Vijay Krishna Acharya has made possible the first collaboration between Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan for his next 'Thugs of Hindostan', but the filmmaker said he cannot afford to be a fanboy while he is directing the two stars. Bachchan, 75, and Aamir will share the screen space for the first time in the period-action-adventure.
The director said he does not fall into the trap of liking or respecting one actor over the other. "Mr Bachchan is such a senior actor, a big star. Everyone is in awe of him and he is such a great guy to work with. He is totally professional, makes everyone feel at ease. What I have to tell myself is to see that I don't fall into the trap of being a fanboy. That is the only thing I have to watch out for, because as a director, I cannot like one actor more than the other nor can I have too much respect and awe. My job on the set is to call the shots," said Acharya.
The director, who has worked with Aamir, 52, in 'Dhoom 3', said he does not approach artistes for the sake of it. "I never approach an actor till I have finished the script. Once I am done, I discuss it with the actors. In 'Dhoom 3', Aamir and I followed this process because there was a double role, we needed to create two different characters. In this film (Thugs), language plays a huge role, so we have had reading sessions just to get a certain kind of rhythm to it," he stated.
Acharya, however, is tight-lipped about the project and hopes the film is shaping well.