The big Diwali release, Thugs Of Hindostan, is just a couple of days away. At 76, Amitabh Bachchan returns as an action hero after a long time. Perhaps, the last he did some action was in Bhoothnath Returns (2014). A lot has been spoken about Thugs Of Hindostan: its characters, its costumes, its sets, but in case you want to know more about Khudabaksh, the character that Bachchan essays, a making video is all ready for your perusal.
Commenting on the character in the video, director Vijay Krishna Acharya says, “Khudabaksh is the moral spine of the film who embodies all the values which are good, noble, virtuous, and selfless. That’s the character.”
What does Bachchan himself think of the character?
“The name itself describes the nature and the character. Khudabaksh means a gift from God. He is the man of the soil. A wonderful sentence which I read somewhere describes somebody of this nature - 'Abrupt and angular but the very soul of magnanimity and rectitude.' I guess he [Khudabaksh] falls into that category.”
Co-star Aamir Khan describes Khudabaksh as one who is loyal, large-hearted, and looked upon as a father-figure. Actress Fatima Sana Shaikh, who plays Zafira in the film, seconds the observation. “For Zafira, Khudabaksh is like her father. He is her strength. She depends upon him for emotional strength too. He is like everything, a strong pillar of Zafira,” Shaikh said.
For director Acharya, it was a dream come true to work with the man whom he idolised as an action hero.
“A lot of us have grown up watching Mr Bachchan’s films. One of the big reason, perhaps, that I have landed up in films is him. My only conversation with [producer] Aditya Chopra was that, 'You know, once I want to present Mr Bachchan in the way we have seen him'. He was such a cracking action star in his time. But to be able to put him in a position, in the film, in that costume with two swords, slashing people - that was epic!” said Acharya.
Reiterating that it is dream come true to be working with the veteran, Khan spoke of the first day of the film's shoot in Malta, an archipelago in Europe.
“I have been such a big fan of Bachchan all through my life. The first day shooting in Malta, I was really nervous working with him. What I realised is when he is on set, he rehearses a lot. So he will keep repeating his lines, again and again, 100-200 times. I have to say that it has been a really enriching experience doing this film, and working with him. He has a great sense of humour, and he keeps the mood very light when he is working."
On a concluding note, Acharya had one thing to say, “At the end of this film, I can say with complete honesty and total confidence that nobody else except Mr Bachchan could have played Khudabaksh.”
Thugs Of Hindostan will be released on 8 November.
Watch the 'Meet Khudabaksh' video below: