'By billing Amitabh Bachchan as 'friendly appearance', we are acknowledging his exceptional generosity in an industry where actors charge for even a sneeze.'
Audiences will be surprised to know that Amitabh Bachchan is billed as 'friendly appearance' in the opening credits of Chehre when in fact he is present in almost every frame of the taut suspense thriller.
There is a special reason for acknowledging the film's leading actor in this atypical way.
Reveals the film's director Rumi Jaffrey.
"Bachchan Saab has not charged a single penny for the film," Rumi tells Subhash K Jha.
"When he heard the script he was so happy that he insisted on doing the film for free. By billing him as 'friendly appearance' we are acknowledging his exceptional generosity in an industry where actors charge for even a sneeze.
"Not only that, he also insisted on paying for his entire expenses of shooting in Poland from his own pocket. He travelled with his entourage on his own money to Poland and paid for all the hotel expenses."
Rumi gets emotional as he speaks about the experience of working with the Big B.
"Chehre could not have happened without him. Ranjit Kapoor and I wrote the original script (contrary to reports Chehre is not a remake) keeping Bachchan Saab in mind. If he had said no, we would have dropped the project."
"He not only came onboard immediately but also insisted on not taking any payment."
This is not the first time that the Big B has forgone his fee. He did Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black for free.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
