?If anything, he?s got better,? says Sharmila Tagore about Amitabh Bachchan. The two, back together after more than two decades, play a middle-class couple struggling to come to terms with their son?s death in Viruddh

You have been very choosy about your films. Why did you opt for Viruddh as your comeback film in Bollywood?

When I heard the story, I felt it was something I understand. The character was not just another mother. It was important and of my age. There were several layers to the character. And, of course, the opportunity of working with Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) again.

I also felt the film would be made properly and released properly. It is really no use pouring your heart out for a film which may not get a proper release. So, I felt that Viruddh had all the ingredients including the marketing power going for it.

Does your role as a Censor Board chief have something to do with choosing a film with a social message?

I don?t know about the social message bit, but Viruddh has lots of emotions. And middle-class values. They are such tolerant people. They believe in education. They have to do so much with so little. Despite petrol prices going up and water being unavailable, they choose to carry on. To them, family is the wealth.

In the film, when the son (John Abraham) dies in such a middle class family, the little cocoon that the aged couple had, is shattered completely. They are exposed and are forced to run from pillar to post. Yet, the two do not break down and choose to give each other sustenance. It?s the story about how they reach out to each other ? the enduring qualities. So, more than a social message, it is about the pain that the couple share. I hope that bit reaches out to the audience.

How was it shooting with Amitabh after all these years?

Wonderful. Initially, of course, while facing the camera, I felt a hollowness in the stomach. But I always like that bit of nervousness. I channelise the feeling. I have never been one to feel that I am great and can?t do anything better.

But it was thoroughly enjoyable to work with someone as professional as Amit. Whether it was a soliloquy or the comedy scenes, he was totally in his character. Also, since we both are in the same age group, we had a great time. Mahesh (Manjrekar) provided the right surroundings for us.

How different did you find him from the Desh Premi days more than two decades back?

If anything, he?s got better. Mashallah, God knows where he gets his energy from. His understanding of the character was so good that he never left it for a second. He?s become really wonderful. I can only think of him as a friend.

What was the rest of the younger Viruddh cast ? John Abraham, Anusha and Sanjay Dutt ? like?

It was teamwork. John was lovely to work with. The newcomer MTV girl (Anusha) was pretty alien to the film world but very spontaneous. She would ask me, ?Did I do the scene right?? and tell us how nervous she was in front of all of us. I would tell her that we could have been there for many years but that doesn?t make us less nervous. Sanju was wonderful as well. We were all helping each other out. Nobody was making a show of it. Everyone was genuine.

Saif was supposed to play your son in Viruddh. What went wrong?

Yes, Saif was initially asked to play the role that John has done. But he had some date problems, since he was shooting for Parineeta and had to leave for Australia to shoot for the Aditya Chopra film (Salaam Namaste). In fact he was in Australia in February and we had to finish the film by February. Saif didn?t have the start-to-finish three months that was being required for Viruddh.

Saif tells us that you have never been so excited about any of his films as you have been with Parineeta?

I loved him in Parineeta. I?ll be seeing it again ? Pradeep (Sarkar) will be taking me. I have never seen Calcutta being shown so beautifully. Even the way they show the Hooghly is so lovely. Then, the broaches, the hair clips of that era ? I love the small style statements in the film.

Saif is just wonderful. As an actor, let me tell you, understatement is the most difficult thing. And he is so brilliantly understated in the film. In the last scene, when he confronts his father, there are no raised eyebrows. Even I would have been tempted as an actor to raise my voice in that scene. But all he does is tell him that he has been a bad businessman to lose his son. He is such a polite young man (laughs).

So when do we get to see the two of you together?

I don?t know. I?d like to. I am getting old. Let?s see?

And what about Soha?s progress as an actor?

Soha has been working hard. She is completing Rang De Basanti (opposite Aamir Khan) and then there?s David Dhawan?s Shaadi No. 1, which is totally different. After these two films, she will take a re-stock of the situation. So, we all have these different challenges as actors and yet as a family we are together. We have to keep continuing in our individual forays in the industry.