16 October,2009 09:14 AM IST | | Abhijit Majumder
Fame, recognition, retirement. India's biggest actor introspects ahead of his birthday
Au00a0couple of years more, two or three perhaps." And then, says India's biggest ever superstar, he will stop going to work.
The raffish, unshaven, angry, young man of Deewar who even now stares you down from a hundred city billboards completes 67 today.
Sitting in his Juhu office in a maroon tracksuit and slippers, Amitabh Bachchan spoke to MiD DAY at length just ahead of his birthday. He spoke on the first tremors of recognition he had felt in 1971, his favourite Bachchan movies, the gentlemen who rejected him after a couple of rounds of interview at the All India Radio, his directors, wife, films, Rekha, retirement and Eminem.
Getting Amitabh Bachchan to speak about himself can be daunting. Here is clearly a man who wants to be remembered for modesty. And modesty, like his thickset glasses, cannot be easily dislodged from him without causing affront.
Yet, it was worth a try. How often does one get Amitabh Bachchan to analyse a phenomenon called Amitabh Bachchan, even if reluctantly?
pics/ Pradeep Dhivar
Excerpts:
A superstar reflects certain qualities that we would like to see in ourselves. What does the nation see in Amitabh Bachchan?
First of all, I have a problem with the word superstar. Just because I've got certain recognition doesn't mean I am a superstar.
Cinema, life, creativity goes with the times. The '70s, for instance, was a difficult time...because of Emergency, because a lot of youth felt the system was not working and had to change. That's why Salim-Javed wrote those scripts. It was the mood of the nation. People wanted this vigilante, this solo hero to come up and challenge the system.
I happened to be standing at the bus-stop when the bus was passing, and climbed on. I was just fortunate. What set you apart from the rest? Under-acting?
I don't know. I have never studied acting, and I don't know what the principles of acting are. I try to assess the character I'm supposed to play, how the character will react in a certain situation. But if what I feel is not in accordance to what the director wants, I go with the director. That's a principle.
What is your first memory of stardom...when did life change?
The day Anand released, I went to the petrol pump here nearby at Irla (I used to live nearby) in the morning before going for a shoot. In the evening, I had to come back to the same station for a refill. Meanwhile, Anand had released. I suddenly noticed people were turning around, pointing, showing signs of recognition.
That's how rapidly it happens. And it's an amazing thing, you knowu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u00a6the power of the medium is so great.
Since then, has anybody ever not recognised you?
Of course, that happens every day.
Hard to believe, isn't it Mr Bachchan?
No it happens in the interiors; in the south, for instance. I've travelled to temples there, and people haven't recognised me.
You had once been rejected by an All India Radio panel on ground that you didn't have a good enough voice. Did you meet any of those gentlemen later?
No. I can't remember their names now. When you are just out of college, first thing you try to get a job. I was not being successful in the companies I was trying. I read somewhere that they were looking for announcers, anchors for radio. So I applied. I went to the AIR office on Parliament Street, Delhi, for two auditions. But I wasn't successful. There must have been a reason. I don't want to challenge their decision.
Who's the best director you've worked with?
All. Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Prakash Mehra, Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Mukul Anand, Karan Johar, the newer ones...all of them are very good in their own way.
You've never acted in so-called art movies, but you wanted to do a Satyajit Ray film.
Who wouldn't? I was very fortunate he asked to me do the voice-over for Shatranj Ke Khiladi. Every time I met Manikda he would tell me in that deep voice, "Amitabh, we will have to do something." I think he wanted to make a film on the Bhopal gas tragedy. Every time I went to Calcutta I would visit him, watch him editing. It was a joy. He was a recognised genius. Who wouldn't want to work with him?
What are your favourite Bachchan films?
Very, very tough. I like different films from my different phases. [Broods over] Deewar, Zanjeer, Agneepath... yes, Mili.
Did marriage with you affect Jaya Bachchan's career?
No, that's her personal choice. She wanted to stay at home raising children and looking after the family. We always respected each other's talent at work. There are four of us now, all working.
Women the world over have chased you. Have you chased any woman?
No. And I don't believe women chase me. Well, I did chase my wife and married her.
Of all your female leads, was Rekha special?
They've all been special. They've all been exceptionally talented. Hemaji, Rekha or Rakhi, for instance, didn't know the language. But look how they picked it up. Even Katrina. I worked with her in her first film Boom. She was shy, tentative. Look where she is now.
But people remember Rekha and your screen chemistry.
I don't know what screen chemistry is. People tend to equate screen chemistry with successful films. Yes, Rekha and I have had a few successful films. But the maximum number of successful films I've had was with Jaya, Parveen Babi and Rakhi.
Would you act with Rekha again?
Why not? If it's a good role, why not?
How did you adapt to the small screen?
There's really not much to adapt to. You just go and do your job. Yes, on TV shows there isn't a rigid script, so you need to think on your feet, be yourself, improvise all the time.
Isn't Bigg Boss a bit of a climbdown, being there with much smaller stars?
No, I think all of them are very talented, recognised. I did not have any work when they approached me and I liked the concept, and took it up.
You are acerbic, combatant against the media in your blog.
What the media say right or wrong goes down in history, archives. I just try to present my point of view through my blog, which the media cannot alter.
Do you understand this generation?
I try to. I try to hang out with them, spend time with them. Of course, they don't allow it always [smiles].
Do you share your music with Abhishek?
We share everything. I listen to the songs he listens to.
Eminem?
Yes, I like Eminem. Nice rhythm.
Have you given yourself a time till when you'll work?
A couple of years more. Two or three years perhaps, not beyond that. In this profession, you don't get good roles when your health or face is deteriorating. You can only act till a certain age. I am already 68.
Do you wish to recite and record your father's poetry in your voice, cut a series of CDs maybe?
Yes, it is a very strong wish. In fact, it is already at the level of a concrete project. I am working on it.
Bachchan's list of great directors he's worked with
Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Prakash Mehra, Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Mukul Anand, Karan Johar, the newer ones... "All of them are good in their own way."
