EXCLUSIVE: Mohnish Bahl reveals how excited he was when he shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan for the first time; says “I went running out of the auditorium, shouting at the top of my voice, ‘Maine Amit ji ke saath shot diya. Maine Amit ji ke saath shot diya’”

By Fenil Seta -

August 16, 2022 - 5:00 PM IST

Mohnish Bahl celebrated his 61st birthday recently and has been working in the industry for nearly 40 years. In these four decades, he got a chance to work with several prominent film personalities. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Mohnish Bahl talked about his experience of working with mega star Amitabh Bachchan.

EXCLUSIVE: Mohnish Bahl reveals how excited he was when he shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan for the first time; says “I went running out of the auditorium, shouting at the top of my voice, ‘Maine Amit ji ke saath shot diya. Maine Amit ji ke saath shot diya’”

When asked about Big B and working with him in Ek Rishtaa – The Bond Of Love (2001), the actor spoke in detail about his interactions with him. He said, “My first meeting with him was when I was much younger before I joined the film industry. My mother was invited to a charity match in Ahmedabad. I also tagged along with her. A chartered flight was booked for all the celebs attending it. Amit ji was on the flight. I had heard that he could fly planes. I was very keen on flying, which I did later. While we were on our way, I went up to him and asked, ‘Sir, I believe that you could fly aircrafts?’. To which he said, ‘Yes, I do’. I asked, ‘Can you fly this aircraft?’. I didn’t have the knowledge of aeronautics then. I just wanted to fly planes. He replied to my question, ‘I could hold steady for a while’. This is such an aeronautical term, which I didn’t understand. Later, when I started flying, I understood what he meant.”

Mohnish Bahl continued, “My second interaction with Amit ji was when I was struggling. I had gone to meet my mother (Nutan) at Film City. I saw him there. I went up to him and after saying ‘Namaste’, I asked him ‘What does a person do to find success in the film industry?’. He answered, ‘Get in the position of power’. I didn’t understand what he meant. That’s exactly what I was trying to figure out, how do I get in a position of power (laughs)!”

Mohnish Bahl then said, “Time passed and I signed Ek Rishtaa – The Bond Of Love. It was a special moment for me to work with Amit ji. In the movie, I play his fan. His character is that of a huge businessman and I play an MBA student. My first shot with him is when I go up to him. We were shooting in an auditorium, and it was full of junior artists. The moment the shot was cut and okayed, I went running out of the auditorium, shouting at the top of my voice, ‘Maine Amit ji ke saath shot diya. Maine Amit ji ke saath shot diya’! It was quite impromptu. It just happened. I had to vent that energy out of my system. All those junior artists and character actors, who had worked with me and Amit ji too, looked at me and said, ‘Pata hai Mohnish. Aisa hota hai’ (laughs)!”

Does Amitabh Bachchan know about this episode? Mohnish Bahl replied, “Yes, he must have seen me going crazy. Then there was this other scene in the climax where I have let him down and the factory workers are coming after me. I come into his office to hide. He gives a long two-page monologue, wherein he admonishes me. I was intrigued that how would any actor be able to pull it off. By then, I had got the akal that acting needs to be taken a little more seriously! I asked Amit ji and director Suneel Darshan whether I could sit with them while they discussed the modalities of the scene.”

Mohnish Bahl added, “It was a close shot. I wasn’t a part of the frame though his character talks to me. I was sitting at the monitor. Only half-page of the two-page dialogue was scheduled to be shot. Amit ji went on and on and on and he finished the whole thing. Nobody shouted ‘Cut’ either. After he finished, there was silence for 7-8 seconds before people realized that he had done the whole scene. The director finally said ‘Cut’. There was pin-drop silence and then I shouted out, ‘Arre baap re, shukar hai ki abhi bhi mujhe kaam milta hai’. This is what came out of my mouth. It was so stupid (laughs). Everybody’s head turned towards me. Amit ji came up to me and said, ‘Mohnish, do you think the shot was okay?’ I replied, ‘Sir, aap ko koi mila nahi kya subah se?’!”

Mohnish Bahl ended by stating, “He’s great to work with. What a gentleman! His son Abhishek and Jaya aunty are also very lovely.”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Mohnish Bahl recalls his struggling days and moral support provided to him by his mother, Nutan; shares his experience of working with Shah Rukh Khan and Rajinikanth