‘Amitabh Bachchan said hit me with full intensity’: Gajendra Chauhan on Big B’s ‘greatness’

However, when it came to the actual scene, Chauhan found himself hesitant. “So I told him, ‘Sir, in this scene, I have to do something that my heart isn’t allowing me to do.’ He asked, ‘What?’ I said, ‘I am supposed to hit you.’” Bachchan’s response, Chauhan said, reflected the actor’s commitment to the scene. “He said one line, and that line shows his greatness. He said, ‘Hit with full intensity.’”

Chauhan explained that the moment stayed with him because Bachchan did not allow his stature as a superstar to come in the way of the performance. “This one line tells you why Bachchan sahab is Bachchan sahab. He didn’t think, ‘He’s a newcomer, and I’m telling him to hit me hard.’ He wanted me to hit him with full force so that the impact would come through,” he said. “He could have thought, ‘I’m such a big star, a superstar, and if this guy hits me, it won’t look good.’ But he did the exact opposite. ‘Hit with full intensity.’ That is Amitabh Bachchan sahab,” he added.

‘Salman Khan is incredible’

In the same conversation, Chauhan also spoke warmly about his experience of working with Salman Khan, with whom he has worked in two or three films. The actor praised Khan not only as a performer but also for the way he treats people around him. “Amazing. I’ve done two or three films with him. He is incredible, especially in terms of his behaviour. I don’t think there is anyone better when it comes to helping people or standing by someone,” Chauhan said. “He can be a good friend, a good companion, and he is obviously a great artist. But his personality is like a coconut. On the outside, he looks very tough, but inside, he is extremely soft. His heart is very soft,” he added.

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Chauhan also recalled an anecdote shared by Salman’s father, writer Salim Khan, about the star’s philanthropic work through Being Human. “Salim Khan saab had come to our CINTAA event as a guest, and he told us a story. Salman Khan saab runs Being Human, the foundation. He told us that they used to do a gathering where people would come and tell their problems and the help they needed. So once there was a man sitting there, and he said, ‘My son has cancer, and I need Rs 30,000.’ Salman sahab was also sitting, and he said, ‘Give it to him.’ They gave that man Rs 30,000,” Chauhan recalled.

He went on to recount what happened when the man returned to another such gathering. “Salim Khan saab said that the next time they had another gathering where people came seeking help, that same man came and sat down again. Salim Khan saab became suspicious. He thought, ‘Something is wrong with this man. Why has he come back?’ So he asked him, ‘What happened? Why have you come again?’ The man said, ‘Sir, I’ve come to return the money. The purpose for which I took it was not fulfilled. My son died.’”

Chauhan said the man’s honesty moved everyone present. He added that Salim Khan had also spoken about how Salman later helped the man rebuild his life. The man, who made a living by selling tea, was helped in setting up a shop in Thane, with several lakhs of rupees invested towards establishing his business.