Shefali Shah Recalls Amitabh Bachchan Called Her 'Maalkin' On Sets of Waqt; Deets Inside

The Shahenshah of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan has clocked 80 years today. The legendary actor has been receiving best wishes from celebs, politicians, sportspersons and individuals from all walks of life. Joining the bandwagon, Shefali Shah who had acted with Big B in films like Vipul Shah’s Waqt: The Race Against Time and Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear has spoken her heart out about her adulation towards him and she also recounted her experience working with him in Waqt.

While speaking with PinkVilla, Shefali said, “He is a legend and his birthday is a reminder of what a gift we all got as an audience, as people, as a country – it’s Mr Bachchan. I love Amit ji, I totally love Amit ji."

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She further revealed how she got to play Amitabh Bachchan’s on-screen wife in Waqt. Despite the hesitation of the director and husband Vipul Shah, Shefali couldn’t help herself as two of her most favourite people were working on the project.

The Darlings actress recalled, “It was based on a play. I loved the play and the character, and there was of course this fitoor as an actor that the point is to play different types. Jo main nahin hun woh play karna hai (I had to essay a character that was different from reality). So age is just another part of it. Amit ji suggested to Vipul that why don’t you get Shefali to do it, and I was very thrilled. I was so excited, and Vipul was like, ‘I am telling you, do not do it. It’s not going to be right for you’ – because I was playing Akshay’s mom. But I was like I have to be a part of a film where there are two of my favourite men – there is Mr Bachchan and there is Vipul. So that’s why I did that."

Adding to this, the actress also shared an anecdote about Mr Bachchan calling her a maalkin owing to her meddling with the set designs. She stated, “Amit ji calls me maalkin. So when we did Waqt, I have this keeda of going on sets and then I pick things. Now that it happened to be Vipul’s set I could say everything I wanted to. ‘Yeh aisa kyun hai, yeh photo mat lagao, yeh parda change karo, I don’t think you should do this.’ So one day I didn’t realise, I was giving him (Vipul Shah) some gyaan like this only and behind us Amit ji was standing. So he said, ‘Director rakhein ya woh bhi change kar dein’ (laughs). So from then on, he calls me maalkin."