In 2005, Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan shared the screen in the film “Bunty Aur Babli,” directed by Shaad Ali. They participated in the memorable dance sequence ‘Kajra Re’ alongside Aishwarya Rai, who later joined the family when she married Abhishek two years later. More than two decades later, the song continues to enjoy immense popularity. In a recent interview, Abhishek reflected on his experiences while filming the song. When prompted about a potential sequel featuring the three of them, Abhishek expressed his enthusiasm but noted that he could not speak for his father or Aishwarya.
During a conversation with the BBC Asian Network, Abhishek fondly remembered the filming of ‘Kajra Re,’ stating, “I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun shooting a song than I did with ‘Kajra Re’. It felt like one grand celebration. We had such a great time together. I recall it was my birthday during filming, and everyone made it special.”
He shared that the director, Shaad Ali, played the song repeatedly, turning the set into a lively dance party. Shaad captured some of the joyful moments on camera, incorporating them into the final cut of the song. “Shaad just put on the song, and for about four hours, we enjoyed a dance party. He filmed a lot of that and included those clips of us having a blast in the song. It has definitely reached cult status. I loved every moment of it; the memories are fantastic,” Abhishek remarked.
When asked if he would be interested in revisiting the song for a 2.0 version, Abhishek responded enthusiastically, “Absolutely! I would love that. But you’ll need to persuade Aishwarya and my dad first.”
In “Bunty Aur Babli,” Abhishek portrayed a con artist alongside Rani Mukerji, while Amitabh played the detective pursuing them. The film culminates in a face-off between their characters. Aishwarya Rai made a brief appearance in the film for the dance sequence.
The song, composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and performed by Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan, and Javed Ali, was choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant.
In a previous interview with the YouTube channel Just Filmy Things, Ehsaan Noorani revealed that during the film’s promotional phase, ‘Kajra Re’ was initially deemed the least promising song. “The marketing team assessed which songs might succeed, and surprisingly, ‘Kajra Re’ ranked at the bottom. Then, just four days after its release, I heard it being played by a wedding band as I left the Mumbai airport,” he shared.
Director Shaad Ali also recounted that even Amitabh Bachchan had doubts about the song. “When I invited him to listen, he expressed skepticism, saying it wouldn’t work. In fact, Amit Ji suggested that we shouldn’t even shoot it,” he remarked.
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