Rs 4.5 crore Rolls-Royce car gift to Amitabh Bachchan ends with a slap from mother. Director shares the real reason behind it

Veteran filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra has never shied away from acknowledging the challenges of working with him. Known for his perfectionism and passionate approach to storytelling, the director has delivered some iconic films over the years, from Parinda and 1942: A Love Story to the latest 12th Fail. However, one of his lesser commercially successful but memorable ventures remains Eklavya: The Royal Guard, which was released in 2007. And, there's a fun story after that, too.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra gifts rolls-royce to Amitabh Bachchan

Despite the film’s underwhelming performance at the box office, Eklavya featured a powerhouse cast, Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Sanjay Dutt, and Boman Irani. In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Chopra shared a humorous anecdote about what went on behind the scenes, particularly involving Amitabh Bachchan and a rather extravagant thank-you gift.



Before the shoot began, Amitabh had arrived with minimal luggage for the outdoor schedule. When Chopra asked him why he was travelling so light, the actor responded that his wife, Jaya Bachchan, had warned him he wouldn’t be able to tolerate the filmmaker for more than a week. True to her words, tensions did rise on set after about 10 days. The two creative minds reportedly had disagreements, but Amitabh stayed on and completed the project professionally.

The director moved by the actor’s patience and commitment, decided to express his gratitude in a grand way by gifting him a luxury car worth Rs 4.5 crore. But the story doesn’t end there.

Director got a slap from his mother, why?

Taking his mother along to deliver the gift, Vidhu Vinod Chopra recalled during the conversation with The Lallantop that how she handed the keys to Amitabh and later scolded her son once she learned the actual price of the car.


Recalling the moment, he said, "I will never forget this incident. I took my mother with me when I was gifting the car to Amitabh. She handed him the keys. She came back, sat in my car, which was a blue Maruti van. She called Big B ‘Lamboo.’ I didn’t have a driver at the time, so I was driving. She told me, ‘Tu Lamboo nu gaadi dedi?‘ I said, ‘Haan.’ She replied, ‘Tu khud kyun nahi leta gaadi? I told her I would buy a car; when it was time."

Interestingly, despite its box office fate, Eklavya was selected as India’s official entry for the Oscars that year. The was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 30 crore.