It is Sarika who plays the Big B's better half in Shoojit Sircar's new film currently being shot in Shimla. The megastar has for some time been somewhat concerned about the absence of suitably strong and charismatic co-stars. According to a source close to the Big B, "Rekha, he won't act with. He has done enough films with Jaya Bachchan and Jayapradha. Hema and he were a smashing success in Baghban but a flop in Baabul. Dimple Kapadia and Sharmila Tagore don't click with Mr. Bachchan. Hence, he has lately gone into an experimental mode with co-stars, like Shefali Shah in Waqt, Rani Mukherjee in Black, Tabu in Cheeni Kum and Preity Zinta in The Last Lear."

After her bravura performance in Parzania, Sarika is an actress whom the Big B has wanted to pair himself with for some time now. The opportunity came after Tabu said 'no' to Shoojit Sircar's untitled film. The pair is kindling unique chemistry in the frozen snowscapes of Shimla and Manali. At 64 and with two major near-fatal illnesses behind him, Amitabh Bachchan continues to surprise everyone, including himself, with his zest energy and drive for excellence.

Consider this: All of last week he shot from early morning till dusk for Shoojit Sircar's untitled film (earlier called Shoebite). Then in between, he flew to a remote village in UP for the inauguration of the girls' school named after his daughter-in-law… and rushed back to join the unit in Shimla... all within a week. "Amitji is turning out to be a role model for all of us over here. In Manali, and now in Shimla, we're frozen to our bones. Adding to our woes is the fact that all the scenes are being shot outdoors in the snow where most of us can't even see, let alone feel anything. Amitji takes to the camera as though the freezing weather was just a prop. He's the first one to reach the location. He rehearses rigorously in the freezing temperature with Sarikaji, who plays his wife," says the deeply appreciative director Shoojit Sircar.

The film is about an autumnal couple rekindling their love for each other in the snow-clad climes of Manali and Shimla. The last time Big B was in Shimla, it was to shoot a portion of Sanjay Bhansali's Black. Snowfall had to be recreated in the studio for that film since the camera lenses were obstructed by the snow. Shoojit has no such problems. "I'm not shooting snowfall. Just capturing these two aging people in the snow. I find the snow very romantic. In fact, I shot my first film Yahaan with Jimmy Shergill and Minissha Lamba in the supposedly forbidden snow-scape of Kashmir.”

Jimmy Shergill also features in Sircar's second film. "He has a beautiful role; I owe it to him after the way he stood by me during Yahaan. And Dia Mirza plays a beautiful role. Also on board are Gulzar Saab and Shantanu Moitra, who wrote the lyrics and composed the music for Yahaan. I couldn't make my second film without them."

As for Sarika, the director just can't stop singing the neglected actress' praises. "She brings a certain freshness to the film. Amitji and Sarikaji look so much like a devoted aging couple I wonder why nobody thought of casting them together before!"

Courtesy: IndiaFM