Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar, who has worked with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Sachin Tendulkar, among others, opened up about shooting an advertisement with Aamir during the Mumbai riots in the early ’90s. The advertisement was for a soft drink brand, and it also featured Mahima Chaudhary and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Kakkar said that Aamir was skeptical about shooting the ad because of the riots, and recalled how their request for police protection was rejected.
In an interview with News 18, Kakkar narrated how he got Aamir to complete work on the ad. He said, “The riots overtook us actually. We were halfway through the shoot when the riots took place. So, we had to evacuate the entire unit immediately. So, Vibha (Rishi) actually realised that people were living all over Bombay, and they wouldn’t be able to travel (around) the city because there were riots going on. So, she made out a convoy, put everybody in a convoy car, took us all to the President’s hotel, and said, ‘When it’s safe, then you all go home.’”
Only 90’s Kids will remember this iconic Pepsi Ad featuring Aamir Khan, Mahima Chaudhry and Aishwarya Rai. pic.twitter.com/NiSO3gtwL3
— Joy (@Joydas) September 18, 2021
Kakkar said that the studio they were shooting at kept charging them despite the riots. The director called Aamir and said, “We have to finish this film.” Aamir and his family were a bit hesitant and Kakkar recalled, “They said, ‘Tu Musalman hai, riot chal rahe hai. Kisine tukhe dekh liya toh mushkil ho jaega. (You are a Muslim, the riots are going on. If someone spots you it might not be safe)’.”
The director continued, “I sent my (eight months pregnant) wife to pick him up, and then he got a little embarrassed because a woman is willing to go through the riot to bring him to the set. So, he agreed, and then we guaranteed him that we would get police escort and police protection. But they told me that no one is available, and they gave me one scrawny fellow with a lathi. So, we (the crew) had to come and dress up in police uniforms and pretend to be security.”
Aamir was last seen in the film Laal Singh Chaddha opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan.
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