Ranbir Kapoor blushes at Amitabh Bachchan's generous praise

It is not uncommon for two accomplished actors to compliment one another on a public platform. But when Amitabh Bachchan tells an actor 40 years his junior that he wants to work with him so that he can learn a few things about acting, it has got to mean something. At a session on a public platform last week, Ranbir Kapoor sat down to interview Mr Bachchan. He began by confessing that he can never look Big B in the eye and that one of his earliest childhood memories was visiting the sets of Ajooba (directed by Ranbir’s grand-uncle Shashi Kapoor) where he saw Mr Bachchan dressed in a larger-than-life costume. “I got nightmares for a month after that,” he admitted.

After some initial banter, the two got into a serious mutual admiration club meeting. Bachchan senior said to Ranbir, “All your films have been a learning graph. I find it very unusual, the way you react. The way you look — the way you are looking at me now! You don’t move any muscle. I always notice that when you perform, you don’t do much. It is difficult to convey so many emotions while doing nothing. How do you do it? You are brilliant. I sometimes wonder if I can emulate what you do. It’s just to remain still and not do anything. I envy that because I can’t do it.” Overwhelmed by the praise, Ranbir asked Big B he was pulling his leg. But of course, he wasn’t.