Casting coups in Bollywood
Shakti, 1982
If Dilip Kumar ruled Bollywood in the 1950s and 1960s, Amitabh Bachchan ruled Tinseltown in the 1970s and 1980s.
Many a director dreamt of casting the supernovas together, but somehow it seemed impossible.
Enter Ramesh Sippy and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and, voila, Shakti happened.
The Mother India-esque story was about a honest police officer Ashwini Kumar (Dilipsaab) and his conflict with his wayward son (Amitabh).
One of the most touching scenes in the film is when Raakhee -- who plays Amitabh's mother -- dies and Amitabh comes home to mourn with his father, with whom he is not on talking terms.
Not a word is said. The son just places a soothing hand on his grieving father's shoulder.
The silence and the expression on the actors' faces said it all.
One of Hindi cinema's greatest scenes.