/> He's again on the move. India's foremost entertainment ambassador completed a schedule of his brand new film Cheeni Kam in Delhi. After a day in Dubai to introduce the-is year's IFFA awards, he leaves for Ram Gopal Varma's Nishabd in Kerala.

This week Mr Bachchan's first horror film Darna Zaroori Hai opens in theatres. "It was just a day's work," laughs the ever-busy actor. "I remember I flew into Mumbai in the night, shot all day and the following night and then left Mumbai the next morning.

Yeah, it was quite something. Ramu's passion is to keep making films and to keep surprising people by doing unexpected things. He asked me to do this one segment in Darna..., and I did.... It's wonderful to have Ramu in the industry. He's always up to something innovative.

He takes up fresh challenges all the time and the end-result comes out looking good. His films are made within given budgets and are safe business-wise. It's really creditable how Ramu conducts the business of film making."

But it doesn't make much business sense for Mr Bachchan to have done Darna Zaroori Hai free of fee. "It's true. Ab ek din ke kaam ke liye kya paise lenge?"

This is not the first film that Mr Bachchan has worked gratis recently. He acted in Sanjay Bhansali's Black without remuneration and put in a guest appearance in a Kannada film Amrithdhare free of cost.

"Black, because it was a film I would've happily paid to be part of. And the Kannada film because a dear friend asked me to. Yeh sab chalta rehta hai. Not worth discussing."

He moves on. "Though I've done a supernatural thriller Rakeysh Mehra's Aks, Darna Zaroori Hai is a hardcore horror. I had never done that before. It's wonderful to work with a director who envelopes you in your thoughts and concepts.

There's a constant back-and-forth of ideas with Ramu. He often tells me how to do a scene differently from the way you've done it, so that it finally looks better. During Darna Zaroori Hai I had my own pre-conceived notions of how the scenes should be performed. Ramu thought it needed a slight correction. We did it his way...for the better."

Mr Bachchan disagrees that the younger directors are nervous of correcting him. "Not at all. And if it was true it would be detrimental to the film. If he can't tell me where I'm going wrong, he's no director, just a project maker. Irrespective of my age and seniority I'm subject to the director's authority once I take on a project.

I've never given any director opportunity to feel I'm not open to instructions...Why only Ramu? I'd like to believe I share a compatibility level with all my directors. It's just that he finishes a project fast and moves on to another. There're some directors who come back with projects, others don't."

Darna Zaroori Hai is Mr Bachchan's first segmented multi-story film. "I don't think I've done something similar in the past. I'm petrified of horror films in real life. If there's a horror film or serial on television I can quickly change channels. I saw Ramu's Bhoot where a ghost kept appearing. I can't tell you how tormented I was.

For months afterwards every time I went to bed I imagined that woman from Bhoot would appear from nowhere, from under the bed or behind the curtain. Horror films do leave an impression.

A lot of people enjoy horror films. I really admire their strength and guts. But filming Darna Zaroori Hai wasn't at all traumatic. When you're shooting horror you know the 'ghost' will have lunch with you during break. Besides there're four hundred people on the sets so you're quite secure."

He's all praise for his co-star Riteish Deshmukh. "He's such a wonderful boy. So gentle well brought-up and so hard-working, an easy person to work with. Abhishek is a also very fond of him. He keeps coming over to the house."

He's just shot for Balkrishnan's Cheeni Kam. And Mr Bachchan can't stop praising his co-star Tabu. "She's incredible. Just the face, her presence and the way she emotes are so warm and endearing. You can actually see whatever is on her face comes straight from the heart.

There's such an opaque and honest quality about her performance that you get inspired. Many times you hope your co-star's performance will be supportive.

Because your performance always depends on the co-artiste. You could be giving the performance of your lifetime but it could go to waste if you're not getting the correct responses from your co-star. Tabu is very inspiring. "

He moves on reluctantly. "I now fly to Dubai to introduce the IFFA. Then I go to the tea estate of Monar in Kerala for Ram Gopal Varma's Nishabd. I've never been to Monar. But I've shot in Kerala. I'm trying to finish my commitments before green-lighting other projects. So far my health is okay."

Maybe a family holiday in Monar? "Everyone is busy. Abhishek has just finshed in Bangalore. He now moves to Chennai for Mani Rathnam's Guru. Then he goes straight to England for Shaad Ali's film."