Amitabh Bachchan and his staff took fee cut for Jhund, told producer to spend it on film instead

Amitabh Bachchan slashed his fees for his upcoming movie Jhund and asked producer Sandeep Singh to spend it on the movie instead. In the sports drama, the actor will be playing the role of a football coach who brings underprivileged children together to form a football team. The film is based on the life and events of Slum Soccer founder Vijay Barse, who rehabilitated Nagpur’s street children through football. It has been helmed by Sairat director Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, and will mark his first Bollywood film. Also Read: Jhund trailer: Amitabh sets out to find diamonds in rough in fiery new film

Jhund’s producer Sandeep Singh recently revealed that he could only imagine Amitabh Bachchan in the role of football coach Vijay Barse, but, the film had a modest budget. However, Amitabh, who is also an ardent football fan, liked the script so much that he decided to take a fee cut. His staff also followed suit and slashed their fees so that the money could be spent on the movie instead.

Sandeep shared in a recent conversation with Mid-Day, “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.”

Sandeep revealed that the project faced financial hurdles even after the gesture from Amitabh Bachchan and his staff. Director Nagraj built a set for the film in Pune in 2018, but had to shut it down due to lack of finances. The filming remained on a standstill for over a year after that, until T-Series heard the script and decided to finance the movie. Also Read: Amitabh smashes glass wall in new post, fan says ‘ishwar ki adbhut rachna’

Sandeep said, “We shot the entire [film] in Nagpur, thanks to Bhushan Kumar (T-Series chairman) who believed in us. These kids were handpicked by Nagraj, his brother and his team from Nagpur’s streets. That’s why their body language is so raw.”

Jhund is scheduled for a release on March 4. Apart from Amitabh Bachchan, and Sairat actors Akash Thosar and Rinku Rajguru, the film will star a number of new faces.