Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan who celebrates his 70th birthday today gets candid in a tete-a-tete with After Hrs

‘I’m just as normal as you are

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan who celebrates his 70th birthday today gets candid in a tete-a-tete with After Hrs

Actor Amitabh Bachchan brought in his 70th birthday last night with family and close friends amidst a huge bash befitting the Shahenshah of Bollywood. When we met the star at his residence Janak recently, it was pouring incessantly and Bachchan himself was under the weather. But as he walked in, the air charged up with his calm energy and it’s easy to fathom why he’s still one of the most sought after names in the industry. Setting aside all his health concerns with a, “No, no, I am fine. I just had a bad chest and cold, but I’m ok now,” we launched into our candid chat. It’s not everyday that Bollywood and the nation celebrate the 70th birthday of a superstar... All these years, so many achievements. What is it that keeps you going forward each time? Oh gosh, you know this is the millionth time I’m answering the same question. I don’t know why there’s so much speculation on what keeps me going. I just feel that so long as I have life and I have breath inside me, I should continue to work and if there is work for me, I will continue doing it, because that is the only job I know, and I enjoy doing. The idea of enacting scenes, the idea of working in front of a camera, all these factors, I guess keep me working. How easy or tough is it for you to stay oblivious to the kind of fame and the superstardom that you have? I don’t know. That fame and superstardom is in your mind not in my mind. So, it doesn’t bother me. I can observe it, feel it. After all I am a human being, but I don’t look upon it as something that I should be over wrought by. I would be splitting my personality into two different people if I was to do that. I think all actors have the capacity to gauge what is going right and what is going wrong with them particularly so in the company of their audience. One day you could be cheered, next day you could be booed, these things happen to most actors. They happened with me also. I am just hoping that the person that employed me for the job is satisfied with my work and if when that work is thrown open to the public, they enjoy it. That’s all and then I move on to the next one. It’s your 70th birthday. The year has been special with the Olympics, most importantly your grand-daughter Aaradhya, the clearance from Bofors… When two people get married, a child is a natural thing that happens. Yes, I am excited that we have a grand-daughter now. The Olympic torch was a surprise offer from the Olympic committee and I am very honoured that I was asked to do so, I felt very proud that I was able to represent almost a section of the country. Bofors was something that we had long won and overcome so it was not very surprising to hear what we heard. What was really surprising was a confirmation of the fact that our names had been deliberately planted. We always knew all along that they had been planted, but it’s all over and done with now. How do you look back on all the years, the ups and downs… They are a part of life, I look upon them as part of life, as part of living. The downs have been great learning lessons, I have learnt from the downs, I have been happy with the successes just like any normal person. Normal person, do you think that word applies to you? Yes, why not? I am just as normal as you or anybody else (smiles). What role do you see yourself being best at — actor, father, husband, grand-father… Well, acting is my profession. It finishes once I leave the studio. At home, I am a father, a husband, a grandfather with my family and I enjoy it as much as I can. I will not be able to categorise which is better for me. When I am in front of the camera I enjoy that moment, when I am with family I enjoy that. Any lessons for Abhishek? Not as a father and son, but more as a friend since I’ve always treated him as my friend. Yes, we would discuss things, we discuss projects of how we should do it, but by and large it is more his own personal decision. We have talks and we chat with each other. Sometimes he suggests what I should do and I suggest too, so it’s a very healthy kind of relationship. What are the things on your to do list, like would you want to write a book? I can’t write. I am not a writer. But I would love to do a lot more reading. I would love to read more. Want to educate myself. I wouldn’t mind going back to school or college or take up a course, you know something that interests me, learn languages, learn to play some instrument, some music — I would enjoy that immensely and I hope that I can find the time. So when you are not in front of the camera, what is it you enjoy doing the most? I sit and talk to my family. Bas aur kya! (laughs) It’s been a huge year for you, but also been a difficult one with your surgery and health… That’s medical history, you know these things happen. The human body is not going to be functioning perfectly with time, it has its problems, but the problems are being well attended to. So many actors have come and gone over the years. You have been a constant at numero uno… This is a fallacy, I don’t believe in this. Everyone has their moments of importance and still do. I am just another member of this wonderful fraternity. And I have always looked upon it as that way. I have never wanted to compare myself with anyone, because everyone else has contributed something of immense value. Everyone has had their place and their value in what they have done and I admire that. And I respect that but never have I looked upon it as going past someone…. So never taken it as competition? I think in every profession there is a healthy rivalry and we laugh about it and we joke about it and we continue doing our work. Apart from everything that comes with being Mr Bachchan, there’s also always been speculation surrounding your family... I think that once you reach the stage when you are in public life, then you ought to be prepared as these things happen with all celebrities. It’s not something new to me or to my children. It was not something new to me either, as I grew up, I was born a celebrity. My father is and was a much much bigger celebrity than I will ever ever… So I was always Bachchanji’s son. I grew up, I was born in that. We learnt to live with it. Learnt to live with whatever is written about us or speculated about us. Facts will remain facts and in time they will always come out. Truth will prevail. You have also been attached to a lot of social causes but each time when you do something you also have detractors. How do you deal with the detractors? I can’t stop my work just because somebody doesn’t like me doing it. It doesn’t affect me. Whenever there is some good, there is something evil attached to it. Ramayan mein kehte hain ki jab bhi havan hota tha, jitney rakshas they… jab havan ka dhuan untak pahunchta tha toh woh ghabrajate the. Woh aake havan koh todna chahte the, use barbaad karna chahte the, so there are lots of rakshasas jo tadapte hain jab achcha kaam hota hai. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing what we do. What would you tell your fans on your birthday? They have been with me for so many years and with a lot of affection. I am very indebted to them, very honoured that even at this age they continue to shower me with their love. Made huge amounts of sacrifices for my health and my well-being and it’s a burden I’ll always carry, of their affection. It’s a debt I believe which is something I will never be able to repay and I hope I never repay that because I would want to have that love and affection debt on my shoulders.