Dolly Ahluwalia also revealed that Amitabh Bachchan’s performance in Shoojit Sircar’s unreleased film Shoebite is among the finest of his career.

Bollywood veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan. (Image Source: Amitabh Bachchan blog)

Actor and costume designer Dolly Ahluwalia recalled her experience working with the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, and joined the chorus of his co-workers who’ve praised him for his punctuality. They worked together on the unreleased film Shoebite, directed by Shoojit Sircar. She said in an interview that Bachchan’s performance in the movie is among his finest ever, and that she was reduced to tears when she watched it. Bachchan personally tried to intervene and facilitate its release, but it didn’t work.

Appearing on The Punjabi Link YouTube channel, she was asked if there are any actors that she looks up to and learns from, and she said, “I got a chance to work with Mr Amitabh Bachchan in Shoojit Sircar’s Shoebite. It hasn’t been released. Big B has given one of his best performances. I’m told that he even interfered, but nothing happened.”

Explaining what she learned from him, and recalling their experiences, she said, “Punctuality. We used to be five minutes late, but he’d be 10 minutes early. And the respect that he used to give to the crew, the light boys, everyone. Amazing is the word. It was snowing in Manali, frightfully cold. They’d erected a tent especially for him, and he said, ‘What about the others? Arrange tents for them too. Bring them angithis’.”

She also praised his ability to transform in front of the camera, even if he’s been waiting patiently for hours before the shot. She said that Kareena Kapoor Khan has the same ‘magic’. Bachchan’s punctuality is a subject of great popularity in the industry. Everyone, from Prahlad Kakkar to actor Govinda, has spoken about working with the mega-star. Amitabh Bachchan recently starred in the biggest hit of his career, Kalki 2898 AD, and earned widespread appreciation for his supporting performance.