One would think blue is more his colour. Or rugged shades of black and brown. Even suave greys and olives. But one would've never associated the colour Pink with the macho image of one who has had the swag to beat all swagger. Yet, he carries off his role in Pink with panache, so characteristic of Amitabh Bachchan. That's gumption. Yes, the movie is making waves and not just for the colour he smote. He dauntlessly questions a woman in the courtroom, “Are you a virgin?“ No jazz, no dramatic upheaval, yet, he jostles you out of your comfort zone.And breaks the silence on a subject that has been shamed and silenced in our society for generations. That's the impact of just one of the many dialogues the thespian delivers in his deep baritone. AB wears Pink with pride, a new shade of pink -that's pretty, potent and powerful. Read on...

While shooting for the film you had tweeted, 'Work getting really tough on PINK... Scenes and the moment... days ahead are filled with apprehension.' Given the subject, was it very emotionally difficult?
Every film is a tough shoot, and I believe that every day is a test, a challenge. I always think about how the scene is going to be the next day and whether we are going the way the director wants. This film is not about women empowerment. It's not a documentary wanting to make any deliberate statements, but it is a story of three independent girls who live by their own rules. One day, they happen to meet these boys in a club and then an incident happens, which culminates at the courtroom. I play a character who lives opposite their building and observes them, and those are the mysterious moments of the story. What ensues in the courtroom is what you will find out after watching the film. Whatever has been written has been researched well and the makers have met several lawyers to ensure that the procedures, the language and protocol are as close to reality. When Shoojit Sircar shared the concept with me, I said yes to it within a couple of minutes. I strongly believed in it. I didn't know what role I was being offered; I didn't know how the screenplay was going to shape up and who would be cast in it. I just felt that since the concept is so strong, I had to be associated with this film. With Pink, we wanted to make certain statements which could be taken either way, but it was important that we say it. The film was also shot in a particular style where we had seven cameras working at the same time. Everyone who was involved in the frame and in the scene was active, and that required us to be shooting a 20-page scene at once. And so my apprehension was about how I would learn these 20-page scenes. It's like how some recordings used to be done in the olden days, when we had a live orchestra with 200-300 musicians and Lataji (Mangeshkar) and Kishoreji (Kumar) would sing live. At that point, even if one of the violinists went wrong, we had to stop and restart all over again. Of course, nowadays with modern technology all that has changed. So I was hoping that I didn't go wrong, because if did then the whole scene would have to be reshot.

Your first collaboration with Shoojit didn't work out, but ever since, both of you have done some commendable work together.
Yes, we did a film (Shoebite) which is ready but hasn't released due to some problem with the production house. But then we have done various other ad campaigns, Piku and now Pink. I am honoured to be working with him.

A lot of people from the industry argue with the term 'women centric' films. They think that by that logic, most films in our cinema would be called male-centric. What is your view on that?
Why should anyone think like that and what's wrong with a film that's women-centric? Such films have been made from times immemorial, like Mother India and several of Bimal Roy's films. Even in recent times, there are many movies made where women play the lead, and Piku is one of them. Actresses like Kareena (Kapoor Khan), Alia (Bhatt), Kangana (Ranaut) and Deepika (Padukone) are all playing pivotal roles in movies.

