One thing you may have noticed during the ongoing promotions of ‘Thugs Of Hindostan’ is that Aamir Khan has not only been elated, but also somewhat ‘nervous’ to have worked with Amitabh Bachchan after all these years.
Yes, despite the two being Bollywood’s biggest names – they never really shared screen-space, until Aditya Chopra’s TOH, came into picture.
And like most other stars in B-town, Aamir too carries huge respect and admiration for the seasoned legend – who plays the role of the main commander of thugs, named – Khudabaksh Azaad, in this Vijay Krishna Acharya-directed epic adventure.
Besides feeling nervous as a fellow artist, Aamir was also pretty cautious about smoking in front of the 76 year old star – which was one of the many things that concerned him before he started shooting.
To decide upon how he can manage to smoke while being on set with Bachchan, Aamir imminently approached Shah Rukh Khan – who has worked with Big B in a number of films and happens to be quite an avid smoker himself, for some piece of advice. And SRK being SRK, gave him the a reply filled with his own sense of wit.
In an interaction with Indiatimes, here is what Aamir was quoted telling:
“I smoke, but I was worried if I can smoke in front of Amit ji, so I decided to meet Shah Rukh, I went to meet him and asked , ‘Shah, Do you smoke in front of Amit ji?’. He said, ‘ Yes, there is no problem, I smoke in front of him.’ I asked him, “Did you ever asked him, ‘he is like, No, but he hasn’t stopped me ever’, I questioned him, what if he tells me anything on smoking. He then suggested, “ Pehli din tu thodha door se pee, uske baad thodha thodha nazdik jaa, go smoothly”
The story became funnier when Amitabh eventually approached Aamir himself, after hearing about his perplexity about his smoking.
And here is how their interaction concluded on a hilarious note:
“One day after shooting in Malta I went to Amit ji and asked him if we can go and watch a movie together. While walking towards the theatre, he said, “ Aamir, I heard you went to Shah Rukh and asked whether you can smoke in front of me”. I said, ‘Who told you this?’. He said, Avinash, I immediately asked, ‘Sir, what’s your answer’, he said, ‘ you can smoke in front of me, but it’s not good for your health’. I then asked him, sir, you smoke? He said, ‘Yes, I do’ ”.
Much too relatable, right?
If only we can simplify things in our lives by being assertive about our needs.
Article includes tidbits from Indiatimes.