MUMBAI: Actor Saanand Verma recently donned the avatar of Amitabh Bachchan’s classic role of Shahenshah for his show Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain produced by Sanjay and Benaiferr Kohli under their production house Edit II. The actor says that the feeling was absolutely surreal. “It was an awesome experience. Wearing that 15 kg costume was ultimate. I felt like Shahenshah, I really felt like the king of TV because nobody has ever tried that kind of costume. It was so heavy. I inserted a lot of iron stones in my costume so that I get that a bulky look because I have a thin body frame and I wanted that bulky look, so I padded it up. I put a lot of different metals inside the costume. It was a great feeling. I was feeling like Shahenshah and Amitabh Bachchan!” he says.

Saanand has always been a fan of Amitabh. “Amitabh Bachchan and his work are truly larger than life. The kind of work he has done is jaw dropping. Nobody can repeat the kind of feat he has achieved in his lifetime. He is getting stronger with each passing day. Even today, at this age, nobody can match his persona and knowledge. He is an unbelievable performer. He is truly a superstar of the millennium. And I feel that he is truly one and only legend with whom I feel deeply attached,” he says.

In fact, Saanand’s attachment to Shahenshah goes a long way. “I have seen Shahenshah many times. When I was working in Sony Max, I used to cut promos and I have cut Shahenshah’s promo many times. I used to love that film and I always used to go and cut that promo myself. I used to enjoy Amit ji’s dialogues when he says, ‘Rishtey mein toh hum tumhare baap lagte hai, naam hai Shahenshah.’ His dual character in the film is amazing. He plays a guy who is corrupt and the other character that he plays is of a messiah. It is not a double role, but performance-wise, it’s a dual performance. The way he pulls off both the characters is amazing. Also, it’s incredible how he hits the bullets with his hand. As a corrupt cop also, he performed very well. There are many unbelievable elements in the film,” he says.

He adds, “Agneepath is also my favourite film. It is a brilliant film according to any film critic. In my view, Amit ji has given a phenomenal performance in Agneepath. Even his movies from his olden days such as Amar Akbar Anthony is amazing. If you just see the picturisation in the song, My name is Anthony Gonsalves, the kind of performance he has given is ultimate. His role in Abhimaan is also so deep, he shares such a great a chemistry with Jaya Bachchan’s character. He belongs to a different kind of class of actors.”