Siddhant Chaturvedi lauds Amitabh Bachchan as the 'biggest action hero we've ever had'

Siddhant Chaturvedi

Actor Siddhant Chaturvedi, who will next be seen in action thriller "Yudhra", on Thursday said megastar Amitabh Bachchan is the "biggest action hero" Hindi cinema has ever produced. Citing the example of 1975's "Deewar", the actor said Bachchan would fight with his eyes first and legs later. Action always rooted in drama for him, added Chaturvedi.

"I never enjoy action where there is only beating. There should be a purpose or some story to it. The biggest action hero we've ever had is Mr Amitabh Bachchan. Whenever I would watch 'Deewar', I would think it is an action film. "But, if you notice there was only one action (scene) in the film... For me, it's the intensity, angst... There should be a fire inside... Like Mr. Bachchan who fights with his eyes. He's got a long leg but the kick came late. It's his eyes first," he told reporters.

The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of "Yudhra", directed by Ravi Udyawar of "Mom" fame. Also starring Malavika Mohanan in her Bollywood debut and Raghav Juyal, the film is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment. Chaturvedi said "Yudhra" is not a film with senseless action sequences.

"There is a lot of depth and that's what I connected to. If I had an action film where I have to perform a stunt, jump and beat people showing six packs and look heroic, then it would not be entertaining for me," he added. Mohanan, whose latest release is the Tamil period drama "Thangalaan", said she was waiting for the right project to come to Bollywood.

"My mentality has always been that I have not taken up work just for the sake of it. It has to be something which calls out to you. It has to be a good team, so when 'Yudhra' came my way everything from the makers Ritesh, Farhan to Ravi sir, I was like this is fantastic. "Plus, it had Sid (Chaturvedi), it was a genre I have never done before. It felt like a perfect film to come to Bollywood with. My character is a soft part to the film because it has a lot of men and a lot of action," she added.

Juyal, who will once again be seen as a villain after his last release "Kill", said it is fun to play the bad guy. "There is a certain fun and 'feel' to being a villain. I went through ups and downs psychologically as well during this film because of the character," he said. Udyawar compared "Yudhra", penned by Sridhar Raghavan, to William Shakespeare's iconic tragedy "Hamlet".

"Farhan and Sridhar narrated this story to me. I knew then it had something which had something Shakespearean 'Hamlet' sort of a thing built in it. It is a classic revenge tragedy story. I thought it was the best skeleton that they can put on as a design. It is about this kid who can't control his anger and what it does to him," he said. The film also features Raj Arjun, Ram Kapoor and Gajraj Rao in pivotal roles. It is slated to be released in theatres on September 20.