R ARIVANANTHAM
Popular Bollywood actor Javed Khan has announced his Tamil film on Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday on Tuesday. Titled ‘Mahal’, the film is directed by Ponkumaran.
Following is his statement on his bond with Amitabh Bachchan and his new venture:
“My earliest memory of Amitji is way back in the early eighties. Though I was the topmost model of the country with the ‘Only Vimal’ campaign causing a sensation but I was just starting my acting career freshly out of FTII. It was dawn in Filmcity Mumbai, I had finished a night shoot for ‘Apradhi Kaun’ and was coming from the location to my make up room and I froze, for sitting in the lawn of the make up area was the great man himself who I think had come before the unit could arrive.
I was thinking of a million possibilities at that moment, when he stood from his chair and said a warm hello and extended his hand. The memory is little hazy after that but I remember I was in a daze for the rest of that day … Happy Birthday Mr Bachchan.
Tum jiyo hazaron Saal !! As my career progressed and I became a sellable name in the horror genre, it was a great honor to be called the ‘Amitabh Bachchan of Horror Films’, a tag given by prestigious ‘India Today’ magazine.”
“Now after a self taken sabbatical from acting I am doing Tamil film ‘Mahal’ in the same horror genre, so it is my comeback of sorts. ‘Mahal’ is directed by award winning director Shri Ponkumaran and produced by Naresh Jain. It has the popular Vedhika and the beautiful Digangana with CS Kishan amongst a stellar ensemble. I am looking forward to working with South producers as it is all now ‘ pan India’,” Khan added.
