Actor Amitabh Bachchan’s look in the upcoming film Gulabo Sitabo has uncanny similarities to a man photographed by Delhi-based blogger Mayank Austen Soofi. The original photograph was taken in 2019, in Old Delhi.
“OH DAMN! Actor Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘first look’ from the forthcoming movie Gulabo Sitabo is exactly the replica of an Old Delhi man whose portrait I clicked and posted on my Insta in Jan last year—down to his scarf, beard, glasses!” Soofi had tweeted on May 23. He had no further comment beyond his tweet, he said.
“OMG,” wrote photographer Dayanita Singh in the comments section of Soofi’s Instagram post, adding, “And more power to your image making ability.” Another commentor wrote, “The resemblance is unbelievable!”
In the film, directed by Shoojit Sircar, Amitabh plays a Lucknow man who is extremely possessive about his ancestral haveli. When a young tenant, played by Ayushmann Khurrana, attempts to take control of it, expecting Amitabh’s character to die soon, a battle of wits ensues between the two men.
Shoojit claims that the reference for the character’s look came from a pencil portrait a portrait by Russian artist Olga Larionova.
Shoojit claims that the reference for the character’s look came from a pencil portrait a portrait by Russian artist Olga Larionova.
Gulabo Sitabo is the first high-profile Hindi release to debut directly on a streaming platform. The film will be released on Amazon Prime Video Today.