Amitabh in Nagathihalli's Amrutha Dhare

The maverick filmmaker Nagathihalli has every reason for a jubilant smile, with his dream project 'Amrutha Dhare' taking good shape. On top of it, what is more exciting to this producer-director was the privilege of directing the biggest star of the country - Amitabh Bachan! He kept this news wrapped but was spread in the air before he made it public! Last evening (July 25) while talking to media friends, Nagathi authentically spoke about his association with Big B. He did not disclose his intentions of keeping it under wrap however. "That is what I had promised Amitabh" he said. And hence the request came from him not to publish the still till Friday that shows the 'Amrutha Dhare' team with Big B!

It was an experience for Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar. "After working with Amitabh Bachan, I realized how and why an individual is recognized as legendary. He is always modest about his achievements and is a down-to-earth person. On the sets, he never had the supremacy - basically to eliminate the possible disparity between a superstar and co-stars and technicians so that they all feel homely. I should thank journalist Subhash Jha who helped us establish contacts with Bachan and of course our lead actor Dyan who did his best" said Nagathi. Along with his simplicity and professionalism, what amazed the director are his scenes of hummer, punctuality and friendly nature. "He spared a little part of his valuable time for us. And hence, we have recorded his voice while shooting itself using a special camera. So, you will get to hear the dialogs in his original voice. He also delivered two Kannada dialogs which means 'how we live is more important than how long we live here'. And that is the core message of this movie" he added.

Ramya

Amitabh's biography - 'To be or not to be' is Nagathi's one of the favorite literature. Impressed by the information in this book, he decided to approach Big B who is an apt fit for this role according to him. "Its not to cash on his presence in our movie nor its going to glorify my product. He has reached the zenith with his spellbinding performances. From a commercial stand point, we cant even afford his remuneration. He didn't ask for it of course! We just gave him a small gift before departing from Mumbai" said the director. There was a lot more to share but to give others a chance to share their experience with Big B and Ladakh, Nagathi took a break!