Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; April 18, 2014)

After Paa, Amitabh Bachchan will once again don prosthetic make- up; this time, he will do so for Umesh Shukla’s film, 102 Not Out. Producer Bhushan Kumar confirms, “Big B will wear prosthetic make-up for this role and Shukla, who is directing the film, is in touch some international artistes for the same.” The film is an adaptation of Abhijaat Joshi’s brother, Saumya Joshi’s Gujarati play, 102 Not Out. Apart from Big B, it will star Paresh Rawal and Usha Jadhav.

Shukla, who is currently shooting for his film, All is Well, with Abhishek Bachchan, says, “I am in touch with a few international artistes. While one is from Los Angeles, the other is from New York. I already have a few references that I will share with Mr Bachchan in a day or two.” It maybe pointed out here that when Amitabh Bachchan shot for Paa, his make-up would take up at least three to four hours every day. In the film, Bachchan played a 12-year-old who suffers from progeria, a genetic disorder which leads to quick acceleration of ageing process in children. Make-up for this film was done by Hollywood’s Christien Tinsley (of The Passion of Christ fame) and Dominie Till (best known for working on The Lord of The Rings trilogy).

The play revolves around a 102-year-old man, who wants to achieve the world record of being the longest living person. In order to do so, he keeps himself busy with all the good things in life. He also wants to change the pessimistic attitude of his 75- year- old son; he even threatens to send him to an old age home if does not change his outlook.

The film will be produced by AB Corp, T-Series and Umesh Shukla.