“Waqt is not Ek Rishta and Ek Rishta is not Waqt”- Amitabh Bachchan 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 20, 2005 - 11:00 IST
There are actors, there are superstars and then there is one and only Amitabh Bachchan, the undisputed 'Midas' of Bollywood. How else can one explain the super success of his second innings? At 63 he has achieved what no actor of his times can dream of. Stupendous performances, movies lined up for release, advertisements on every channel, his success story is legendary and is still being written. On IndiaFM, we bring to you the man himself speaking on Waqt, his co-stars and the man behind it all, Vipul Shah.
You've worked with Vipul before, what prompted you two to get together again?
I like Vipul's style, the way he narrates his story, the fact that he chooses different stories different topics unlike those that are of beaten track. The fact that he himself is a very qualified actor, that makes life a lot easier because he understands what an actor goes through and he is able to prompt, teach and guide us in case we are in trouble. These were some of the things that went into the deciding factor of working with Vipul again. With Vipul at the helm of affairs, life on the sets is very relaxed, very comfortable. There was never any screaming or shouting happening, which is very reassuring for an artist as we can bring out our best when there is harmony around.
Waqt is about father-son relationship, how different is it from the one Akshay and you portrayed in Ek Rishta?
Well, if you have a father and a son in the movie it is going to be about their relationship but there can be different dimensions. Waqt is not Ek Rishta and Ek Rishta is not Waqt. The father and son, two actors are the same but the circumstances, the situations, story are entirely different.
What is your role in the film like?
My role in this film is that of a father to Akshay Kumar, he is a very devoted father who has spoilt his son to a great extent. He has come up from very humble beginning, who gradually grew up and made a name for himself and now he is a rich businessman. He has the tendency to spoil his son out of love, he gives him whatever he wants, allows him to be himself, which irritates his wife a lot as she wants him to stand on his feet, the son doesn't do anything in life and that is the bone of contention between the husband and wife. How then a mother forces or coerces a father to take some kind of steps to be able to bring in some discipline, some kind of thinking into the son so that he can stand on his own feet is what the film is about.
You have worked with Akshay several times before, how has the experience been in this film?
Working with Akshay has been a great joy, he is an accomplished artist and when you have worked with an artist in so many films together there is a certain level of comfort, which one enjoys and wants to repeat. The experience has been wonderful, lot of fun and frolic on the sets. He is bit of a rouge on the sets he has very nimble fingers, he can make things disappear from your body without you knowing it, so when you shake hands with him you have to check if your rings and watch are in place, they can go in thin air.
How was your equation with Priyanka Chopra?
This is my first film with Priyanka and she is a lovely girl. I met her first time just before she entered the movie industry, right after she had won the beauty pageant. I met her at Lucknow at a common meeting place we were at a press conference to promote some social activity. She is very courteous, very polite and a wonderful artist.
How about Shefali?
I have always been an admirer of Shefali's work ever since I saw her in Satya; she is a very accomplished actress. I think she still hasn't had her due; she deserves much more because of the caliber of her talent. I hope she continues to work in films and doesn't get too domesticated; we need her in the industry. She is playing my wife's role in the movie. Initially Vipul thought that she would be too young, but after little bit of makeup and test, Vipul agreed to let her do the role. She is a tremendous actress; there is a lot of depth in her performance. She knows her job extremely well. She is a bit of a bully; we used to call her Malkin on the sets because she is the wife of the Malik that is Vipul, she would come on the sets and destroy the settings…she would always say, this is not right, that is not right. We all gave her a little space because she used to bring her domesticities on the set, which we all enjoyed.
Why don't we see you in the Holi song?
It was not programmed that way, the Holi is between husband and wife that is Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra and it's their Holi. In the film the parents let them enjoy on their own without interference.
Any funny, memorable incidents on the sets?
I think fun while shooting is omnipresent when you are on sets, when you have a cast of people who think alike, talk alike, behave alike. You spend such a long time with them that obviously there is light heartedness, so there was always this light hearted banter. Then we had other two very special people in the film, Boman and Rajpal, just taking their names is enough to bring smiles on the faces of people. They are such fantastic artists the kind of roles that they are portraying in the film are so funny. This is a sync sound film so sometimes we had to cut a scene because people off camera would laugh at the scenes that were being canned.
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