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Donning the robe
Amitabh Bachchan speaks about playing a lawyer for the first time in his career
Kunal M Shah
With a career spanning over three decades one may easily say Amitabh Bachchan has been there and done that. So when one gets to know that his role in S. Ramanathan's Zamaanat is a first of sorts, one cannot help but mentally jog though his filmography. Indeed, Bachchan has never played a lawyer in any of his films so far. And that is exactly what he does in Zamaanat, which stars Karisma Kapur and Arshad Warsi. The film has been in the making for seven years now and is set to release next month.
Speaking about the role Bachchan says, "It is something different for me because I have never played a lawyer in my entire career. In Zamaanat, I play a retired blind advocate who returns to the courtroom to save Arshad Warsi, and ultimately emerges triumphant."
The actor doesn't sound perturbed about the delay in the film's release and his changing looks. He insists, "The plot is spread over a period of time. So my changing looks in the film go well with its narrative."
Bachchan's association with director S. Ramanathan goes a long way. The two had worked together in the popular road film Bombay to Goa. "Ramnathanji has been with me for all these years and I hope he meets with lot of success in his life," he says.
Point out that a lot of his films are being remade these days and he is quick to reply that Bombay to Goa was a remake of a South Indian film called Madras to Pondicherry. He continues: "Hollywood has been doing it for a while now. Even in India, Devdas has been made thrice and there are good remakes of Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam, Sholay and Amar Akbar Anthony in the pipeline. All these (remakes) will be keenly awaited and it would be interesting to see how the original film has been interpreted by a different filmmaker."
Talk about his superstar status and he immediately says, "I don't believe in that tag. Besides, films these days revolve around Shah Rukh, Salman or Abhishek. The younger generation has taken over. And although it is very exciting and humbling to know that people write roles keeping me in mind, I cannot carry an entire film on my shoulders alone."
Yet Bachchan has moulded himself to suit the modern-day working style in Bollywood as no other actor of his generation has. He says, "Times have changed now. There is a lot of planning in making films. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was completed in three months and it's a mammoth film with a huge cast. I have just returned from the shooting of Nishabdh which was completed in 20 days when we had a month on hand. It's a very good sign and there is more to come."
Like more films with Abhishek? "I am not doing too many films with him. We have just completed Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and will be doing a film with Rakyesh Mehra. As a father, I'm glad he is doing well for himself but he has to go a long way. We wish him well and pray that he always remains as focused as he has been. I enjoy working with him."
About Kaun Banega Crorepati, Bachchan says, "I will not deny the fact that talks are definitely on but nothing is finalised now. I have nearly 24 balance episodes. I can talk about it only when things are confirmed."
His health too, he says, is 'perfectly fine'. "Some of my commitments did get delayed but by and large things have been fine. Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was anyway slated for an August release. Babul was affected a little due to my absence as I had committed the entire December to it. Then there were some problems about the combination dates. We are working that out now." However Bachchan maintains that he isn't overworking and says, "My schedule was never hectic. People saw me all over and thought that I've been overworking. Frankly speaking, it's my manager who schedules all these things. I have been leading an organised life."
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