Celebrated filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra recently opened up about his experience working with Amitabh Bachchan during the making of the 2007 period drama Eklavya: The Royal Guard. In a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Chopra revealed how Jaya Bachchan had predicted that her husband would struggle to tolerate him on set, and, as it turns out, she was right.
Chopra recalled being surprised when Bachchan arrived on set with minimal luggage. “I asked him why he was traveling so light,” the director said. “He replied, ‘Jaya told me that I wouldn’t be able to stand you for more than a week.’”
As Jaya Bachchan had anticipated, the creative differences started to emerge shortly after filming began. “We actually started fighting after a week or 10 days,” Chopra admitted. “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.”
How Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s mother reacted
During the same conversation, Chopra also recalled a moment from 2021, when he recounted the story of gifting Bachchan the luxury car and his mother’s priceless response.
“I will never forget this incident,” he said. “I took my mother along when I went to gift the car to Amitabh. She handed him the keys herself. Afterwards, we returned to my blue Maruti van. I didn’t have a driver back then, so I was behind the wheel. She called Big B ‘Lamboo’ and asked me, ‘Tu Lamboo nu gaadi dedi?’ I said, ‘Haan.’ She looked shocked and said, ‘Tu khud kyun nahi leta gaadi?’”
Chopra explained that his mother assumed the car was worth just Rs 11 lakh. “When I told her it cost Rs 4.5 crore, she slapped me and called me ‘bewakoof.’ I can never forget that moment because, for me, what is money if it can’t bring you joy,” he laughed.
About Eklavya
Although Eklavya underperformed at the box office, the period drama featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and Vidya Balan was chosen as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards that year.
Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s filmography includes movies like Parinda, 1942: A Love Story, Shikara and more. He was also the producer of iconic films like Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., 3 Idiots, and PK, all helmed by Rajkumar Hirani. His most recent directorial venture, 12th Fail (2023), became a huge hit.