Q. Mr. Balki has always given you very unconventional and challenging roles. What can we expect from ‘Shamitabh’?
A. It is equally challenging as well, as I have mentioned earlier that this is the plot that has never been seen before in Indian cinema. Consequently we are actually anxious and eager to see how audience will respond to this. I would say yes, there are moments, which are unique in its own ways and as you see the film you will discover that these situations are indeed different. I had to record the entire film before we went onset, which was in itself a very normal idea. We had recorded the entire script and then we went on the floor and shot it. Once it was done, we dubbed it again to bring in certain finesse. So it was a long and tedious process and a lot more involving and laborious and at times its difficult to move away from what you have recorded as it brings along its own difficulties but Balki has managed it very well.

Q. How was it working with Dhanush and Akshara?
A. Wonderful, Dhanush is of course a huge star and an accomplished actor. It’s the simplicity of his work that is quite magnetic.Once the camera goes on, there is huge amount of artistry that he brings in a very special way.Akshara comes from a great lineage and this is her first film.She has a wonderful face and when you see you will discover that it doesn’t seem at all that this is her first film but that can be said about all of today’s generation. Whenever you see them you feel My God! how did they manage to do so well in their very first film. But again, yes they have done it very well. Very accomplished. I wish them luck.

Q. The song ‘Piddly’ is getting much attention. How did you prepare for the loo break?
A. It’s a part of a sequence in the film. The song itself comes about as a result of sequencethat takes place with Dhanush. And why inside the toilet, is also a surprise element for the audience but it has its legitimacy to it, why I am sitting there. ‘Piddly’ actually means small little insignificant things that is connected to the English meaning of piddle which indicates going to the washroom. So it makes a very interesting situation but its not just done there for any kind of sensationalism or anything like that but there is a genuine situation which calls in to be done in this manner an therefore are done.

Q. What all movies can the Bachchan’s fans look forward to watching this year?
A. Well, It’s Shamitabh this Febuary and then in April we have a film called ‘Piku’ which is directed by Soorjit Sircar. Soorjit and Ihave worked extensively on many endorsements and he also shot with me on the entire Gujarat campaign. Piku will be released in April and we have Deepika Padukone and Irfan khan playing prominent roles in the film.

After that there is a movie called ‘WAZIR’ directed by Bejoy Nambiar who and being produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raju Hirani. This movie is set to release in August. At present, I have these three releases and let’s see how things go. Perhaps there will be another season of KBC in September or October. These are the things that are lined up for me till now.