‘Amitabh Bachchan would come on set at 5am, gave me his shawl once when I was shivering,’ recalls Preeti Jhangiani, Yash Chopra said, ‘I would have taken it and run away’ |

Amitabh Bachchan in a way made his comeback with ‘Mohabbatein’. He was reportedly going through a lot of financial struggles and then he was back with a bang with this film directed by Aditya Chopra and ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ on television. The film starred Bachchan along with Shah Rukh Khan and six newcomers – Preeti Jhangiani, Jugal Hansraj, Uday Chopra, Shamita Shetty, Kim Sharma, Jimmy Shergill. In a recent interview, Preeti has opened up on her experience of working on the film and shared some anecdotes about a legend like Bachchan. She shared in a chat with The Lallantop, “To tell you the truth, this wasn’t the dynamic on the set that Amitabh ji went to ask Yash ji for work. In fact, I think Yash ji and Adi saw this as an opportunity. They said that the role that we were going to give to a character artiste, we can now have Amitabh Bachchan in it. I remember Adi said this once, ‘I felt that now I can take Mr Amitabh Bachchan in that role.’ The gravitas of that role increased.”

While the film had Shah Rukh Khan in the lead as the romantic hero, the energy on set made it clear that Amitabh Bachchan’s presence commanded deep reverence. She added, “There was always a certain respect for him on set. It was never like… He is not playing the main character, and Shah Rukh is the main guy… That wasn’t the thing on set. Shah Rukh was extremely respectful of Amitabh ji on set,” Preeti shared. She went on to speak about his unmatched discipline and work ethic, something that left a lasting impression on the entire cast and crew. “Amit ji would be on the set at 5 am. Even when he did not have any scenes, he would come at 5 and wait in his trailer so he could prepare himself for the shot,” she recalled. One of her fondest memories from the shoot involved a kind gesture from the superstar himself. On a particularly cold day on set, Preeti was shivering, and Amitabh noticed. “He offered me his shawl,” she said. Though she initially declined, it took a humorous nudge from Yash Chopra to convince her. “If Amitabh offered me a shawl, I would have taken it and run away,” Yash Chopra quipped. Eventually, Preeti did accept the shawl, though she returned it soon after, holding on instead to the moment as a memory of Amitabh Bachchan’s humility and grace.