Dhanush and Akshara shared a karmic connection with Amitabh Bachchan during the shooting of R. Balki’s Shamitabh. The two Tamil actors’ ‘Rajinikanth’ and ‘Kamal Haasan’ connection immediately stuck a chord with Big B who told the two actors to “chill” in his presence.
Tamil star Dhanush and debutante Akshara Haasan’s bonding with Big B during the shooting of Shamitabh is the stuff legends are made of. Initially the two youngsters were awestuck and speechless. But in no time they were interacting like buddies.
“As usual,” says a source from the sets, “This is the way Mr Bachchan likes to be with his co-stars. Sadly, a lot of them do not respond to Big B’s request for camaraderie because of their inherent fear of acting too familiar with the legend.”
But Big B is adept at breaking down generation-driven walls. Recently, when he was shooting a song with Yo Yo Honey Singh, he effortlessly put the reverent rapper at ease. The two ended up getting along like buddies.
The same is true with Dhanush and Akshara who knew each other very well from before and were collectively in awe of Big B. That changed in no time.
Says Balki, “Amitji is the most chilled-out guy on any set. He hates it when his co-actors get nervous just because they are much younger. He is like a buddy with his own son, Abhishek and he likes the same kind of camaraderie with his junior co-stars. In my film, it was very important for all the three main actors too be very comfortable with one another.”
It was Amitabh Bachchan who took the initiative of bringing Dhanush and Akshara out of their shell. Soon the three of them were sharing music and cinema anecdotes.
Says Balki, “When you see the film you’ll realise how deep the bonding is between Amitji, Dhanush and Akshara.”
The super-icon has in fact never shared such an easygoing rapport with his young co-stars before.
“Initially, Dhanush and Akshara treated Mr Bachchan as Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan’s contemporary. But that soon changed. We became like one family,” says Balki.
