Sanjay Gupta has revisited the making of his 2002 crime thriller ‘Kaante’ and revealed a lesser-known detail about Amitabh Bachchan‘s approach to his character. The filmmaker recalled that the original script featured several abusive dialogues, but Bachchan had one clear condition — his character would not use foul language.Speaking to Hussain Zaidi, Gupta recalled how he agreed to Bachchan’s request while making it clear that the restriction applied only to the superstar’s character. The other characters, he said, could still use abusive language among themselves. Some of those dialogues were subsequently altered during the censor process.‘Abuses were written in the script but then we didn’t use them. Amitji said that nobody would abuse me, so I said, ‘Okay, sir. That doesn’t mean the others won’t abuse each other.’ Later, we tweaked those parts during the censor process as well,’ Gupta said in his conversation with Hussain Zaidi.Gupta had previously spoken about the same incident in an interview with SCREEN, recalling that Bachchan had personally discussed his decision with him during the film’s production. The actor made it clear that using abusive language was something he had never done on screen and did not intend to start with ‘Kaante’.Gupta recalled Bachchan telling him, ‘Sanjay I won’t abuse, that’s one thing I’ve never done, so I won’t do it. If someone else is abusing, then I’ve no problem’.The director was aware from the beginning that the film’s script was packed with strong language. In a 2002 conversation with Rediff, when Gupta was asked whether an action thriller such as ‘Kaante’ would feature foul language, he acknowledged that the film had ‘a lot of profanities’. At that stage, however, the film was yet to face the censor board, which eventually led to changes in some of the dialogues.The decision to cast Bachchan in ‘Kaante’ was itself an experience Gupta remembers vividly. In an earlier conversation with Cyrus Broacha, the filmmaker recalled being extremely nervous while narrating the script to the legendary actor.According to Gupta, Sanjay Dutt had initially agreed to present the project. However, after hearing the story and becoming impressed by it, Dutt decided to act in the film instead and suggested Bachchan for one of the roles.Gupta said the experience became even more intimidating when he arrived at Bachchan’s home and found it filled with photographs of the superstar. During the narration, Bachchan maintained a poker face and offered virtually no reaction, leaving Gupta convinced that he had failed to impress him.‘I thought some day, I’ll tell my grandchildren ke maine Amitabh Bachchan ko subject sunaya tha,’ Gupta recalled.After the narration ended, Bachchan reportedly remained silent for around 20 seconds. Unsure of what to make of the silence, Gupta eventually asked the actor what he thought of the story. Bachchan then told him that he liked it, bringing relief to the director after what he described as an intensely nerve-racking meeting.Released on December 20, 2002, ‘Kaante’ featured Amitabh Bachchan alongside Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Lucky Ali, Mahesh Manjrekar and Kumar Gaurav. The film followed six men who join forces to pull off a bank robbery in Los Angeles. While its action and crime narrative drew attention upon release, ‘Kaante’ went on to develop a cult following for its distinctive style, dialogues, music and performances.
