In an era when the entourage costs of actors are frequently discussed, Amitabh Bachchan stands out as a figure of discipline and generosity, often choosing not to burden producers. A testament to this was revealed by filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra, who shared his experience working with Bachchan on the 2007 film 'Eklavya: The Royal Guard'. The film featured Bachchan alongside Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan.
Chopra's Revelation About Bachchan's Generosity
In the book 'Unscripted: Conversations on Life and Cinema', co-authored by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi, Chopra recalled that Bachchan did not take any upfront payment for the film. Moreover, he covered several personal expenses himself, including a private charter flight from Rajasthan to Mumbai.
“When the shoot was over, he wanted a private plane to take him back to Bombay. I had to refuse because the budget couldn’t be stretched. He chartered a plane from Jodhpur and paid for it himself, and Anu (Anupama Chopra, his wife) and I hitched a plane ride with him. I hadn’t paid Amitabh for the film, yet he gave me one of my first private plane rides,” Chopra said.
The actor’s generosity extended beyond travel. Chopra also mentioned that the hotel room requested for Bachchan exceeded the allocated budget by Rs 65,000. Rather than asking the production to absorb the extra cost, Bachchan chose to pay for it himself. Chopra later stated that this was one of the reasons he gifted the actor a Rolls-Royce worth Rs 4.5 crore after the film’s completion.
Initial Challenges and Near Replacement
However, the journey of making 'Eklavya' was not entirely smooth. Chopra revealed that during the early days of the shoot, he was so frustrated by repeated delays that he briefly decided to replace Bachchan with Sanjay Dutt, who was already part of the cast. The filmmaker was under pressure to complete the project within just 37 days and had opted to use two cameras simultaneously to speed up production, a practice that was uncommon at the time.
When Bachchan arrived in Rajasthan for a schedule expected to last more than a month, he brought only a few bags with him. Curious, Chopra asked him why. “Jaya has sent all my things. She is sure I will be back in a week and believes we can’t work together, and there’s no way I will stay longer than a week,” he recalled Bachchan saying.
That prediction nearly came true. On the very first day of shooting, Bachchan arrived late, causing Chopra to miss the crucial morning light needed for a scene. “You can’t come bloody late on the set, yaar! I missed my magic hour light. I can’t take the shot now. We have to reschedule—the light has gone. So I don’t like you at this moment, Amit,” he told Bachchan.
The following day brought a similar problem, and by the third day, Chopra’s patience had run out. Once again, the actor was not on set when needed, and the filmmaker feared losing another important shot. “I completely lost it. I could see my light disappearing. I knew I had lost the shot. I came down from the crane and saw Sanjay Dutt standing there. I told him: ‘Put on Eklavya’s costume, you’re not playing Pannalal Chohar but Eklavya’. End of story. I’m done with Bachchan,” he recalled.
Humorous Resolution and Make-up Issues
Furious, Chopra stood outside Bachchan’s room and asked his line producer how much money had already been spent on the film. When told the figure was Rs 1 crore, he responded, “Write it off.” At that exact moment, Bachchan emerged from his room. What could have become a major confrontation instead turned into a humorous exchange. Walking up to Chopra’s wife, Anupama, the actor quipped, “How do you live with this madman? He is crazy.”
The remark left everyone laughing and diffused the tension instantly. Bachchan then explained the real reason behind his delays. The elaborate beard and make-up required for his character were taking far longer than anticipated. “Do you know how difficult it is to put this beard on? The guys who stick it on my face really stink and they are all over me, and it takes hours. If I showed up on set and the beard was not right, you would scream.”
Determined to solve the issue, Chopra instructed the make-up team to thoroughly clean themselves with Dettol before reporting to work. The next morning, he heard Bachchan yelling at 4 am and later learned that the actor felt his make-up room smelled more like a hospital than a film set. The effort paid off, though. On the following day, Bachchan arrived on set an hour ahead of schedule. When Chopra asked him what had changed, the actor replied with characteristic wit, “I don’t like to be shouted at, sir. I was playing it safe.”
Chopra also once revealed an anecdote about how his mother scolded him for gifting Bachchan a car worth Rs 4.5 crore. Read the latest Entertainment News and Celebrity updates. Download the TOI App.
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