Amitabh Bachchan
Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 2:13 am
MUMBAI, JUNE 19 (TNN) Though Amitabh Bachchan has seen a lot of ups and downs in his life, each time he has emerged a stronger person, ready to weather any storm that comes his way, and single-handedly – the lone hero of his life’s plot.
Bachchan, along with son Abhishek and bahu Aishwarya were scheduled to come to the neighbouring city of Nawabs a few days back, but weather played spoilsport in Mumbai and the private chopper wasn’t allowed to take off. But TOI didn’t let things go awry, and got the star of the millennium talking in an Exclusive.
Bachchan’s latest release, the sequel of Sarkar by Ram Gopal Varma, is doing well at the BO, and the star sounds rather upbeat about it. “The film is getting appreciated. There are two type of appreciation that a film gets – one is by the audiences and the other is financial appreciation. The film has done extremely good business of over 66 crores in its first week. And it’s also doing well overseas too.”
There are a lot of Hindi films that do exceptionally well and also give Hollywood films a run for their money. And this one is no different. So are Hindi films – slowly but surely becoming a force to reckon with internationally? “Well, I hope so,” he quickly replies, adding, “Our films are doing consistently well outside and that’s a very good sign. Earlier, we used to be short of funds, technical equipments, etc but now, we are matching their standards. In fact, the number of people who watch Hindi films is more than those who watch Hollywood films worldwide. 3.2 billion people watch Hollywood films while 3.6 billion people watch Hindi films. I always dreamt that our films would get recognised across the globe and I think it’s a step towards fulfilment of my dream.”
The sequel has the star son Abhishek sharing screen space with his Pa once again. What does Big B think of Abhishek’s performance? “Well, he has given a competent performance. I believe he’s improving with every role. But I feel there’s always room for improvement. Even I am learning something new each day. Everyday for us is a challenge and we should accept it gracefully,” he says graciously.
Bachchan feels that it’s not the length of the role that makes a difference for an actor, but “the kind of role an actor portrays on screen that matters the most. I personally don’t think that if your role is small, you’ll not be able to make an impact.”
Bachchan has had the privilege of working with his contemporaries and the current generation of actors and directors. How does it feel? “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the new generation and I think the newer generation is doing a great job in making good films and I’m very happy at their progress,” he says. And among the current crop of actors, who does he think are doing good work? “All of them are doing well. There’s Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir who are really doing very well.”
The original Don believes that, “It’s a very exciting period of Hindi cinema. Our films are getting recognition worldwide. The mode of communication has become stronger. There is huge amount of connectivity through internet, print and electronic media. And the reason behind all this is the fact that we have become economically progressive, be it in films, clothes, music or any other field.”
Coming back to his current roles, he has been seen doing a lot of films with kids. Any particular reason? “No, it’s just a coincidence,” he replies, adding, “But it’s always a pleasure working with kids. They are very intelligent and have great grasping powers.”
The superstar has been ruling the film industry for over four decades now. Is there a mantra to his stupendous success? “Well, it’s not correct to say that I’m ruling the industry for the past four decades,” says he modestly. “To be very frank, I don’t know what the secret formula of my success is but I hope I continue to deliver the goods as long as I’m working, and I hope my health allows me to work,” he says simply. Well, we certainly hope so too, Mr Bachchan!
Bachchan, along with son Abhishek and bahu Aishwarya were scheduled to come to the neighbouring city of Nawabs a few days back, but weather played spoilsport in Mumbai and the private chopper wasn’t allowed to take off. But TOI didn’t let things go awry, and got the star of the millennium talking in an Exclusive.
Bachchan’s latest release, the sequel of Sarkar by Ram Gopal Varma, is doing well at the BO, and the star sounds rather upbeat about it. “The film is getting appreciated. There are two type of appreciation that a film gets – one is by the audiences and the other is financial appreciation. The film has done extremely good business of over 66 crores in its first week. And it’s also doing well overseas too.”
There are a lot of Hindi films that do exceptionally well and also give Hollywood films a run for their money. And this one is no different. So are Hindi films – slowly but surely becoming a force to reckon with internationally? “Well, I hope so,” he quickly replies, adding, “Our films are doing consistently well outside and that’s a very good sign. Earlier, we used to be short of funds, technical equipments, etc but now, we are matching their standards. In fact, the number of people who watch Hindi films is more than those who watch Hollywood films worldwide. 3.2 billion people watch Hollywood films while 3.6 billion people watch Hindi films. I always dreamt that our films would get recognised across the globe and I think it’s a step towards fulfilment of my dream.”
The sequel has the star son Abhishek sharing screen space with his Pa once again. What does Big B think of Abhishek’s performance? “Well, he has given a competent performance. I believe he’s improving with every role. But I feel there’s always room for improvement. Even I am learning something new each day. Everyday for us is a challenge and we should accept it gracefully,” he says graciously.
Bachchan feels that it’s not the length of the role that makes a difference for an actor, but “the kind of role an actor portrays on screen that matters the most. I personally don’t think that if your role is small, you’ll not be able to make an impact.”
Bachchan has had the privilege of working with his contemporaries and the current generation of actors and directors. How does it feel? “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the new generation and I think the newer generation is doing a great job in making good films and I’m very happy at their progress,” he says. And among the current crop of actors, who does he think are doing good work? “All of them are doing well. There’s Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir who are really doing very well.”
The original Don believes that, “It’s a very exciting period of Hindi cinema. Our films are getting recognition worldwide. The mode of communication has become stronger. There is huge amount of connectivity through internet, print and electronic media. And the reason behind all this is the fact that we have become economically progressive, be it in films, clothes, music or any other field.”
Coming back to his current roles, he has been seen doing a lot of films with kids. Any particular reason? “No, it’s just a coincidence,” he replies, adding, “But it’s always a pleasure working with kids. They are very intelligent and have great grasping powers.”
The superstar has been ruling the film industry for over four decades now. Is there a mantra to his stupendous success? “Well, it’s not correct to say that I’m ruling the industry for the past four decades,” says he modestly. “To be very frank, I don’t know what the secret formula of my success is but I hope I continue to deliver the goods as long as I’m working, and I hope my health allows me to work,” he says simply. Well, we certainly hope so too, Mr Bachchan!
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