Limiting Big B's persona in wheelchair was big task: 'Wazir' director

"Wazir" director Bejoy Nambiar says that constraining lead actor Amitabh Bachchan's strong persona in a wheelchair was a major task to get used to for the film, in which he plays a paralysed chess grandmaster.

"Right from the beginning, we knew that the protagonist had to be on a wheelchair. Casting Mr. Bachchan, who has got such a strong persona, and limiting him in a wheelchair, was a big task for us to get used to," Nambiar said here.

Nambiar, who marked his feature film debut with the Hindi movie "Shaitan", thinks that as an actor, the 73-year-old made the role of a wheelchair-ridden man convincing without any hitch.

"He made it his own. The way he went about it and in the way he approached the role, you don't even feel that there is a handicapped person. And that's what was magical about a legend like him."

"He made it look very easy, he made it look like he has been on a wheelchair for the longest time. He made the character very believable - that's what was required by the script and that's what he did," Nambiar added.

The director, whose last feature film venture was "David" with Neil Nitin Mukesh, is aware of the expectations that "Wazir" has created right from its trailer release. Now he hopes the film justifies the audience's anticipation.

Actors Farhan Akhtar, John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh are also a part of the film, which is said to be packed with action and an interesting story.

Co-written by Abhijat Joshi and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, "Wazir" will release on January 8.