MUMBAI: Hrishikesh Pandey has literally grown up on Amitabh Bachchan’s movies. Coming from an army background, the CID actor shares how he was not allowed to watch many films on the big screen unless of course it starred Big B. Reason being the entire family is a die-hard AB Senior fan.
“My dad never allowed us to watch movies in theatres. He only made an exception if the film had Amit ji or it was a patriotic movie,” he says, remembering a very memorable incident of his life. It dates back to the year 1982 when Senior Bachchan met with the life-threatening accident on the sets of the film Coolie.
“The entire nation was praying for him. As kids, my sister and I had written a small note for him, which we managed to send to his place. When his health improved, he actually responded to our letter. We used to live in Jabalpur at that time and were overjoyed to have heard back from him. It was unbelievable to receive a letter from Amit ji with his photograph. I still have that precious letter,” adds the actor, known for TV shows such as Kohi Apna Sa, Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke and Apradhi.
Being a part of the same industry, Hrishikesh had the opportunity to meet Big B for work on several occasions. However, the actor could never mention about this incident and the letter to Senior Bachchan till they reunited on the sets of their film MayDay.
I finally found an opportunity to share this incident with him and his reaction was priceless. First, he just looked at me quietly from top to bottom and smiled. He said he was surprised to know I kept his letter safe after so many years. He even read the letter,” he says.
Meanwhile, as far as work is concerned, apart from MayDay, Pandey is presently a part of the ongoing hit show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. While he is also in talks for other TV projects, the actor feels indebted to the show C.I.D for the way it has changed his career.
“I have been doing television for years. Apart from C.I.D, I’ve also done family dramas and romantic shows, but C.I.D gave me a lot of respect and fame. Its reach was beyond my imagination. Sometimes, people actually thought that we were a part of the police force in real life and would treat us with a lot of respect and love… The show changed my life,” he concludes.
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