Were Bachchan and Akshay Kumar pre-conditions for Waqt…?
Actually, all three of us were very happy working together in ‘Aankhen’. The two of them had told me to find another good script. When I saw the play, I asked Amitji to see it. He agreed it was great stuff for a movie adaptation. That’s how ‘Waqt…’ was born. Amitji plays the dream-father. He and Akshay were really comfortable working together. And when actors are having fun, it makes the director’s job so much easier. You’ve cast your wife Shefali as Bachchan’s wife… Initially, I was apprehensive. I thought people would say I was trying to promote my wife. So I didn’t mention her name as a possible co-star to Amitji. I only wanted the pair to be fresh. If I had cast Hemaji, ‘Waqt…’ would’ve been seen as an extension of ‘Baghban’. I didn’t want that. Then one day Amitji himself suggested Shefali. That took the burden off my head. We did a photo-shoot with Amitji, Shefali and Akshay. They looked like a family. The music by Anu Malik is already a hit, I believe. Today, every directo
