Kamal Ghorui
The pain of a scene being cut from a film is something most character actors know all too well. Actor Amit Behl, known for his roles in ‘Lakshya‘ and the television show ‘Shanti’, has now spoken candidly about that reality and the rare stars who chose professionalism over insecurity. He talked about Hrithik Roshan‘s humility while working with him in ‘Lakshya’.
Amit Behl reveals when Hrithik Roshan told him to kick if needed
In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Amit Behl did not shy away from acknowledging how common it has been for lead stars to get supporting actors’ scenes edited out, or even have their voices muffled, simply out of insecurity. “It feels bad,” he said plainly.But amid those difficult memories, Amit singled out ‘Lakshya’ as a shining exception. He revealed, “When I did Lakshya, Farhan (Akhtar) kept each and every shot of mine that was narrated to me. There is an iconic scene in the film where I punish Hrithik Roshan and get him enrolled in the obstacle course. Hrithik told me, ‘Sir, if needed, kick me. I am wearing a body pad, so don’t worry. Please kick me if you feel it is required because this scene is very important for the film.‘ We did three takes for that shot, and Hrithik was covered in mud, but he still gave me that space.”
Amit Behl shares Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar didn’t edit out his scenes
What made the experience even more remarkable, Amit Behl noted, was the stature both Hrithik and Farhan already enjoyed at the time. He said, “Hrithik was already a huge star after ‘Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai’, and Farhan was an acclaimed director after ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, yet they kept all my scenes and never edited me out. So there are good memories too. Earlier, there were many cases where our scenes would get cut. Now they don’t dare to do it as much, because if the film doesn’t work, how is anyone going to remain a star?”
More about ‘Lakshya’
Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the film featured Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles. The movie was released in theatres on June 18, 2004.
