On a lazy afternoon, if you flip through TV channels and land on Set Max, chances are you’ll find Amitabh Bachchan’s Sooryavansham playing. Though the film didn’t do well in theatres when it was released in 1999, it has gained a cult following over the years. Those who grew up in the early 2000s watched Big B in a double role in the movie, but for actor Ishaan Khatter, the experience was more personal. He actually visited the sets of the film as a child, thanks to his mother, Neelima Azeem, who was part of the film’s cast. Neelima Azeem played Mrs Varun Singh in the movie, while Ishaan’s father, Rajesh Khattar, played her on-screen husband.
In a recent chat with Mid-Day, Ishaan shared a sweet story from his childhood. “I think my mom once did a children’s show called Nayantara, and I appeared on it too. It was a talk show where she spoke about parenting and motherhood. I’ve always been fascinated by film sets. She once took me to the sets of Sooryavansham, and apparently, I kept saying ‘Bade Miyan, Bade Miyan’ to Amitabh Bachchan, because I had seen Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,” he laughed.
But what happened next made the memory unforgettable. Ishaan said, “He (Amitabh Bachchan) picked me up! And my mom later told me, ‘You were the only kid he lifted, and you pulled his beard!’ And he just smiled and said, ‘It’s okay.’ These are the stories I’ve grown up hearing from my mom.”
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In an earlier chat with Mashable India, Ishaan shared that it was because of Amitabh Bachchan that his mother could secure an admission for him in one of the best schools in the city. “At the time, she was trying to get me admitted into a school and Jamnabai was then one of the nicest schools. She was having trouble getting admission for me there and he very kindly, personally went and spoke to the authorities,” he said.
