Avinash Tiwary shot to fame with the re-release of his debut film ‘Laila Majnu.’ Released in 2018, the film proved to be a box office dud. However, over the years, it gained a fanbase and emerged as a success during its recent re-release. His latest, ‘Sikandar ka Muqqadar’ with Tamannaah Bhatia and Jimmy Shergil released today on Netflix. Ahead of the premiere, the actor recounted an incident from which he is still recovering. When Tiwary shot for ‘Yudh’ with Amitabh Bachchan, he accidentally hit Big B on the head.
During his recent interaction with Indian Express, Avinash Tiwary revealed the anecdote and how embarrassed he was. “The first time we (him and Amitabh Bachchan) met we had to do an action sequence. I had at that point never done an action sequence in my life. In the scene, he had to punch me and I had to duck and give him back. Fortunately, I only hit him on his head but the embarrassment I felt at that time, I still haven’t recovered from it.”
The ‘Laila Majnu’ actor added, “It was pin-drop silence on the set and I went in for another punch because they didn’t say cut. It was the instinct of an actor that took over. I walked up to him and said sorry. He said, ‘Yes you hit me on the head.’ I apologised and in my nervousness, I asked him if we should do a rehearsal and he, still holding the back of his head, looked at me like, ‘From where have you gotten this guy.’ He said, ‘But we will do it slowly.’ He told me that action is like choreography so just dance.”
During the interaction, the ‘Bulbul’ actor also reminisced about his rocky road to fame. “I have accepted hustle as a part of my life. I was doing my engineering and one day I decided to be an actor.” He added, “I didn’t know what to do. It looked like an alien world to me and one that I wasn’t fond of at that time. I thought I should train myself in acting with Mr Barry John in Delhi, then decided to go to the New York Film Academy and train there. I came back thinking there would be a red carpet waiting for me and from there on the hustle started.”
Moreover, the actor also revealed how he dealt with the initial failure of his debut film ‘Laila Majnu.’ He reflected that when he finally got his first film following years of struggle, only after 3 days the theatres pulled the posters. “I did a couple of shows on DD National. And I thought that it would be a great way to earn my bread and butter and sustain myself. The only thing that I wanted was that one film. From 2003 to 2018, 15 years it took me to even say that I am a protagonist of a film. We took 3 years to make that film and on the 3rd day, the posters of that film were taken off. At that point, I didn’t know what to do.”
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Iterating the need to hustle, Avinash Tiwary stated, “It took me 15 years to get that opportunity and then it disappeared in 3 days. From there on I am still here and seeing the re-release of the same film. I started this year with Madgoan Express and the kind of variety that is being offered to me, I am thankful for that. I am content and happy at this point of time as an artiste but the hustle is never ending.”