As Big B gears up for the release of his next film Bhoothnath Returns, you envy the man’s infectious energy and charisma even at 71.
As Big B gears up for the release of his next film Bhoothnath Returns, you envy the man’s infectious energy and charisma that he has even at 71. He’s the actor with the illuminating ember in his belly, jumping at the idea of doing new and exciting things. He recently appeared on India’s Got Talent as a guest to promote his new film. And when he mouthed Kabhi Kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hain, everyone listened to him in rapt attention. His captivating baritone and his meditative voice have the magic of just keeping you hooked to the way he frames his words with such precision and grace.
Here’s paying a tribute to the star…well, we don’t exactly need an occasion for doing this.
His first film: He decided to give the world of movies a try way back in the ‘60s. He appeared in Saath Hindusthani in 1969 – the thin and lanky guy that he was, people had already predicted that his film career might not exactly see the glamorous and glitzy lights of stardom. But Big B remained persistent and astonished everyone by being a part of some of the biggest blockbusters of Hindi cinema. Zanjeer, Deewar, Sholay and Trishul were films that helped him earn the famous sobriquet -‘angry young man’.
His affairs: Sooner rather than later the actor had transformed from this inconspicuous lanky guy into a handsome and well-built hunk that obviously made the girls go all weak in the knees. Amitabh along his movies also earned the reputation of a Casanova during his times. Big B’s torrid affairs are etched in the pages of Bollywood history and mind you! they are definitely not boring. The actor seems to have dated some of the hottest women in the industry. From the sexy Zeenat Aman to the the gorgeous Parveen Babi, Mr Bachchan allegedly broke their tender hearts by returning to his wife and family. And of course the love saga between him and Rekha continues to be the talk of the film fraternity even today. What you saw in Silsila…that was exactly the situation between Big B, Rekha and Jaya Bachchan off screen.
The difficult phase: Life definitely hasn’t been all hunky dory for the actor. He has dealt with his share of unforeseen obstacles blocking his way ruthlessly. One of them was when he was shooting for 1983 hit film Coolie. While doing a stunt scene he suffered an intestinal injury. The actor was literally on his death bed after that accident. There were stories that his fans sacrificed their limbs to the Almighty so that Big B would recover as soon as possible. The second most difficult phase of his life arrived when he started his own production house ABCL in the ‘90s. The actor suffered huge losses and turned to politics for a while. But the actor got back to face the arch-lights again claiming that politics is nothing but a cesspool.
When he decided it’s time to experiment: The actor was seen in Black in 2005. Big B entered the realms of unconventional cinema and tried something out-and-out new as he stepped into the shoes of a teacher who helps the blind and deaf Rani Mukerji learn the ways of the harsh world. He went on to do Paa in 2009 and won rave reviews for his portrayal of kid called Auro who suffers from a rare genetic disease called Progeria.
The one person who hates him the most: Naseeruddin Shah has always hated the fact that Big B hasn’t tried his hand at doing much of cinema that’s realistic even though he had the liberty and the means to do so. In a recent interview Shah said that Big B has perfected the art of being synthetic.
The actor is now busy shooting for R Balki’s next. We hope to see him do many more interesting characters. It’s lovely to watch him perform on screen…
