Celebrating the 24th anniversary of Aankhen, Amitabh Bachchan reminisces about the production’s exhilarating energy and his bold portrayal of a scheming bank manager. He delves into the importance of morally complex roles in his career, recalling performances from ‘Saudagar’, ‘Parwana’ and the multi-layered character of ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, underscoring his commitment to acting with empathy and depth.
As Aankhen marks 24 years yesterday (April 5), superstar Amitabh Bachchan takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane in this exclusive conversation with ETimes that recalls the film, its unique premise and his bold negative role.Amitji, “Ankhin” turns 24 years old. What do you remember about that time?It seems like a lifetime… God, how time flies! I remember shooting for the film at Kamalistan Studios. We needed a railway sequence, and this was the only studio that had a permanent railway station set.Arjun Rampal, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Vipul Shah seem to be having a lot of fun?It was great fun to shoot. The boys were having fun, and I tried to be part of their fun.
But they insisted on treating me like an old person.‘Aankhen’ took you to a completely different space as an actordefinitely. I played a completely passive role. Vipul Amrutlal Shah got the plot from a Gujarati play he directed. I played a bank manager with a hot temper, a man who is almost directly responsible for everything that goes wrong in the story.You were part of the bank robberies in both ‘Aankhen’ and ‘Kaante’.In Kante, I didn’t lead the heist, I was part of a group. But in ‘Aankhen’, I am the driving force behind everything that goes wrong.
Was it difficult to play such a negative character?Not real. I’ve done it before, in ‘Saudagar’, and my behavior towards Nutan was absolutely obnoxious. I remember I apologized to her after the movie, and she was very gracious. In the movie ‘Parwana’, she played the role of a murderer. There were many such roles. As an actor, one should never judge a character.You even had shades of gray in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’.(Laughs) Yes, in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, I asked for a lot of trouble. I threw my son, played by Shah Rukh Khan, out of the house. I slap Hrithik Roshan, I am cruel to Jaya Bachchan, and I even insult Kajol. This invites a serious problem!There was also Sushmita Sen In “Ankhin”Sushmita Sen was one of the heroes. Very brave and innovative.
