Big B, Irrfan, Deepika to attend workshops for 'Piku'

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan may be by far the most iconic star actor of our cinema, but that doesn't stop him from undertaking rehearsals like a newcomer for Shoojit Sircar's "Piku" where he will share screen space with Irrfan Khan for the first time.

Though Irrfan's schedules too are packed as he'll be shooting simultaneously in Mumbai and Los Angeles, he too has agreed to participate in the acting workshops for "Piku".

"This is the first time when Irrfan would be sharing screen space with the Big B. He's understandably excited and challenged. He asked Shoojit to create a comfort level between the two specially since the Big B and Irrfan share very intense dramatic sequences in 'Piku'," said a source close to the project.

Sircar says it wasn't easy getting the four principal actors - Amitabh, Irrfan, Deepika Padukoneand Jisshu Sengupta - to spare time for the workshops.

"Bachchan saab, Irrfan, Deepika and Jisshu are all extremely busy actors. But they had absolutely no hesitation in slicing precious meat out of their fat schedules to go through the rehearsals," he said.

The "Madras Cafe" director believes workshops are specially important for "Piku".

"It is a very real drama, the emotions are not cinematic. The feelings expressed have to be absolutely authentic. Luckily, I've actors who are more than willing to surrender completely to the project. They have been told that we cannot start shooting unless we do the workshops.

"They're all joining me for workshops for a couple of weeks before we begin shooting at the end of July."