Throwback: When Amitabh Bachchan agreed to take a backseat for a child actor in Bhoothnath Returns

Nitesh (Dangal) Tiwari’s Bhootnath Returns not only featured a very talented child actor Parth Bhalerao at the helm, the child is acknowledged as the hero of the show by none other than his formidable co-star Amitabh Bachchan himself.
Tiwari, who earlier worked with a bevy of child actors in Chillar Party felt connecting with children without patronizing them is of utmost importance.In a past interview Tiwari had revealed, “It would’ve been suicidal to bring Parth into the project unless I was sure about him. God forbid if after shooting I realized he wasn’t right for the role. It would’ve been impossible to replace him.”
In an interview during the film’s release, Tiwari had gone through the heartbreaking process of asking child actors to leave while shooting. “It’s happened a number of times while I was shooting my ads. Children who sparkled when I met them, froze in front of the camera. It was very painful to replace them. During this film or my earlier feature Chillar Party, I couldn’t afford the luxury of working with kids who couldn’t deliver what I expected them to. In Bhoothnath Returns we were working on a very tight schedule. Any glitch would have been destructive.”
The director Parth Bhalerao was not the first choice for the part of Akhrot in Bhoothnath Returns. “After many auditions I had zeroed in on two kids. One of them, Owais lost the role by a narrow margin. I offered Owais another role in my film as I didn’t want him to feel left out. Rejection at that young age can be an awful burden to bear on those little shoulders.”
Nitesh further revealed, "Unlike Chillar Party where every child was just right for every character, Parth wasn’t the full and final choice for Akhrot. I selected him because he already had a Marathi film behind him and knew how to occupy camera space in a feature film. Also more importantly, Parth wasn’t intimidated by Bachchan saab. That was very important. The boy Akhrot and the ghost had to share screen space throughout. The child actor had to be relaxed in Bachchan saab’s company. Parth performed without the least self consciousness.”
The director gave Big B full credit for taking the child under his wings. “He treated Parth like a friend. Just see his graciousness! Everywhere in all the promotions for the film Bachchan saab let Parth take centrestage.”
In an interview during the film’s release Mr Bachchan had said, “Working with children has been a wonderful experience. They are unpredictable and spontaneous, completely innovative and a joy to be with. Parth, who plays the little boy in Bhoothnath Returns is a commensurate performer, a mature artist and the hero of the film. Even seasoned professionals sometimes are unable to convincingly go through the gamut of emotions that this boy has in the film. He is an exceptional young man. His performance does not look like that of a child. He performs as an adult, mature and confident and full of self-belief, completely uninhibited, a rare quality."
Bhoothnath Returns was produced by BR Chopra's banner. Mr Bachchan’s association with BR Chopra goes back a long way. His first film with the banner was Zameer in 1975.
Speaking of his long association with BR Chopra’s banner and the late Ravi Chopra, Mr Bachchan had said in a past interaction, “Ravi Chopra made his directorial debut with Zameer and has remained a friend since then. We may not have worked together for a long time since, but the relationship has been constant. Then when he came with Baghban we readily agreed, followed by Baabul, Bhoothnath and Bhootnath Returns. I am proud to say I’ve shared a long fruitful relationship with both BR Chopra and his brother Yash Chopra.”