Amitabh Bachhan, ALL ABOUT BIG-B Options

[Sharmila-Sweet]

'Rekha was ego trip for Amitabh'


Susmita Dasgupta finds Amitabh Bachchan an interesting subject to study. Here, she decodes the superstar, the subject of her PhD and a book, in an explosive, tell-all interview to Anuradha Verma

By Anuradha Verma | TNN
Posted On Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 03:59:06 PM



Amitabh Bachchan

Susmita Dasgupta finds Amitabh Bachchan an interesting subject to study. Here, she decodes the superstar, the subject of her PhD and a book, in an explosive, tell-all interview to Anuradha Verma

Is there an Amitabh ‘before’ and ‘after’ ABCL?

There is definitely a before and after ABCL Amitabh. The ABCL tragedy, like all stupendous failures have split Amitabh into a before and after image. The trauma of having failed appears to have drastically changed the person whose image was that of the invincible.

What is Amitabh, the husband, like?

As I could observe, and at that point of time I was nearly 20 years younger, that Amitabh and Jaya were ideologically apart. For Jaya, there was a distress about why Amitabh did the films that he did. Jaya would have loved it were Amitabh to remain in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee camp and graduated later to Satyajit Ray (Manik Kaku for her; Jaya is exceptionally well-connected). But Amitabh went into rather "cheap stuff" with which she was not comfortable.

To the best of my mind, this was the basic reason for a kind of stand-off. Jaya and Amitabh were dutifully husband and wife but I felt that the romance in the marriage was lacking. Also Jaya is a ‘Bong’ woman, the oldest among three sisters, and most probably the brightest, daughter to a doting father and that too an important one. She is Bhaduri, an upper caste Barendri Brahmin, who are very proud people.

But slowly as Amitabh got involved in his career, he himself became the centre of all attention which was very difficult for Jaya to swallow. After all, at the time of their marriage she was the star and he the also-ran.

The change in the power position within the marriage as Amitabh became successful also changed the soft, intense and emotional romance which Jaya and Amitabh had.

How is the superstar with his kids? Is his rapport different with Abhishek and Shweta?

With his children, Amitabh is doting, pampering, blind with affection and only pretending to be firm, but very interested to be a part of their lives and eager to go to any lengths for their well-being. The daughter is interesting, I am not so sure that she feels the same way towards her parents as they feel towards her.

I get this strange feeling that Shweta is seeking to move out of her parents’ very doting shadow and that marriage helped her have some independence that her extra protective parents robbed her of. Abhishek loves and would love to continue to be under the parents’ protection.

What about the Rekha episode? Is there reason to believe the affair happened, despite Amitabh’s denials?

Yes, it is a matter of great speculation for me as well. I always sided with Amitabh when he denied all on Rekha. But, only recently, I saw this television footage in which Amitabh suddenly got up and moved away as Rekha came near where he was seated. This makes me believe that yes, they did have an affair. The sudden getting up and moving away was a giveaway.

It was almost a pose of fleeing from Rekha... why would a man want to do that if he is not guilty of something? I believe Amitabh knew from day one that he wasn’t serious about Rekha. Also, he’s very, very class conscious... Rekha was perhaps an ego trip.

How do you think Abhishek fares, being Amitabh and Jaya's son, and now Aishwarya’s husband?

Abhishek reminds me of Prince Salim and he has the Prince Salim syndrome. In today’s world, Abhishek’s appeal lies in a certain sense of being chaperoned, someone who seeks and has security and, on the basis of an assured lifestyle, can afford to be nice to one and all.

Just as Amitabh’s image crashed with failure, Abhishek's image can crash if the shadows of persons chaperoning him are taken away. The image contains the shadows of the biggies that he nests among.

Was he behind Abhishek joining films?

Yes, he was totally behind Abhishek's joining films and if I were to have my opinion, then to push him to cinema. That’s why I say that Abhishek is prince Salim, the reluctant heir of Akbar when his heart was away in Venice, Rome and even Spain.

Amitabh is projected today as the loyal friend... what drives his friendships with the Anil Ambani and Amar Singh?

