Amitabh Bachchan on 'Aankhen' days: 'Arjun Rampal, Akshay Kumar had blast but insisted on treating me like an elder'

As 'Aankhen' completes 24 years yesterday (April 5), megastar Amitabh Bachchan takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane in this exclusive conversation with ETimes reminiscing about the film, its unique premise, and his bold negative role.

Amitji, 'Aankhen' completes 24 years. What do you remember about that time?

Seems like a lifetime… gosh, how time flies! I remember shooting for the film at Kamalistan Studios. We needed a railway sequence, and that was the only studio with a permanent railway station set.

Arjun Rampal, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Vipul Shah seemed to be having a lot of fun?

It was great fun to shoot. The boys had a blast, and I tried to be part of their fun. But they insisted on treating me like an elder.




'Aankhen' took you into a very different space as an actor

Absolutely. I played a completely negative role. Vipul Amrutlal Shah got the plot from a Gujarati play that he had directed. I played a bank manager with a fierce temper, a man who is almost directly responsible for all the wrong that happens in the story.

You were part of bank heists in both 'Aankhen' and 'Kaante'

In 'Kaante', I didn’t lead the heist, I was part of a group. But in 'Aankhen', I’m the driving force behind everything that goes wrong.

Was it difficult to play such a negative character?

Not really. I had done it before, in 'Saudagar', my behaviour towards Nutan was absolutely abhorrent. I remember apologizing to her after the film, and she was extremely gracious. In 'Parwana', I played a murderer. There have been many such roles. As an actor, one must never judge a character.

You even had shades of grey in 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'

(Laughs) Yes, in 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham', I asked for a lot of trouble. I throw my son, played by Shah Rukh Khan, out of the house. I slap Hrithik Roshan, I’m harsh with Jaya Bachchan, and I even insult Kajol. That’s inviting serious trouble!

There was also Sushmita Sen in 'Aankhen'

Sushmita Sen was one of the protagonists. Very spunky and original.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”