Tinnu Anand shared how Amitabh Bachchan’s bankruptcy led to major chaos on the sets of his 1998 film Major Saab.
When the 1998 film Major Saab went into production, it wasn’t just another Amitabh Bachchan-Ajay Devgn starrer; it was a film caught in the crossfire of financial collapse and creative strain.
Behind the scenes, Amitabh Bachchan’s company ABCL which was bankrolling this action drama was crumbling under heavy losses, and director Tinnu Anand found himself navigating strikes, unpaid crew members, and mounting pressure.
In a recent interaction with Bollywood Bubble, Tinnu Anand recalled his turmoil from those times and said, “You see, when Amitabh Bachchan went bankrupt, the bank completely wiped him out. He was left with nothing; absolutely zero. Unfortunately, I was making a film for him at the time, ‘Major Saab’. And I know for a fact that the film was made under immense hardship.”
He continued, “Producers who don’t have money often house the entire unit in one hotel to cut costs. Just imagine the conditions! Every second day, my unit from Madras would go on strike—the camera crew, the entire team. They would said, ‘We’re not getting paid—we’re supposed to be paid daily.’ They would tell me, ‘We won’t come to work tomorrow. The shoot will be shut down.’ The film was made under tremendous pressure.”
Anand further said that the film and the challenges took such a toll on him that he swore off direction post Major Saab.
“After Major Saab, I swore I’d never direct again. The pain I went through—no one can truly understand. How would anyone know what kind of heartbreak, heartburn, and humiliation I endured from my own unit? I cared deeply, and sometimes I’d feel like slapping someone just to set things right. But I couldn’t do that as the production wasn’t mine. I couldn’t risk the shoot being shut down because I lost my temper. So I had to hold back. I also had to control my tongue. I have a sharp tongue on set, and people started running away from me,” the filmmaker candidly admitted.
Major Saab turned out to be Tinnu Anand and Amitabh Bachchan’s last collaboration. Previously, the director-actor duo had teamed up for Shahenshah (1988). Besides Big B, Major Saab also featured Ajay Devgn and Sonali Bendre.