I feel that Amitabh has never been a loyal friend. Loyalty has never been his characteristic trait. Anwar Ali and Amjad Khan are at least two who Amitabh never even acknowledged. I have seen him rather stand-offish with Javed, Salim, Prakash Mehra, the persons who made him. Amitabh never attended Hrishida’s funeral. He refuses to acknowledge Desh Mukherjee or Tinnu Anand. So, he looks for friends as far as he has something to gain from them.

The Amar Singh episode is strange. He must be really gaining something out of Anil Ambani and Amar Singh and that “gain� has some connection with the “loss� in terms of money.

Why do you think he is still working? Is it insecurity, to consolidate a space for Abhishek or love of acting?

Amitabh is still working, yes, what you suggest to consolidate Abhishek’s career, but to the best of my understanding, Amitabh is Bhishma, he wishes to prove that he is immortal as a star. I think that Amitabh is seeking immortality by constantly reinventing his image to suit each new age that he lives in.

[Sharmila-Sweet]

Life itself is a miracle: Amitabh Bachchan



As he turns 71 today, the legend Amitabh Bachchan shares a few thoughts with HitList...


October 11, 2013


Mumbai

Shubha Shetty-Saha


Looking back at your illustrious career is there anything which you look at as miraculous? Things which you never expected to happen?
Life itself is a miracle ! What better can one expect or hope for? The fact that I am still alive, the fact that I am still fortunate enough to get some work, the fact that there are a few that still wish well for me, the fact that you seek my responses for an interview are all miracles!

Photos: Rare pictures of Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan

You have been fortunate enough to closely see an enormous change that has happened in the industry, technology wise and otherwise. Is there anything that you wish had happened sooner when you were struggling to get in or when you were at the peak of your career?
Yes, technology has changed, times have changed and that bodes well. But when you get in front of the camera, nothing else matters except your interpretation of the scene as per the directions of your director. Each decade or period of time in the life of any artiste is always looked upon favourably, because at that time of your presence there were many changes that your predecessors did not have and they managed well and became your idols. So we should not have any wishes. We are fortunate to be getting the facilities with changing times and they are most welcome ..

Photos: Big B films you may not have seen

Internationally do you think our films have to be represented better? Or do you think we need to do something beyond what is being done now?
I think our films are being sufficiently well represented internationally. There is a sizeable market for them, and if comparisons are to be made then you need to find out the percentages of other nation countries and the representation that their films are making, to judge whether we are on the right track or not. Indian films have a unique USP, and though they may have been the subject of severe criticism laced with, according to me, unjust cynicism, we have not changed and are now a greatly recognised medium. Let us be very clear on this. We make films, primarily, for our diasporas. The international interest is more than welcome!

Photos: Amitabh Bachchan: The Man and his moments

As a senior, respected member of the industry, would you want to represent the country in more ways than you already do?
I think that I am fine with whatever little I may be assumed to be doing. I love my country, as do all of us, and to see it grow into a developed nation, a First World nation, rather than one that is often referred to as Third World, would be not only my desire but I believe the desire of every Indian.

As it happened recently with The Good Road and The Lunchbox, there was open criticism about the choice if film that went for Oscars. Do you think this open challenge of authority, which didn’t happen earlier, a sign of growth?
We have the great benefit of living in a free environment, one that gives us constitutional right to be able to express ourselves within its tenets. If there is an official body that has been put in place by the system, it must be honoured. You may have the right to disagree, and make vocal your criticism, but eventually you obey the system. That is the quality of a good citizen. Challenge to authority has always happened, more so in a democratic country like ours. When you say it never 'happened earlier', is not entirely correct. It did. Only you never heard it, because the kind of communication facility that exists now, did not earlier.

You have been handling your career with much dedication and enthusiasm. But when you introspect, is there something that you think could have been improved upon? Or given a choice you would do it differently?
Each day and each moment I look to improve upon all aspects of my life! Doing it differently, perhaps not, for then it would rob me of the benefit of learning from the mistakes that I made.

At this juncture of your career and life, what gives you the most satisfaction?
That I possess the ability to never seek complete satisfaction...

Has your definition of success and happiness changed over the years?
I have no definition to describe success ... happiness being more subjective, is and does contain a definition for me; one that I would not want to disclose.