Bringing Bollywood’s top two stars together for a commercial, R Balki says their friendship remains untouched by media scrutiny
Bachchan and Khan in the commercial
It may have been over 15 years since “superstar” Shah Rukh Khan, and “superstar se bhi upar star” Amitabh Bachchan shared screen space. But, even today, brought together on the screen, the duo can get the entire nation to drop whatever they are doing, and pin their eyes on them. The titles that we used above were evidently stolen from a recent commercial that they featured in, with none other than R Balki at the helm.
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For Balki, it is the camaraderie that the two share that makes their screen appearances seem so heart-warming. “I wish we could invite you to the shoot,” he says, adding, “they both had a blast while filming.”
R Balki
Stating that the actors’ personal equation remains unaffected despite the comparisons that have been repeatedly made between them, he shares, “They are past any competition that people keep talking about. They are in a different zone. They adore each other and were like two kids in Disneyland during this shoot. Few people know that I have spent a lot of time with Shah Rukh and have an easy working relationship with him,” he says, fondly recalling an advertisement he shot with Khan a decade ago. “It was an ad in which he had tackled questions on feminism when he was asked why an actor’s name precedes that of the actress on a film’s credit roll. He had responded, stating that would no longer happen. And till today, he ensures that his name comes later,” Balki says.
If the director has joined hands with Khan for several commercials, he has had the privilege of directing the megastar on several films, including his industry debut Cheeni Kum (2007), and the recently released, Ghoomer. “I often say that every actor should be like Amit ji. Shah Rukh also teases me about this. For me, Amit ji is Hindi cinema. I look at him as someone who can pull off anything. While shooting Ghoomer, Abhishek [Bachchan] told me, ‘I will perform this scene in a manner that is the opposite of the way dad does, but you will not like it, because you want everything to be done like ‘Bachchan’’,” he laughs.
Evidently then, we’re eager to know if Balki intends to bring Khan and Bachchan together for a cinematic offering. “That’s not how I think. If I come across an idea that will justify their pairing, I will go to them. Then, they will decide if it is worth working on or not.”
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