When Shah Rukh Khan responded to Jaya Bachchan calling Happy New Year ‘the most nonsensical film’: ‘Not more than Amar Akbar Anthony’. Watch

She also applauded Shah Rukh for being quick-witted. “He was so quick… amazing man. He said, ‘Jaya aunty, not more nonsensical then Amar Akbar Anthony’. I said it could be entertaining. Amar Akbar Anthony is a film I love watching… if you want to laugh, you don’t take back home anything you watched in theatre.”

It was later reported that Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai had tried apologising to Shah Rukh for Jaya’s comment, but he was in no mood to forgive them. Shah Rukh had dismissed such reports, and written on Twitter, “Have not read a more crappy, made up piece of journalism lately.” Further disproving the negative reports, Shah Rukh joined the Bachchan family on the stage at the opening ceremony of the Kolkata Film Festival that same year.

Abhishek has often spoken about his mother’s ‘honest’ reactions to his work. In an interview with Good Times earlier this year, he said, “She is very honest. But with me, because I am her son and there is all maa ki mamta vibe going on, if she doesn’t like my work, she doesn’t say anything. So she said a few words which I think that’s a very very good sign.”

Directed by Farah Khan, Happy New Year also starred Deepika Padukone, Boman Irani, Sonu Sood and Vivaan Shah. The film was a major box office success, but a critical failure. Shah Rukh will next be seen in Pathaan, while Jaya Bachchan will appear in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.