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In his four-decade-long career, actor MM Faruqui, best known by his stage name Lilliput, has faced several ups and downs. In a recent interview, Lilliput opened up about his failed attempts to work with Amitabh Bachchan.
Recalling his failed attempts to work with Amitabh twice, Lilliput told Bollywood Thikana, “I was playing cards when I got a call from Subhash Ghai, who asked me to see him in his office. I had no money to travel to Bandra, so one of the guys I was playing cards with drove me there. Subhash ji told me, ‘Main ek film bana raha hoon, Sherbahadur. Aur usmein Amitabh Bachchan hero honge aur tum villain (I am making a film with Amitabh Bachchan, Sherbahadur, and you will play the villain).”
At that time, Lilliput was already working on films like Saagar, Aamir Aadmi, and Shararat and had signed several others. Subhash Ghai insisted he leave those projects to avoid any on-screen image before Sherbahadur released. “Meri kya aukat thi? (What was my status to refuse them?) How could I ask those who had shot the film not to release? Jutta dhilayega kya? I left the ones that I signed for Sherbahadur, but it got shelved, leaving me without work. Amit ji’s health was not good, and the film wasn’t made.”
Lilliput was set to act in another film with Amitabh Bachchan, Aashiyana, but that project also didn’t materialise, leading him to feel jinxed. “Maine Amit ji ko mooh pe bola, ‘Don’t try to act with me! (I told Amit ji, ‘Don’t try to act with me!’),” he recalled.
Years later, when director Shaad Ali approached him for Bunty Aur Babli, he was skeptical. Scarred by past experiences, the actor warned Shaad, “Main manhoos hoon (I am unlucky). Amit ji ke saath meri film banti nahin hai, tumhari bhi film nahin banegi (I am unlucky. Films with Bachchan and me don’t get made).” Shaad replied that he didn’t believe in superstitions and went ahead with the film.
While Lilliput acknowledges the success of Bunty Aur Babli, he laments not working with Amitabh Bachchan in his youth, which could have changed his career trajectory. “Ab kya? Ab toh hum dono buddhe hogaye hain (Now what? We are both old),” he lamented.
In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, Lilliput admitted that his behaviour at certain times could have created misunderstandings with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan. “Dharam ji (Dharmendra) and Amit ji (Amitabh Bachchan) were two such people. But I had so much respect for them, I could never talk to them on their level. My respect transcended the normal, which led to misunderstandings. You think of them as gods, and they think of you as arrogant. It was up to me to clear the air, and I didn’t do it,” he said.
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