R Balki recalls when Amitabh Bachchan started ‘screaming’ on set, left everybody ‘stunned’: ‘I went to his van and asked…’

R Balki has worked with Amitabh Bachchan on three films, Cheeni Kam, Paa and Shamitabh, not to mention his cameos in Chup: Revenge of the Artist and the upcoming Ghoomer.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | June 29, 2023 12:11 PM IST

Amitabh Bachchan in a still from Balki's Shamitabh.

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Director R Balki has worked with Amitabh Bachchan on the films Cheeni Kum, Paa and Shamitabh, and even though they share a strong professional equation, there’s still a level of respect that someone of Amitabh’s stature can command on set. And Big B, it seems, understands this. Balki revealed a humorous anecdote about how the legendary actor once brought the entire set to a halt when he started screaming and shouting for some reason.

In an interview with Film Companion, Balki said that he isn’t much of a shouter himself on set, but his cameraman certainly is. Remembering an incident from the sets of a project that he didn’t name, Balki said, “Once, Amit ji was on set, and he was screaming… He never screams, he’s the calmest guy.”

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Balki continued his story, “Suddenly, he starts screaming. And everybody was stunned. We’d never seen him scream. I said, ‘One second, there’s something wrong out here’, so I went up to his van. I asked, ‘Everything okay? Food okay? Why are you screaming?’ He looked at me, didn’t reply, went back to his poker face. Again he said, ‘Call that guy!’ I said, ‘Amit ji, what is the problem? What has happened today morning?’ He looks at me and says, ‘You dumb fool, I’m in character’.”

Balki’s last project was Chup: Revenge of the Artist, starring Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Sunny Deol. The film featured a cameo by Amitabh. His next project is a segment in the new Netflix anthology film Lust Stories. Joining him as directors on the project are Konkona Sen Sharma, Sujoy Ghosh and Amit Ravindernath Sharma. After that, Balki is directing Ghoomer, which also features a cameo by his favourite star.

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Amitabh Bachchan R Balki

R Balki recalls when Amitabh Bachchan started ‘screaming’ on set, left everybody ‘stunned’: ‘I went to his van and asked…’

R Balki has worked with Amitabh Bachchan on three films, Cheeni Kam, Paa and Shamitabh, not to mention his cameos in Chup: Revenge of the Artist and the upcoming Ghoomer.

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