Actors today often spend weeks or even months preparing for a character, attending workshops, studying scripts and working on their appearance before filming begins. However, things were very different during the golden era of Hindi cinema. Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan recently reflected on those days, sharing how actors from his generation had to manage multiple films at the same time, leaving little or no opportunity for detailed preparation.
In his latest blog, Amitabh Bachchan looked back at the changing style of filmmaking and explained how the concept of “prep” has become a key part of the creative process in modern cinema. Sharing a series of photos on Thursday night, he admitted that role preparation was almost unheard of when he began his career.
He wrote that the idea of preparing extensively before stepping into a role was unknown to his generation. Today, he sees actors investing a great deal of effort in understanding their characters, working on their looks, style and detailed character analysis before filming starts. Amitabh Bachchan praised this approach, calling it a valuable and thoughtful part of filmmaking. He expressed admiration for artists who dedicate so much time and seriousness to getting into a character before facing the camera.
At the same time, the veteran actor pointed out that such preparation would have been nearly impossible during his early years in the industry. He recalled that many actors, including he, were working on 10 to 15 films simultaneously. On several occasions, they even shot for two or three films in a single day, switching from one character to another within hours. Under those circumstances, preparing deeply for one role while doing justice to several others on the same day simply wasn’t practical.
Amitabh Bachchan also explained how filmmaking functioned differently back then. Instead of long rehearsals or workshops, actors often arrived on set without extensive preparation. The director or assistant director would explain the scene just before the cameras rolled and the actors would perform based on those instructions.
He also opened up about why actors accepted so many projects at once. According to Amitabh Bachchan, the biggest reason was the uncertainty of getting future work. He recalled that there was always a fear of not being offered another film, so actors rarely turned down opportunities. They tried to sincerely perform whatever was expected from them and then waited for months until the film released to see how their performances had turned out on screen.
On the professional front, Amitabh Bachchan will next appear in the sequel of Kalki 2898 AD, directed by Nag Ashwin. The film also stars Prabhas and Kamal Haasan. The first installment, released in 2024, became a blockbuster, earning over ₹1,000 crore worldwide. Amitabh’s portrayal of Ashwatthama received widespread appreciation and he will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel. The makers have not yet announced the film’s release date.
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