Jeet’s Bachchan, a romantic comedy also starring Aindrita Ray, Subhashree and Paayel Sarkar, releases today. Bachchan is directed by Raja Chanda and produced by Reliance Entertainment in association with Grassroot Entertainment

What’s with the bearded look?

I’m just experimenting with my look! I like it, my wife (Mohna) likes it and a lot of other people like it too. Many of my colleagues, especially girls, have come up with a lot of adjectives. They find this look more sexy and manly (smiles).

Is your Bachchan inspired by the Kannada film Bachchan (2013)?

There’s no connection. My character is a Bachchan fan and we felt that the Bachchan title has an immediate connect and it registers fast.

We know that you are a big Bachchan fan. When did you see your first Bachchan film?

I started admiring Bachchan saab after watching Deewaar, which I watched on the second or third release. I was in Class V or VI. I came back from school and my father told me Deewaar was a must-watch. I didn’t wait to change my school uniform. I rushed to the theatre, but the evening show was houseful. Luckily, I got a ticket from a para senior and watched the film from the front stall in the third row. After that, I’ve watched Deewaar several times. I remember so many dialogues from the film. It’s one of my fave Bachchan films.

What about Deewaar appealed to you so much?

I fell in love with the intensity of Bachchan’s character, and his way of looking at life, looking at his relationships with his father, mother and brother. Even if he took the wrong path, it was only to help his family.

What does Bachchan mean to you?

He is an institution. When I go past Prateeksha even today, my hand rises instinctively in a pronam.

You must have bunked school to watch Bachchan films...

I think I watched Inquilaab (laughs). Later, when I started watching films with my friends, I would catch all the first day-first shows of his films. He was my inspiration.

(Bachchan actress Aindrita Ray walks into Jeet’s room at his Grassroot Entertainment office. “Can I take a picture with you? I don’t know when I’ll be back,” she says)

When was the first time you saw Amitabh Bachchan in person?

Bachchan saab had come for an annual debate of The Telegraph at Netaji Indoor Stadium. He was supposed to deliver the last speech. By the time I got to know about this, only half an hour was left of the debate. Somebody in my para told me about it and handed me a pass. I was then playing cricket in Kalighat.

Believe me, I rushed home, got on my bike and reached the stadium. I started running up the stairs, and then I heard that familiar baritone! I was so excited. I had a gallery ticket and once I reached my seat I saw him standing, delivering his speech. Main Azaad Hoon had just come out. When his speech got over I started running towards the exit, since he was about to leave. It was so crowded, with fans and security people... all Bachchan fans were singing “Kitne baazu kitne sar”. I also started singing with them. Inching my way through the crowd I got closer. Bachchan saab was four-five inches away. I was so happy!

When did you first speak to him?

I first spoke to him during the shoot of Lal Baadshah in Bombay. A few of my guests had come over from Calcutta, and they wanted to see a film shoot and I got to know Bachchan saab was shooting at Kamalistan Studio. We managed to get in and I spotted his vanity van. As we were waiting we saw him walking up to the van. I went up to him and introduced myself. I told him that some of my guests had come from Calcutta and they would like to take a picture with him. So he replied in his trademark baritone, “Toh, kahan hain woh?” My heart was beating fast. “Main unko bulake laataa hoon,” I said. He said, “I’ll just come back.” And then he left for the shoot, and got busy. We watched him shoot for quite some time, till 1am!

And then later I watched him in action again during the shoot of Aankhen. After that he attended a few events and award ceremonies in Calcutta where I was also present. But we didn’t get to speak. Finally, we met before the release of Boss. I told him that like so many others, I was also a big fan of his. And that I would wait in front of Prateeksha on Sundays to catch a glimpse of him in the late ’90s.

And next when I met him at an event in Calcutta last year, I told him about Boss’s success, and that we were doing a film called Bachchan! “Achha achha!” he said. We would definitely like to screen the film for him this time.

Did you ever want to do angry-young-man kind of characters?

Not necessarily. When it comes to mainstream commercial cinema, I do films that connect with the people… that entertain people. I enjoy doing a film like Boss as much as Awara.

Two years ago Aindrita approached you and expressed a desire to work with you in Bengali films. How did you react then?

She came with positive energy, with a lot of honesty and innocence. She told me, “Ami Bangali, and I really want to work in Bengali films.”

Aindrita: And he is my mom’s favourite actor. Whenever his movie would come on Bengali channels in Bangalore, she would say, ‘I wish you had worked with him.’

How did she start off in Bachchan? Was she shy?

Aindrita: I was inhibited, I was self-conscious for the first couple of days, and I couldn’t figure out why I was behaving like this after doing 16 movies.

Jeet: Yeah, I felt she was a bit shy in the first two-three days, but I thought it had more to do with her delivering Bengali dialogues...

Aindrita: That, and also because you are a superstar.... He is so humble...

How was the Portugal shoot?

Jeet: Fantastic! From the south we travelled to the north. I liked Lisbon the most. The people there are so warm. While shooting for the song Shundori Kamala in Lisbon Square, a host of Bangladeshis came down to watch. An onlooker gifted me a pair of jeans which I wore for the shoot of Tatka Priya Marie. In return I gifted him a pair of shades.

Aindrita would shop, and then forget about the bags when having lunch. On one occasion we hid her bags, and she started crying! And once we returned the bags after a couple of hours, she tried to find out who had hid her bags! She asked me also. I feigned innocence (laughs). From Portugal I went to Amsterdam, my wife Mohna and daughter Navanya joined me in Istanbul for a holiday.

There are three heroines (Aindrita, Subhashree and Paayel Sarkar) in Bachchan...

Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t get to shoot with all three together (laughs).

Who was your favourite?

All the three girls are so beautiful and wonderful! Favourite? Ummm… Mohna is my favourite heroine.

Aindrita: Who?

Jeet: Achhe ekjon, boro heroine! You don’t know Mohna? (Shows Aindrita a picture of his wife with daughter Navanya on his phone). This is Mohna.

Aindrita: Oh, your daughter! (Everyone starts laughing)