Mumbai, March 12 (IANS): Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who will be seen in a commercial with southern superstars, says he has had immense admiration and respect for actors and filmmakers of the southern film industry since the beginning of his career.

"My admiration for the Southern Film Industry needs no endorsement...I have had great respect for the thespians and the giants of the Industry - all of whom I had the great privilege to spend time with," Big B posted on his blog srbachchan.tumblr.com.

The 72-year-old's 1971 film "Pyar Ki Kahani" was a remake of Shivaji Ganesan's film "Kaikudhta Deivam".

"I did my first Hindi film in the South, which was a remake of a Shivaji Ganesan film 'Kaikudhta Deivam', and the amount of trouble I had during its making, not being able to even reach an inch of the work that was done by Shivaji in the original," he added.

Big B says he never stopped touching Ganesan's feet every time he met the southern superstar.

"He was paired with the extraordinary talent of Savithri his leading lady - an exceptional artist, the likes of which you never get to see nowadays," he added.