When it comes to the films Big B does with Rani Mukherjee, one thing is certain, they often project the two actors in very unusual, exceedingly unconventional situations and combinations.

In Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black, they played the highly unorthodox teacher and pupil. In Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Bachchan played the philandering 'Sexy Sam' who goes against tradition and tells his daughter-in-law played by Rani to leave his son so he can find love.

This brings us to Baabul, where Amitabh and Rani play the protagonists. A father-in-law who's determined to get his widowed daughter-in-law remarried. So pivotal are the two characters that Hema Malini, who plays Bachchan's wife, confesses she has relatively little to do.

Speaking on his bonding with Rani the Big B says, "We've been cast in very unusual roles in Black. And then in KANK we were a very different kind of father-in-law and daughter-in-law. And now we play another very different and unusual father-in-law and daughter-in-law in Baabul. I guess we're lucky to have our acting talents being tested in such unusual ways. I'm very fortunate to get such unusual opportunities. Rani is a terrific co-star and it's a pleasure to work with her. All of us — Jaya, Abhishek and I - are very fond of her."

Bachchan tells of Rani's concern for his health on the sets. "She's a very caring girl and a thorough professional on camera."

Baabul is coming up for release and Big B hopes it will have the same social impact as director Ravi Chopra's privious Bachchan starrer, Baghban.

THe actor says,"Though it's in sync sound, it needs some dubbing, I think it has turned out to be a film that reclaims many of our basic values... like Vivah, which I thought was a very sweet film. It just took me back to the days of innocence when romance was about exchanging looks ...Baabul is also a film that's embedded in our ethos and culture, though the issue here (widow rehabilitation)is far more serious."

Additionally, Amitabh is on the verge of completing Balkrishnan's Cheeni Kam with Tabu, and has several other up coming projects. "Balki wants to do another film with me. I've Bhootnath for producer Ravi Chopra. Then Abhishek and I will be doing Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar 2. Then I also have films with Rakeysh Mehra and Shojeet Sarkar."

But it's Baabul that is coming up first. "And the interesting thing about it is that the seeds of its plot were sown in Sholay many years ago... The relationship Rani shares with me does have similarities to what Jaya shared with Sanjeev Kumar in Sholay."