The 79-year-old plays NGO Slum Soccer founder Vijay Barse, a Nagpur-based retired sports teacher who pioneers a slum soccer movement. It was Aamir Khan who had convinced Amitabh to take on the role. When Aamir actually got to watch the film, he turned emotional and called it “one of the greatest films” by Big B.
Aamir got to hear the script of Jhund and was so impressed that he recommended Bachchan to do the film and also convinced him for the role. He said it would be a perfect collaboration. Confirming the same, the senior actor recalled: “I remember when I discussed that with Aamir; he told me I must do this film. And you know what happens when Aamir endorses something.”
T-Series shared a video on its YouTube channel which showed how Aamir got emotional while watching the film. After wiping his tears as he gave a standing ovation, Aamir said: “What a film. My God. Bohut hi behtareen film hai (It’s an amazing film). This is the first time that a film has received a standing ovation during a private screening. I don’t have words to say. The way you have captured the emotions of girls and boys of India, it’s unbelievable. The way the children have worked is unbelievable.”
Director Nagraj Manjule recently shared how it was a lifetime opportunity for him to work with Amitabh. “It was daunting when I would think before we started the shoot. Before Jhund, I was sceptical. Amitji is so humble that he made it easy for me,” is how Manjule recalled his experience. Jhund has missed its release dates twice, in June 2020 and in 2021, owing to the pandemic. The film finally opened Friday, March 4.
