Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi, who runs a successful restaurant business, shared some gripping anecdotes from his time as a chef at a posh Mumbai hotel. Appearing on Siddharth Kannan's YouTube channel, he revealed that he witnessed Amitabh Bachchan scold his son Abhishek for not finishing the food on his plate. He also shared that Sridevi stayed at the hotel for two years continuously.
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When asked to share some anecdotes, Mr Sokhi unearthed throwback gems from his archive and said, "Sabse bada (adda tha). We have seen Dharmendra's son's wedding, we have seen awards, we have seen Madhuri Dixit's rise. She would come to the Chinese restaurant. We have seen all this. Full Bollywood used to be there."
During his stint at the Centaur Hotel in Juhu, Mr Sokhi witnessed Bollywood extravaganzas off-screen.
"Let me tell you something nice. We had an Indian restaurant, and Amitabh Bachchan used to come there. He would come with Jaya Bachchan ji, Abhishek Bachchan, and his daughter, Shweta. I still remember, when Amitabh ji would eat, and if there was any food left on his son's plate, he would scold him: 'Abhishek! Finish what is there in your plate. The plate should be empty.' He would say, 'No, I'm full.' His father would say, 'Why did you take it?' I remember this very clearly," Sokhi recalled.
Recalling a story about Sridevi, he said, "She would stay at the hotel for two years at a stretch. She had a fixed room. But she wouldn't eat there. Her food was brought in specially from a place called Harish. They had great Mangalorean food. Her spot boy would bring her a special tiffin with fish curry and all, but she would only have daal and steamed rice from the hotel."
Amitabh-Abhishek Bonding
Amitabh Bachchan is his son's biggest cheerleader, and perhaps his toughest critic too. Whenever a film release is nearing, Amitabh Bachchan shares teaser trailers from Abhishek's films on his social media handles.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Abhishek recalled how he gave the first shot with his father for Sarkar.
"He's just sitting there, and then, in 48 frames, he turned to me. 'Isi liye maine itne saal mehnat karke tumhe padhaya likhaya? Dialogue bolna aata nahi hai tumhe (Is this why I worked so hard and spent so much on your education? You can't even say a line properly).' I felt like I had murdered someone, the way he looked at me," Abhishek told The Hollywood Reporter India.
Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan have appeared together in films like Sarkar, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Bunty Aur Babli, and Paa, among others.