Ghoomer actor Abhishek Bachchan: ‘To get the endorsement of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a very big thing’

“I’m very happy and proud of the film. I’m excited to bring the film to the audiences. Due to the pandemic, a lot of us couldn’t show our film to our audiences in theatres, a lot of us gravitated toward digital, which is a wonderful medium. But coming into a dark theatre, with samosa, cold drink, popcorn, and you see a good film – nothing beats that experience,” he told reporters at the trailer launch of the movie.

The actor plays the coach to Saiyami Kher, who loses her hand in an accident but decides to continue playing cricket. Also starring Shabana Azmi, the film releases on August 18.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has already praised the film on his social media pages. At the trailer launch, Abhishek was asked about his mother Jaya Bachchan and wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s reaction to the trailer.

Abhishek said he is thankful to Balki for making a film that his family liked.

“To get the endorsement and approval of actors of the caliber of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a very big thing. They’re at the top of their game, know what they’re talking about, so obviously, you feel very happy when they like your work, I’m very thankful to them,” he said.

Saiyami Kher said she was more focused on mapping the emotional journey rather than focusing on the physical challenges of playing the character.

“I spoke to many para-athletes like Ekta Bhyan, India’s javelin thrower, who won gold. I spent a lot of time with her. One thing she said to me was that you should ask whatever you want because the one thing they don’t need is sympathy. They need empathy, but they’re athletes, so they don’t want to be looked at in any other way.”

Balki said Ghoomer isn’t centered on cricket and the sport merely functions as a “backdrop” for the narrative.

“Cricket is the backdrop of Ghoomer, but it’s the story of life, of two people with vulnerabilities, who’ve gone through ups and downs in life,” he said.

Abhishek Bachchan said his father Amitabh Bachchan makes an appearance in Balki’s film as the director, who debuted with Big B-starrer Cheeni Kum, considers the megastar his lucky charm.

“Dad is Balki’s good luck charm. He’ll never make a film without him so he finds some way to put him in a film. Even if you see his last couple of films, if he’s not the main lead, he’ll find a cameo for him to do.

“One thing Balki told me when (I was) producing Paa was ‘I’ll never make a film without Amitabh Bachchan’. So this is our ode to him. Unfortunately, we’re not together in the same frame,” the actor said.