R Balki on ‘Shamitabh’, Amitabh Bachchan and how Dhanush came on board

Big B soon gave a thumbs up to this project.

The movie is, reportedly, about a deaf-and-mute aspiring actor with Amitabh Bachchan lending his voice to Dhanush’s character. But R Balki refuses to divulge any further details about the plot.

“I will say that the film is about clash of egos, about people competing for credit as filmmaking is a collaborative effort. ‘Shamitabh’ explores that collision.”

Also read – Revealed: Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush’s ‘Shamitabh’ audio poster

Also, rumours were rife that the part that’s played by Dhanush was initially offered to Shah Rukh Khan, but he had certain reservations regarding the share of screen space he would get. “Every film has its own destiny and this film wasn’t meant to happen with him. I will come up with something for him too,” adds Balki.

It’s another different story as to how Dhanush was thought of casting in the movie. Balki says, “He (Amitabh Bachchan) asked me who would I cast if I were to choose Southern stars. I told him it would be Rajinikanth and Dhanush. So he said, ‘Why not Dhanush?’. I made a phone call and had my two lead actors,” says Balki. However, a slot was still empty. And it was filled once Kamal Haasan and Sarika’s daughter Akshara Haasan, came on board. I saw her and tailored a character around her. She’s the third hero of ‘Shamitabh’.”