Essays

The Shehanshah of Bollywood, the one who rules the hearts of millions across the world, Amitabh Bachchan is a living legend of Indian Cinema Popularly known as the Big B, he is the son of famous Hindi poet Late Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. He was born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad. He did his schooling from Doon School and later graduated from Kiroree Mal College, Delhi. Turned down by the All India Radio. he worked for sometime with a Calcutta-based company. But his love for acting brought him to Mumbai. In 1969, with the release of Saath Hindustani he started his career on the silver screen. But m the early years his career did not show signs of any promising future.

It was then that the role of Zanjeer came his way, as if by magic, and changed his ill-fated destiny into an ever-escalating luck. Thereafter came roles like in Trishul and Deewar after which he never looked back. A spate of these movies earned him the title of 'angry-young man'.

Big B, then was seen in many popular movies like Bombay To Goa, Amar Akbar-Anthony, Muquaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr. Natwarlal, Silsila, Kaliaa—the list is endless. For almost two decades, Mr. Bachchan ruled over the realm of Bollywood like an undisputed Superstar.

In 1982, he met with a nearly fatal accident while shooting for Coolie. The whole nation was shocked to silence. Thousands of fans and well-wishers prayed together for the speedy recovery of their beloved Superstar. He survived the surgery and recuperated as an answer to the prayer of the whole country. But soon he suffered from a kind of a nerve disorder for a short time. Moreover, in the late 1980's, his name got linked with the controversial Bofors.

Meanwhile, Amitabh's friendship with Rajiv Gandhi made him try his hand at politics too. His charm on the screen worked wonders in real life too. He fought Parliamentary elections in 1984 from Allahabad against H.N. Bahuguna. He won with 68.2% of votes. However, he resigned before finishing his term, at the end of three years. He had already retired from movies, so he tried his fate in business with the launch of ABCL in 1995 which unfortunately turned to be d fiasco. The company went bankrupt and Bachchan suffered near bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, he started a second innings in movies and then it was during this time that Bachchan - the Big B decided to work up his magic at the small screen. He hosted Kaun Banega Crorepati and again won the hearts of millions. Bachchan was once again seen at his best. KBC became one of the most popular TV game shows aired on Star Plus.

Bachchan's second innings at the silver screen too have reached a high tide, which does not seem to subside. His old movies as well as new ones are doing great at the box office. Bachchan has been felicitated a number of times. He was honoured as the Actor of Millennium by BBC in 1999 and in 2002 he was awarded the Personality of the Year by International Films Academy. He has been voted as the Personality of the Year, 2005 as per the poll by NDTV.

Bachchan was awarded the Padma Shri in 1983 and Padma Bhushdn in 2005. He has won four National Awards and 14 Filmfare Awards.

At this age of 68. Amitabh Bachchan is very active and, in fact, age seems to be very gracious on him. Some people don't seem to grow old. But in 2005 when Bachchan was hospitalized and operated upon again, newspapers were filled with articles, and TV channels scrolled prayerful wishes because the entire nation once again went down on its knees praying for a quick recovery of their favourite star.

Amitabh Bachchan is not just a star in India today. He is an icon, a symbol and is even worshipped as a demigod by faithful followers. But, the lesson we need to take from his life is not from the glamour that we see but from the man behind that glamour. The iron-will, the desire to succeed, the strength to face failures bravely and the perseverance to come out of problems like a victor are some of the qualities that one can idolize and practice in real life.