Amitabh Bachchan is renowned for his dedication and discipline as an actor in the industry. However, filmmaker Apoorva Lakhia recently recalled an incident from the sets of their 2005 action thriller, ‘Ek Ajnabee‘, where actor Arjun Rampal’s tardiness led to an unexpected response from Bachchan.
During a conversation with Friday Talkies, Lakhia reminisced about the time they were filming in Bangkok. One evening, Bachchan, Lakhia, and the team decided to unwind at a club, staying out until the early hours of the morning, despite having an early call time of 5:30 am. Yet, Bachchan’s commitment remained unwavering as he arrived punctually on set.

Bachchan arrived on set on time to shoot an important scene with Arjun Rampal. Big B and Lakhia reached the set as scheduled, and he requested a two-and-a-half-hour afternoon rest. However, the plan was disrupted when Arjun failed to show up on time.
Rampal’s delay of nearly three hours disrupted the schedule, but the team managed to wrap up the required shots by noon, allowing Bachchan to take his planned rest. However, when it was time to shoot Rampal’s close-up, Bachchan decided to return the favour.
“He arrived two to three hours late, even after we sent someone to the hotel. We somehow completed the scene by noon and let him get his sleep. Next, we had to shoot Arjun’s close-up. Since he had made Amit ji wait for three hours, Amit ji did not even step out of the camper for three hours. Arjun began panicking, and the sun was already setting. He finally said, ‘I will never be late again, boss.’ Without saying a word, Amit ji made his point,” Lakhia added.
‘Ek Ajnabee’, a remake of Tony Scott’s Man on Fire (2004), starred Perizaad Zorabian and Kelly Dorji alongside Bachchan and Rampal.