In a candid talk Amitabh Bachchan talks about his first big film of 2016, the unusual Wazir and clears the air about his so-called retirement.
In Wazir, you are confined to a wheelchair. Did that prove to be exciting for you?
The wheelchair is a challenge but also a wonderful prop to be used by me in the film!
Surely the wheelchair isn’t just a cinematic gimmick. Can you throw some light on this?
The wheelchair is an integral part of the film and the story. Its presence, its reason and its eventual use are all part of the ‘play’ in the game of Wazir. Otherwise, why would it be there in the first place?
Director Bejoy Nambiar has been hailed as someone with a good eye for style, but he is relatively new. What do you think of him as a storyteller?
Bejoy has been around for a while and has had great credentials in filmmaking. His sense of style and story is most telling!
Does Farhan Akhtar’s multi-faceted personality prove to be an asset?
Farhan has accomplished himself in all the fields that he has been involved in and certainly that brings with it, a great amount of experience and worthiness in the project.
A few days back you scared legion of fans worldwide with a hint of retirement.
That was laughable! I was writing my blog as I do each day and telling my EF – extended family members of the Blog, the events of the day and how it was now late at night and that I needed to retire to bed! The media in all its ingenuity chose to pick that one word ‘retire’ and built on it to make news. Actors do not retire; age and circumstances perhaps prevent them from being seen on screen again – or so I would imagine! In most cases it’s the audience that retires them!
You have also started shooting for Te3n. So what is it actually about?
It is a unique thriller, set in Kolkata, with an innovative style of presentation.
The film reteams you with Sujoy Ghosh after the ambitious Aladin. This time around, are the two of you making something simpler?
Nothing is simple in film making. In fact its takes a lot of hard work to present something simple.
You are also making a film produced by Shoojit Sircar. Can you share more about the film?
I do not think it would be proper to talk about the content or the story of the film just yet. Suffice to say that it is set in Delhi and has a strong social message.
I just finished reading ‘Written by Salim-Javed’ which talks about how as a team you were an architect of a completely new grammar of filmmaking. What are your views on it?
I have not read the book. But I shall. Salim-Javed were the architects of a brilliant decade in Indian cinema, one that gave me special presence and position. I believe Deewar was a very significant contribution by them and is the best screenplay to be written till date.