It is the last day of the shoot for director Ravi Chopra's Baghbaan. And Ravi is tense. "Mr Bachchan is supposed to deliver a 12-page monologue," he says. "This is the film's finale."
The Renaissance Resort in Powai, in north-central Mumbai, wears a hushed but festive look. Snazzily dressed couples occupy the sofas and divans in the lobby.
A party? "No," giggles actress Divya Dutta, "they're junior artistes. They'll occupy the conference room where Amitji will deliver his speech to us. We're all waiting to hear him. We'll forget we've to act and will all be speechless once he starts speaking."
Divya plays one of Amitabh's two daughters-in-law who scheme to separate him from the love of his life, Hema Malini.
The Baghbaan unit, meanwhile, awaits Hema's arrival.
The conference room gets fuller by the minute. Samir Soni, who plays Divya's husband, smiles shyly. He's the philosopher on the sets, launching into lectures on life at the drop of a hat. Among the guests who will form part of the day's shot are Avtar Gill, Anang Desai and Asrani, who is almost unrecognisable as a Sardarji.
In a corner, Salman Khan, who plays Amitabh's good son, memorises his lines. "I play the best son in the world to the best actor in the world," he grins.
The radiantly beautiful Hema Malini soon walks in, making all heads turn. She converses with Suman Ranganathan while Ravi, who is veteran filmmaker B R Chopra's son, readies for the arrival of the Big B. Many years ago, he had directed Amitabh in Zameer (1974; the cast included Vinod Khanna and Saira Banu). Now Baghbaan appears like a silver lining on the doddering Chopra banner.
Post-lunch, Amitabh walks in with leonine strides. Everyone wants his attention. Though he is terribly tense -- "It's a very long speech and a culmination point in the script," he explains -- he has a hug and warm words for every cast member. They all come forward to greet him. Only Aman Verma (Pran Jaaye Par Shaan Na Jaye) waits for Amitabh to notice him. Salman ribs Aman about his 'starry' attitude.
Soon, the eagerly awaited shot begins.
Before going on stage, Amitabh smiles triumphantly at Divya, as though to say it's time for her character's comeuppance.
"He's hypnotic," she sighs. "There won't be a single dry eye in the audience. They'll love Mr Bachchan when he has his say about how mean we've been."
As the Big B delivers a moving lyrical speech about family ties and lost values, eyes turn moist in the audience. And no one needs to use glycerine.
