He
is not called number one anymore. Because legends are not serialised.
They are left in cosy isolation with the promise of immortality. For over
25 years, it seems like the Big B has literally taken the industry on
lease. No one has been able to defend the vulnerable citadel of mega-stardom
for as many years as he has. Amitabh Bachchan began his career with an
insignificant role
in Saat Hindustani in 1969. And in 1971, he played a mute in Sunil Dutts
film Reshma Aur Shera. And, with his performance
as Babu Moshai, the doctor friend of the hero, in Anand, he proved his
potential as an actor. However it was with Zanjeer,
he single-handedly changed the course of his own destiny. He symbolized
and identified with the bold, new, angry generation.
As writer Javed Akhtar analysed, People were waiting for someone
to have the guts to tear the system. Slowly but steadily he rose
in stature to the dizzy heights of indisputable stardom. He reigned supreme
for two decades churning out hits one after the other, despite surviving
a brush with death, myasthenia gravis, his brief spell with politics and
defamation due to his alleged involvemant in the Bofors scandal. His films
like Shahenshah in 1988 and Hum in
1991 were propelled almost entirely by his star appeal. I have never
been able to come to terms with this so-called success of mine,
he admits modestly. I always mistrusted it. I always thought tomorrow
will be a different day. Maybe it wont last. So there was no question
of any kind of change. Either in my relationships or my attitude.
However he feels it was the others who changed their attitudes towards
him. Who had preconceived notions. All those people who were in awe of
what they thought he was. After Mukul Anands blockbuster Khuda Gawah
in 1992, Amitabh decided
to take a break from acting. And in 1995, when the legend reappeared as
the head of his own entertainment corporation, ABCL, Indias premier
entertainment conglomerate, the zeroes multiplied on his comeback films
pay cheque to an unprecedented Rs 3 crore. Although age and indifferent
health have taken their toll on the Bachchan looks, the intensity in
his eyes remains undiminished. Amitabh Bachchan is a phenomenon never
seen before, maybe never seen again.
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