One of the stalwarts of Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan has given countless hits throughout his career spanning over five decades. But would you believe that Amitabh Bachchan had a jinx that whenever he does voiceover in a film, the film fails badly? The same happened when he was about to come on board the iconic film Lagaan, recalled director Ashutosh Gowariker. In a video shared on Aamir Khan’s YouTube channel, the director revealed that it was not easy to convince the actor to be a part of Lagaan. Here’s what happened.
Ashutosh Gowariker shared interesting BTS stories of Lagaan. “The first time we wanted to approach him, there was this myth that he told us about,” he said, adding “He said to Aamir that whenever I give a voiceover to the film, that film doesn’t work. The film fails… If you are willing to take that risk… then go ahead but be aware that I did tell you earlier.”
Ashutosh revealed that Aamir laughed off the warning and still welcomed the veteran actor. “We made him watch the film, he liked the film… he understood the narration style, what kind of narration style was needed. After that, getting Amitabh on board became a smoother process,” Gowariker added.
The director also recounted the first time he heard Amitabh Bachchan’s voice in the film. Looking back, he said, “With his voice, I suddenly felt that the aspect of storytelling came alive… his voice became the entry point to the film… it became believable.”
In fact, Aamir Khan had previously revealed that even lyricist Javed Akhtar had spoken about Amitabh Bachchan’s bad luck. In an earlier chat with India Today, Aamir shared about the time, saying, “One of his points was that you have gotten Amitabh Bachchan to narrate the film. So apparently, whichever film Mr. Bachchan has given a voiceover for, has flopped,” he recalled.