In 2005, Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek teamed up on screen for the first time in Shaad Ali’s ‘Bunty Aur Babli’. Together with Aishwarya Rai, they lit up the film’s popular track ‘Kajra Re’. Aishwarya went on to marry Abhishek just two years later, officially joining the Bachchan family. More than two decades on, the song still enjoys a huge following, and in a recent interview Abhishek looked back on filming it. Asked whether a ‘Kajra Re 2.0’ with all three could happen, he said he’d be up for it himself, but wasn’t sure about his father or his wife.
Abhishek Bachchan on shooting ‘Kajra Re’
Speaking to BBC Asian Network, Abhishek looked back on the making of ‘Kajra Re’, saying, “I don’t know if I have had more fun shooting a song than shooting ‘Kajra Re’. It was just one big happy party. We enjoyed it so much. I still remember we were filming and it was my birthday, and they celebrated.” He revealed that director Shaad Ali kept the track playing for hours, turning the set into a full-blown dance party. Shaad captured some of that spontaneous footage and later worked a few moments of it into the final song. “Basically, what Shaad did was just put on the song and for about four hours we just had a dance party. He actually shot a lot of that and inserted those shots of us just having fun, freaking out on set in the song. It’s absolutely, I mean, cult status of a song. I love it. I had a blast shooting it. It was just great memories, great fun,” he said.
Abhishek Bachchan on ‘Kajra Re 2.0’: ‘Convince Aishwarya and my dad’
Asked about the possibility of a ‘Kajra Re 2.0’, Abhishek said he’d “love it.” He added, “I’m down for that. I’d love it. You have got to convince Aishwarya and my dad, though.”
Abhishek Bachchan’s con artist role and the ‘Kajra Re’ cameo
In ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, Abhishek Bachchan plays a smooth-talking con artist who pairs up with Rani Mukerji, while his father Amitabh is the cop chasing them down. Their paths finally cross in a tense face-off toward the end of the film. Aishwarya Rai appears in a cameo, featuring in the dance number. Music for the song came from Shankar Ehsaan Loy, with Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan and Javed Ali lending their voices, and Vaibhavi Merchant handled the choreography.
