Shiwani
Shiwani works as a Senior Sub Editor at India.com, covering entertainment and lifestyle. With a strong background in media, she is a true cinema buff who loves keeping up with the latest in pop cultur ... Read More
When Amitabh Bachchan left for the shoot of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007), Jaya Bachchan had a warning for her husband. The megastar carried just a small bag, surprising Chopra. When asked why he hadn’t packed more, Amitabh calmly said, “Jaya told me that I wouldn’t be able to stand you for more than a week.”
And as it turned out, Jaya’s prediction was right on point.
Speaking on Siddharth Kannan’s podcast, Vidhu Vinod Chopra revealed that tensions did arise on set. “We actually started fighting after a week or 10 days. But he stayed on and completed the film. I gifted him a car worth Rs 4.5 crore because he tolerated me. It was really humbling for a star of his stature to have to tolerate me; it was big of him.”
Though Eklavya didn’t make waves commercially, it went on to become India’s official entry to the Oscars that year, a milestone in itself.
Chopra had earlier shared a memorable anecdote about gifting that luxury car to Amitabh. He recalled taking his mother along when handing over the keys. But her reaction was far from impressed.
“She called Big B ‘Lamboo.’ She asked me, ‘Tu Lamboo nu gaadi dedi?’ When I told her it was worth Rs 4.5 crore, she slapped me and said, ‘Bewakoof!’ I will never forget that, because what is money if it can’t give you joy.”
The filmmaker laughed at the incident, admitting it has stayed with him as one of his most cherished memories.
While Eklavya couldn’t strike gold at the box office, it remains an important part of Chopra’s filmography. Over the years, he has directed critically acclaimed works such as Parinda, 1942: A Love Story, and Shikara.
However, his biggest mainstream triumphs came as a producer, backing Rajkumar Hirani’s record-breaking blockbusters like Munna Bhai MBBS, 3 Idiots, and PK. More recently, Chopra directed 12th Fail, which turned into a sleeper hit, proving once again that his storytelling still connects with audiences.
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