Amitabh Bachchan has reportedly slashed his fees for his upcoming movie Jhund. The movie, which has been directed by Sairat helmer Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, brings to the spotlight the life and events of Slum Soccer founder Vijay Barse. Amitabh plays the role of a football coach, adamant about transforming a group of notorious, underprivileged children and making them ace footballers.
While the trailer promises an emotional ride at the cinemas, the film’s producer Sandeep Singh reveals that Amitabh Bachchan had full faith in the movie and so, when the tides got tough, Big B offered to slash his fees. The producer added that the legendary actor’s team also followed Big B’s footsteps and reduced their pay.
“Mr Bachchan loved the script. When we were figuring out how to bring him on board, given the film’s [modest] budget, he stunned us by cutting down on his fee. He said, ‘Instead of spending on me, let’s spend on the film.’ His staff too slashed their fees,” he told Mid-Day.
The producer also revealed that the film had several hurdles. In 2018, director Manjule had built a set in Pune for the movie but had to pull it down due to lack of funds. The project came to a standstill for over a year before T-Series stepped in and backed the project. “We shot the entire [film] in Nagpur, thanks to Bhushan Kumar who believed in us,” says Singh.
Jhund is set to release on March 4. The film marks Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s first Bollywood film. He has delivered a number of hit Marathi movies, including Sairat and Fandry. Jhund is produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Savita Raj Hiremath, Raaj Hiremath, Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, Gargee Kulkarni, Meenu Aroraa and Sandeep Singh, under the banner of T-Series, Tandav Films Entertainment and Aatpat. It’s a Zee Studios worldwide release.
The trailer was released last week and was well-received. The movie has also released a song titled Aaya Ye Jhund Hai.