Do you think there are more roles written for women today as compared to the past?
I think it's important to realise that women comprise 50 per cent strength of the nation. Why women haven't been given prominence is a personal choice of the filmmaker. Jaya (Bachchan) has worked in so many films where she has played the central character. I think women should be given their place of importance and equality in society. Many thought processes with regard to women have changed over the years and I am happy as that is the way it should be. It's unfortunate that such an obnoxious and hideous incident like Nirbhaya happened for the issue to be given so much notice; while there have been many similar cases before. There is lot more focus on the issues now that should have been looked upon years and years ago. We have had several social issues or paradoxes, if I may say so, that have lived with us for centuries. All of that is changing now. Look at our own film industry, earlier the only woman on a film's set other than the actress, would be her mother. Today, there are so many women on the set and they are involved in several aspects of filmmaking. It shows how the temperament of people has changed over the years. I keep quoting two instances that show us how the thought process with regards to women has changed. One of them is a quote by someone as important and as valuable as William Shakespeare. In Macbeth, he says “bring forth men-children only.“ You can't dare say that today. Ek purani kahawat hai jo bahut sadiyon se chali aa rahin hai. Aaj kal aap woh kahawat nahi keh sakte -“Dhol, gawar, shudra, pashu, naari...yeh sab tadne ke adhikari.“ It means ki dhol, gawar, shudra, pashu, naari yeh sab pitne layak hai. You can't say that anymore. Dhol ke elawa baaki koi cheez aaj nahin hain jis par aap kuch keh sakte hain. So that makes you realise what women power is today and I think Pink attempts to open that conversation.

A lot has been spoken about pay parity in the entertainment industry - in Hollywood and our film industry. You recently said that Deepika Padukone was paid more than you in Piku and that was fair.
I feel that if Deepika played the central character in Piku and I played the side role, why I should be paid more than her? And the fact is that my value as an actor today is far less than the other stars, but so what?

So do you feel that the actresses are given their due monetarily?
That's a commercial decision of the filmmaker, how much is being invested and what are the budgets. If you have the biggest stars today like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Hrithik Roshan and Ranbir Kapoor in a film, they have a certain attractive power and so they deserve that kind of money. They ask for that kind of money and they get it. Suppose, my first day collection is in the range of Rs 2-3 crore and other actors collection is in the range of  Rs 30-40 crore, obviously they are going to be paid more, and you have to understand that it is a matter of commerce.

You are very active on social media, but a lot of negativity and criticism comes with it.
I don't block my views on social media; I feel that it is good to understand that everything you know is not absolutely correct. There's criticism and there's abuse on my blog. If you imagine and think that you are infallible and you are without any fault, then what the heck are you doing in this world? You might as well be sitting up in heaven, because we all have faults and we all make mistakes. If somebody points it out, I don't feel bad or block out anyone else's views. I only block out bad language and I warn them to stop using the F-word, as it doesn't suit this platform.

Director R Balki told me that while shooting for Shamitabh you were grouchy throughout the film, and when he asked you what was wrong, you said, 'I am in character.' When you are so absorbed in a character, does it take you long to step out of that zone?
He is joking, that's my natural temperament. I am grouchy, and I am always non-communicable with people. I am just joking (laughs!). Well, try sticking a beard on your face for 18 hours, you will be grouchy. So that's what it was. It was the beard that made me grouchy. Every time I put it on, I would say that this is the last time I am doing a film where I have to put a beard on my face.

Everyone who works with you says that you have a childlike enthusiasm on the sets. Do you keenly observe younger actors while working with them?
I am in great admiration of the younger generation as I feel they are far more accomplished than I am and far more alive. They are confident and determined, and I don't possess that quality. I have seen that they are so relaxed and easy, and as soon as the camera turns on they become incredible performers. I want to learn from them. This generation is remarkable and I feel very privileged to be in their company. I am 74 and the average age on the set is 30-40 years, so there is a huge difference. It is fantastic to see how aware they are about the world; they know what they are doing and where they want to go. They have a solution to every kind of problem and that's impressive.

You feel that they come more ready and prepared on the set than you were when you started out?
Yes, they are very prepared even before their very first film. I am pretty sure that they spend a lot of time studying, learning, going to training institutes before facing the camera. I am still learning, I'm not natural and as easy as I should be. I am amazed how they are and that is a quality that I don't have.

But I am sure, for them sharing screen space with you must be intimidating?
I don't believe that anyone should be intimidated by me. Are you intimidated sitting in front of me? No, of course not. Then why should they be? I should be the one intimidated, because I don't want to make any kind of mistake in front of the camera, or in front of anyone as that would be embarrassing.