KBC 18: Akshay Kumar recalls stealing grapes while getting Amitabh Bachchan’s autograph

Akshay Kumar. Pic/AFP

No matter how big a star one is, almost everyone becomes a fanboy in front of Amitabh Bachchan. Something similar happened when Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, and their Haiwaan director Priyadarshan recently shot a special episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 with the megastar.

Saif Ali Khan and Amitabh Bachchan on the show. Pics/By Special Arrangement, Yogen Shah

On the hot seat, Khan recalled shooting Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007) with Bachchan. Stating that he was nervous about sharing screen space with the icon for the first time, he recalled, "I had long dialogues, so I was learning them. The next day, when it was Amitji's scene, he said, ‘Saif, just give me the cue.' Then he asked me to say the entire dialogue, and I thought, ‘Thank God I had prepared!'"

Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar

Dramatically different was Kumar's first interaction with Bachchan. Turns out, as a child, he visited the set of Bemisal (1982). The actor recounted, "I had come to the set with my parents, and my father was a big fan of yours. So, my mother told me to get your autograph. I came to you, but my eyes were on the grapes you were eating. When you were giving the autograph, I stole a small bunch, and you saw me. When I was leaving, you called me back and gave me an even bigger bunch of grapes."