Amitabh Bachchan did Chehre free, reveals producer Anand Pandit

While making a commercial feature film for theatrical release usually involves a good deal of expenditure, there are times when artistes let go of their fees, either because they want the story to be told or because they want to work with someone involved in the project. Chehre producer Anand Pandit revealed at the press screening of the film that his lead star, Amitabh Bachchan, did not charge him for the project.

In a statement, he said, “Mr Amitabh Bachchan has not charged us a single rupee on this project. In fact, I had wanted to do a film with Mr Bachchan but we never got the right script. Then one day Amitabhji called me and said I have a story and script ready if you can produce the film. I was like, this is the best moment of my life, and the project started. Though we had a tough time with the pandemic, with the hard work of the team, the project was completed successfully."

This is not the first time Bachchan has waived his fee for a project. A few years ago, the erstwhile superstar of Hindi cinema had revealed in his blog that he did not charge a penny for working in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005). The actor has also reportedly not charged a rupee for being the brand ambassador of the government of India's polio eradication campaign.

Apart from Bachchan, Chehre stars Emraan Hashmi, Annu Kapoor, Krystle D'Souza and Rhea Chakraborty. In Rumy Jafry’s directorial venture, Bachchan plays a lawyer while Hashmi portrays a business tycoon. The mystery thriller, which was released today, has received mixed reviews.

Meanwhile, Bachchan has Brahmastra, Mayday, Goodbye and Jhund in the pipeline.