Amitabh Bachchan's cameo of Shah Rukh Khan's jovial and robust Punjabi uncle in "Veer-Zaara" has come in for much praise, and even the superstar is surprised.

The role of the Punjabi patriarch, with Hema Malini as his wife, actually resulted just as a "gesture of friendship" to Yash Chopra, Amitabh tells in an interview.

He clarified that "Ranveer" and "Family" were both on, though right now they were concentrating on completing the latter.

Amitabh denied that he has similar roles in "Family" and "Sarkar", stressing that the two characters are "totally different".

Q: Your small role in "Veer-Zaara" is a big hit.
A: I'm frankly very surprised. I did it just as a gesture of friendship for Yashji. I happened to be in Chandigarh shooting for Anil Sharma's "Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon" when Yashji came down to shoot the Punjabi portion of "Veer-Zaara".

I had the time to do it. So I did. I don't know why... but so many people have complimented me for it. I've actually begun to believe I add some value to "Veer-Zaara". Dangerous, no?

Q: Not dangerous but realistic. Where does that astonishing energy in the dancing come from?
A: It's known as competition. It's hanging on to a tinka (twig) to be part of the tree. But if dancing brings me such compliments I better do more of it.

Q: What prompted you to ask Raj Kumar Santoshi to make "Family" instead of "Ranveer" for your company?
A: Hold it! This is no substitute plan. "Ranveer" is still on. We'll make it with Abhishek and me as soon as Rajji readies the script. Right now we're into "Family" which is being jointly produced by my company AB Corp Ltd and Keshu Ramsay. We're holding part equity. The story involves Keshu Ramsay's son Aryaman, Akshay Kumar and me. It's the story of the two families and the circumstances that bring them into conflict.

Q: People say you're playing similar characters in "Family" and Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar"?
A: That's totally incorrect. My characters in the two films are totally different. In "Family" I'm playing a gangster. We've already shot three days. The shooting is on full swing. In "Sarkar" I play the head of a very powerful middleclass family. Even the conjecture that "Sarkar" is "The Godfather" is wrong. Ramu took the basic idea of "The Godfather" and created his own story. Perhaps the ambience and aura are similar.

Q: Do you have a leading lady in "Family"?
A: Oh yes. And she has to play a very prominent part. My wife in the film plays a very prominent role. She's part of the conflict. We're still looking for someone. Any ideas?