Amitabh Bachchan remained dissatisfied by his performance despite rehearsing dialogues 200 times; Aamir Khan recalls watching Big-B work

Aamir Khan shared that during the shoot of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, he saw Amitabh Bachchan rehearsing next door, and decided to quietly observe the legendary actor.

Amitabh Bachchan has been working for over five decades. (Photo: Instagram/amitabhbachchan)

Actor Aamir Khan is known as the ‘perfectionist’ of Bollywood for intense working style, which usually involves thorough preparation. In an interview, Aamir said that there is no limit to how much an actor wants to rehearse, as he recalled a lesson that he learnt early in his career from observing Amitabh Bachchan remain dissatisfied by his performance despite giving eight takes.

During a stage interaction at the ABP Majha event, the host joked that it’s easier to get newcomers to do rehearsals, and Aamir bristled at the suggestion that he doesn’t rehearse just as hard. He said in Hindi, “I rehearse more than anybody else, bro. I just remembered a story. I was shooting for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. It was my first film, and we were shooting in Film City. I was sitting in my makeup room with Reena (Dutta) and my cousins Nuzhat and Raj Zutshi. We had a break of 1-2 hours and then we had to give a night shot.”

The actor continued, “Outside, another film was being shot, and we could hear the lights being set up. Then we heard an actor rehearsing his line. He must have repeated the same line 100-200 times. I stepped out and saw that it was Amit Ji (Amitabh Bachchan).”

Also Read | Vikrant Massey says Aamir Khan faced repercussions for expressing political opinion, claims Naseeruddin Shah can afford to be blunt: ‘At the age of 70…’

Aamir said that he was a big fan of the superstar back then, and continues to remain his admirer. So, he decided to observe the senior actor by sitting in the corner of room. Amitabh was shooting for a Prakash Mehra film.

Indian Express Entertainment is now on WhatsApp Channels. Follow us for the latest news, interviews, reviews, photos and more.

Aamir continued to tell the story.

“He was doing so much hard work, he was so focused. He gave around 8-10 takes. It was a long shot. In those days, there was no monitor. When the shot was done, the crew was ready to move on, but Amit ji didn’t move. Then, he went to Prakash ji and asked, ‘Prakash, I didn’t speak too fast right?’ He was still stuck on t hat shot,” Aamir said.

Finally coming to his deduction from that observation, Aamir said, “So, for me, that was a big lesson. There is no end to how much you can rehearse and get it right.”

Story continues below this ad

Aamir will return to the big screen for the first time since 2022 in this year’s Sitare Zameen Par. The film is expected to be release around Christmastime. He was last seen on the big screen in Laal Singh Chaddha, which was the Hindi adaptation of Oscar-winning Hollywood film Forrest Gump. Aamir and Amitabh worked together recently on Thugs of Hindostan.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.