Hand was taught how to tie the saafa

Tying a tie is cake compared to this

Abhishek’s got turban trouble

Abhishek Bachchan had a unique problem on the sets of JP Dutta’s ‘Umrao Jaan’. Since the film required actors to be garbed in period costumes and lots of jewellery, it would take a long time for the actors — Abhishek, Aishwarya Rai and others — to get ready for the shot. But Abhishek had an additional burden — the ‘saafa’ or traditional turban — which was so long that it took at least ten minutes to tie it around Abhishek’s head. JP had appointed a special ‘saafawala’ to be around Abhishek whenever he needed the turban to be tied around his head.

The saafawala would tie it around Abhishek’s head just before a shot, and in-between shots, Abhishek would take it off as he found it cumbersome. For the next shot, when he required the saafawala, he would have simply disappeared. Everyone would get busy looking for the saafawala and the shoot would invariably get delayed. Finally, the unit came up with a solution. One of the production hands was taught how to tie the saafa and was positioned next to Abhishek throughout the shoot. Only after this did Abhishek’s saafa problems come to an end. More...