In a tale straight out of a Bollywood script, renowned Indian film director Vidhu Vinod has revealed that he once gifted a INR4.5 crore (PKR14 Crore) luxury car to legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, only to be slapped by his own mother as consequence.

During an interview packed with revelations, the filmmaker, known for his big-budget productions and artistic sensibilities, recalled the unusual incident from the sets of one of his most ambitious films – Eklavya. As a token of appreciation for a cinema icon who had gone above and beyond for the project — including refusing any perks or star treatment — the director decided to splurge on a lavish automobile as a thank-you gesture.

But the surprise didn’t go as planned.

“I will never forget this incident. I took my mother with me when I was gifting the car to Amitabh. She handed him the keys. She came back, sat in my car, which was a blue Maruti van. She called Big B ‘Lamboo’. I didn’t have a driver at the time, so I was driving. She told me, ‘Tu Lamboo nu gaadi dedi [You gave the car to Lamboo?]’ I said, ‘Haan [Yes].’ She replied, ‘Tu khud kyun nahi leta gaadi [Why don’t you get a car yourself]?’ I told her I would buy a car when it was time. She responded, saying, ‘11 lakh ki toh hogi [Must at least be 11 lacs]’. And I laughed because she didn’t know that it was Rs 4.5 crores. I told her the cost, and she slapped me, calling me bewakoof [stupid]. I will never forget that because what is money if it can’t give you joy,” he said.

Eklavya wasn’t a major hit but the period drama was selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. Chopra’s biggest success stories are Munna Bhai MBBS, PK and 3 Idiots, all of which were directed by Rajkumar Hirani.