Amitabh Bachchan has long been known for his meticulous approach to work. He's always been an actor who arrives prepared, focused, and ready to deliver. Now, one of his former co-stars has shared an anecdote that perfectly captures the megastar’s discipline. Actor Raja Bundela, who worked with Amitabh in the 1989 thriller Main Azaad Hoon, opened up about his experience with the veteran star during a podcast with Dear Generation. “It has been a pleasure working with Amitabh Bachchan. I did a film with him, and he remembered all the dialogue so well,” Raja recalled.
The story of the lost shoes
Sharing a story from their Goa shoot, Raja said, “Once we were shooting in Goa, Amitji found out that his continuity shoes were left behind in Mumbai. Flights were not so frequent in those days; there was lots of commotion. The scene was where Amitabh was walking on the road, and suddenly he saw an apple. His character has been hungry for two days, so he picks it up, looks here and there, and then eats it. So when he bent, it was obvious that the shoes would be seen and there had to be continuity.”
According to Raja, Amitabh was always particular about preserving his continuity material. “I don’t know if he does it now, but back then, any film that Amitabh worked in, whenever the shoot was wrapping up, he took the continuity stuff along with him until the next schedule. He wouldn’t leave it with the production,” he shared.
Even when things went wrong, Amitabh's discipline never wavered. “When they left for the shoot, his boy didn’t pay attention, and they left the shoes behind in Mumbai. Everyone got so happy, started drinking, thinking there would be no shoot the next day,” Raja said. “The next morning at 7:30, we learned that he was ready with his makeup and shoes, but nobody was ready to even go close to him, the director, the producer, no one. He was sitting and reading the newspaper, that’s discipline.”
Raja later learned how Bachchan managed it all. “Later, we found out that at night, he sent his spotboy from a bus, who took the shoes and returned from the first flight the next day. He called director Tinnu Anand and asked him to start shooting. This was the kind of discipline he had,” he said.
“Locked doors after 8pm…”
Beyond his professionalism, Raja also described Amitabh's sense of work-life balance. “He was always prepared with his dialogues and would do everything on time. He would never gossip, even when we met at his home. From what I have heard, he would not allow anyone from the industry at his home after 8 pm; he locks his doors. He likes to keep that balance between his business and his family,” he added.
On the work front, Amitabh Bachchan will next be seen in the sequel to Kalki 2898 AD and the courtroom drama Section 84.