Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

As always here is an interesting interview of Big B.

On Abhiwarya Wedding:
Amitabh Bachchan says, “We still haven’t got a date. The two of them are so busy, we haven’t been able to sit down and work it out. Now, Abhishek’s schedule (for Drona) is postponed. So I’m hoping we’d be able to sit down and finally, work out a date. But Aishwarya is in Karjat shooting, Jaya has gone off to the Parliament. Everyone is impatient. So are Aishwarya and Abhishek.”

Though the two families would like it to be an intimate affair, it will obviously be a grand wedding. “Let’s see. I think far too much is being made of this affair. It’s just another wedding,” he says.

On Wife Jaya getting the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement:
“I didn’t know I had to give a speech. So whatever I said came from the heart. I needed to recollect a lifetime with Jaya to give her the trophy for lifetime achievement. That evening brought out a lot of emotions. My daughter Shweta, who’s a really tough girl, was moved to tears. Aishwarya was crying. For Jaya to acknowledge us and Aishwarya’s family…was wonderful. The day Abhishek announced Aishwarya was the girl he was going to marry, she became part of our family. I look on Aishwarya as a daughter,” he says.

On Nishabd:
“I called all my directors to see Nishabd on Wednesday. Ravi Chopra who’s very hard director to please, was deeply moved. People are surprised. They came expecting something else. Abhishek had seen only some rushes earlier on. He had some apprehensions about Nishabd. He doesn’t show his emotions that easily. He was visibly moved. He feels my performance in Nishabd is better than Black. Abhishek made an interesting observation. He said I had huge props in Black. In Nishabd I performed without any.”

On Eklavya:
 “What else would you expect the family’s guard to do? My character had to be subservient to everyone in the palace. I’ve had people ask me how I could be subservient to even Jimmy Shergill in Eklavya. This is stupidity. Long ago I did a film where a lot of young ladies beat me up with a jhadoo. One of my directors was shocked. ‘Aapko aise kaise maar sakte hain’. Some fans are already objecting to Nishabd. They’re saying my behaviour is shameless. People are missing the point. Isn’t it wonderful that an actor is willing to take up a role like this, no matter how it makes him look.”

On SRK Making Fun Of Amar Singh:
Those were off-hand comments made in jest. Such comments shouldn’t be taken seriously,” he signs off.