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Big B rewinds

Masterstroke Amitabh Bachchan down memory lane

It is always exciting to know the man behind the star, the darkness behind the light and the sweat behind the success, and when the luminary is as dazzling as Amitabh Bachchan it is difficult not to get star-struck! He takes a long pause, makes defin itive eye contact and opens the Delhi diary. “When Babuji (Harivansh Rai Bachchan) was transferred from Allahabad to Delhi, it opened a whole new world to me. I had come from a small town and was overjoyed to see the greenery, big roads, monuments and political personalities in the Capital. We used to live in South Avenue and later shifted to Willingdon Crescent. One of my favourite activities used to be watching and running after Panditji’s car (Jawahar Lal Nehru), when he used to go to Teen Murti..”

The art of poetry is on the wane and it disturbs him. “I try my bit by reciting Babuji’s poetry at different places and institutions, particularly those which are not known to be centres of Hindi literature. It remains a great concern, for our vibrant literature should not get lost in the march of civilisation,” notes Bachchan, who was fondly called Munna by his parents in his formative years. Cut to his days at Kirorimal College, and Bachchan’s eyes light up with nostalgia. “I did my graduation in science but it was at the college that my interest in dramatics took shape. I remember getting the opportunity to perform at Miranda House. That was a big draw in those days for any male student. I think it still is.”

Bachchan recalls he was not one of those outgoing types. “I used to hang around the college canteen but sometimes we used to go to Volga. Is it still around?” It is…but it gives an impression as if the angry young man took birth somewhere inside him during the college days.” But off screen he has become a lot more vocal. He no longer keeps his emotions to himself and his blog is seldom politically correct. “I don’t say I am above fault, but yes I have become vocal because of time. I have not much time to clear my record.” He tells a small story. “When my name appeared in the Bofors scam, I kept quiet as people close to me said, ‘don’t speak as you have done nothing wrong, and let the law take its own course’ — and eventually I was cleared of the charges.”

But one day he read a coffee-table book published by a leading newspaper on 100 years of India. “The year 1985 showed me as a traitor. That day I decided I will speak out, for I don’t want to leave it to my progeny to defend my name.” On a lighter note, he adds, “Somehow it has become part of my life that when everything is going fine, some controversy, some rejection comes from somewhere.” The first one, or say, well documented one came in Delhi itself, when he was rejected by All India Radio. “Yes, but it didn’t hurt me. I had just come out of college and was looking for a job. I just felt bad because I was rejected both in Hindi and English.”

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