Shamitabh only Dhanush’s second Hindi-language film

Indian Bollywood actor Dhanush. AFP

Shamitabh is only the second Hindi-language film for Dhanush. The soft-spoken 31-year-old, one of Southern India's biggest celebrities, made his Bollywood debut in 2013 with the romantic tragedy Raanjhanaa, starring opposite Sonam Kapoor. The film did well and Dhanush, despite not being fluent in Hindi, was an instant hit with audiences across India.

"It was hard going," says the actor about working on his Hindi language skills. "I had to slog hard and memorise all my dialogues during Raanjhanaa, but with Shamitabh it was much easier, I didn't have so much trouble."

What was more challenging this time around, he says, was sharing screen space with the formidable Amitabh Bachchan. In the film, Dhanush plays an ambitious man who gets famous after taking on someone else’s voice.

“See, the whole film is about Mr Bachchan’s voice,” says Dhanush. “I think there is no one else in India whose voice is so recognisable — so there was no question of imitating it, because I would have failed miserably. So I stuck to acting, getting into my character and portraying it as honestly as possible, and dubbing my lines correctly. I think it has worked out well, after all that effort, but it is for the audiences to see it now.”