Chehre director Rumi Jaffery recounts how Bachchan filmed 14-minute monologue in a single take on the last day of shoot
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; June 21, 2019)

It's not for nothing that Amitabh Bachchan is considered one of the greatest actors in the industry. Earlier this week, sound artist Resul Pookutty and producer Anand Pandit couldn't help but gush over the megastar on social media, congratulating him for pulling off a 14-minute-long take in one shot during the shoot of Chehre.

Rumi Jaffery, who has helmed the mystery thriller that also features Emraan Hashmi and Kriti Kharbanda, says he had deliberately left the climax for the last day of shoot, knowing that it would be a demanding scene. "It is one of the most intense scenes in the film where Amit ji's character sums up his feelings." Though the sequence was shot at a suburban studio on Tuesday, the director reveals that Bachchan and he pored over the material for days before rolling with it.

"We had been working on the scene for almost two days and had several discussions on the dialogues. On the day of the shoot, we went through the draft over and over again, checking if a word needs to be added or deleted. Once I said action, Amit ji started the scene. Everyone was so taken by his performance, it's as if no one even blinked throughout the scene," he laughs. At 14 minutes, it is easily one of the longest monologues from recent Bollywood outings.

"Amit ji and I thought that the scene went on for around six minutes. It was only when the assistant checked the duration that we realised it had run to 14 minutes. We were all shocked and asked him to double check it. I don't think any other actor would be able to do this; it is sheer dedication and years of experience at play." Proud of the veteran's feat, Rumi Jaffery admits it would be a pity if the sequence doesn't make it to the final cut in its entirety. "The decision will be taken on the editing table. As a filmmaker, I would hate to cut anything from this sequence. But if the need arises, we will have to take a decision."