The Hindu : Front Page : France honours Amitabh Bachchan

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Sunday, Jan 28, 2007
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France honours Amitabh Bachchan

Mandira Nayar

ALL IN THE FAMILY: Amitabh Bachchan shares a smile with wife Jaya, son Abhishek, soon to be daughter-in-law Aishwarya, daughter Shweta and her children moments after being conferred France's highest honour in New Delhi on Saturday. - PHOTO: SANDE EP SAXENA

NEW DELHI: It was a perfect event for the Capital's glitterati to turn up in full force on Saturday evening. And for the Bachchans it was an all-family affair with "younger brother" Amar Singh, soon to be daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai's parents and the whole Nanda clan coming together for a special ceremony at the French Embassy here to confer the Legion of Honour on Amitabh Bachchan.

"I am truly humbled. I consider the honour not a personal achievement but a recognition of the manifold achievements of Indian cinema,'' said the Big B after the Officer of the Legion of Honour was conferred on him by the Ambassador of France, Dominique Girard.

Dressed in a black `bandhgala', Mr. Bachchan said Indian cinema was accepted unconditionally as a "vivid, multihued'' texture of the tapestry of the country. "Our cinema has evolved in consonance with the nation's progress. When the national economy has made a leap forward, so has cinema,'' he asserted. The Legion of Honour is the highest French distinction. Created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the award has also been conferred on Satyajit Ray -- a giant in the world of cinema -- as well as sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Paying glowing tributes to Mr. Bachchan from "Saat Hindustani'' to "Sholay'' and even his "Kaun Banega Crorepati" days, Mr. Girard said: "Amitabh Bachchan is a unique symbol in India. An ideal husband, he is the father of two wonderful children and the star of all times. Women and men are both under his charm.''

Living up to this ideal image, Mr. Bachchan ensured that no one was left out and after the media got its fill of taking pictures of the immediate family, he got the in-laws -- present and future -- involved. "It is my younger brother and my friend Amar Singh's birthday today. And it is the Ambassador's birthday tomorrow,'' he noted.

There was also a screening of the Oscar-winning documentary, "Penguins, A Love Story'' -- narrated by the Big B earlier in the evening. The first French film to be commercially released in India, it is described as the beginning of a long relationship between the two countries.

And much to the delight of shutterbugs and television channels, Aishwarya Rai made her first official debut with the Bachchan family here in the Capital after her recent engagement with Abhishek Bachchan.

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