Saurabh Shukla recalls working with Nayak co-star Amrish Puri: "Woh heroes se ek rupaya zyada lete the..."

Saurabh Shukla shares his experience of working with Amrish Puri

Actor and writer Saurabh Shukla has recently recalled working with veteran actor and noted villain Amrish Puri. Saurabh Shukla and Amrish Puri co-starred in Anil Kapoor’s 2001 political action movie Nayak: The Real Hero.

Saurabh Shukla emphasised about Amrish Puri's professionalism, humility, and dedication, all of which made a lasting impression on him.

In a recent interview with ANI, Saurabh Shukla revealed that Amrish Puri used to charge "one rupee more than the hero.” He also revealed that the veteran actor managed his work without a secretary or driver.

Saurabh Shukla recalled working on Nayak and said, "It was enough for me that I was cast in a film. It has a huge cast..Anil Kapoor the..Amrish Puri sahab the.. It was a very good experience, South ki bahut badi film thi vo..a big hit, and I enjoyed working in the film. Amrish Puri sahab se pehli baar mila. (I met Amrish Puri for the first time).”

The actor added, “Aur mai jab unse mila tab hum stars ko door se dekha karte the.. star hone ka matlab aapke saath ek pura paraphernalia chalta hai (Being a star means a complete paraphernalia moves with you).”

Saurabh Shukla continued recalling Amrish Puri's approach towards his work and his stardom.

The veteran actor said, "I came to know..ki vo heroes se ek rupaya zyada lete the (he used to take one rupee more than the hero). He was such a big star. He did not have a secretary..aur unka aesa kuch driver kuch nahi tha..ek unka makeup man tha because he used different makeup for each film. To maine kaha 'Sir aapka staff nahi hai' (Sir, don't you have staff?).”

He added, “He said, 'Mai paagal hu kya paise mai kamau aur baatta rahu staff mein' (Am I crazy..I keep earning money and then distribute it to the staff?). This is the reason I came for this interview, driving my own car.”

Saurabh Shukla also shared his experience of working with Amrish Puri and Anil Kapoor.

He said, “You are affected by their performance; you react to the environment. This is not a principal jisko soch ke aap aesa karte hai..The point is what you think, what you talk...you become that.”

On the work front, Saurabh Shukla is known for his stellar performance in films such as Satya, Nayak: The Real Hero, Yuva, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Barfi!, and Jolly LLB, among others.

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About Nayak

Co-written and directed by Shankar, produced by A M Rathnam, Nayak: The Real Hero featured a star-studded cast including Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, and Amrish Puri.

The film was a remake of Shankar's 1999 Tamil hit 'Mudhalvan'.

Meanwhile, Amrish Puri was known for his versatility but earned widespread praise for his villainous roles through the 1980s and 1990s.

Some of his notable films include Vidhaata, Shakti, Hero, Meri Jung, Nagina, Mr India, Shahenshah, Ram Lakhan, and Tridev.

Amrish Puri passed away on January 12, 2005.