Anjana Sukhani Recalls a Beautiful Gesture from Amitabh Bachchan She’ll Never Forget

In a recent interview, Anjana Sukhani opened up about some of the most memorable moments from her journey in the industry, including an early experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan that left a lasting impression on her. Recalling a chocolate commercial they shot together, Anjana remembered not just the opportunity to work alongside the legendary actor, but a small gesture of kindness that she says revealed his greatness.

“I was shooting a chocolate commercial with him, and I was very new to the industry, I had hardly done any work before that,” she recalls. The commercial was being shot at the Inorbit Mall parking lot in Malad, on a particularly hot and sunny day. While the set was being arranged, Anjana was standing to the side, unaware that Bachchan had noticed her standing in the heat.
“He sent an umbrella with his assistant and told him to give it to me. So, he stood there holding the umbrella and brought a chair for me to sit on,” she shares. For someone who was still new to the industry, the gesture stood out to Anjana, particularly because it came from someone of Bachchan’s stature.For Anjana, the gesture meant far more than comfort from the heat, it was a reflection of who Bachchan is. “He didn’t need to do that. He is Mr. Bachchan; I am nobody. Even now, I am nothing compared to him. But that gesture, showing such care while I was standing in the sun, he sent a chair over. I think that speaks to his greatness; only someone like him would do that,” she explains.

Anjana also remembers a brief conversation with the megastar after the commercial had been shot. When they met on a flight, he asked her whether she had seen the advertisement, which was about to air. “At first, I thought, ‘He recognized me, that’s a big deal!’ Then he said it turned out really well,” she recalls.

Their paths crossed again years later on the sets of Department, where she watched him share the screen with Sanjay Dutt in a wedding dance sequence. Looking back at it all, Anjana sums up what working alongside the legend has meant to her. “I think once you’ve worked with him, or even just worked in his vicinity, I think your life is a success,” she says.