Exclusive: I am ordinary, with no popular image: Amitabh Bachchan

Even as Amitabh Bachchan brought in his 42nd wedding anniversary on June 3 (Jaya Bachchan, he later wrote on his blog post, is travelling outside India), he had spent the wee hours of the morning responding to an interview over email, with us. Touching on the success of Piku, the fame Anand brought him as an actor, to not believing that his looks are good enough for the big screen — India’s first, and only, megastar shared his thoughts and observations on it all.

 

Thank you for the appreciation! (However) I do not see any reason for this question: Is it mandatory for one to be “seen more” after the release of their film? I would have imagined that having tolerated me for two hours inside a closed theatre, people would have had enough of me!

 

The scenes were written by Juhiji (Chaturvedi), and we performed according to what was given to us. But, invariably a few words or actions do slip in when we perform. And if it were in keeping with the character and the story, Shoojit (Sircar) would permit its presence. Irrfan is a great performer, not me. I tend to follow, rather than lead.

 

I have no idea! 1971 to 2015 is a long journey. Who knows?

 

No, it is not a deliberate effort. In fact, I had no inkling of this until you pointed it out to me. I guess when we are dressed up as the character, walking and moving about in the environment of the set, among our colleagues in the film, we just start behaving like them quite unconsciously. The perfection part comes much later. And that is the prerogative of the director. He shall decide when and where we go wrong!

 

From books, from travelling — though when we were younger, we did not travel much at all, due to our circumstances — and from the talks of the elders. And yes, at times from movies too.

 

No... None that I have a conscious memory of. Though I must say that there is some device within us — us as in, creative artistes — that, without any deliberation, keeps observing and storing acts and traits not just in movies, but in general too, of individuals, events, happenings and which comes out in our characterisations in a particular project, at an appropriate hour when desired, quite by accident.

 

Actually “recognition” would have to be defined for me in terms of cinema recognition. I was born the son of (Harivansh Rai) Bachchanji, the great poet, and had been in the public eye since. But yes, Anand was my “cinema recognition” moment. I had driven through a petrol pump on the morning of the release, with no one knowing who I was and when I returned to the same location in the evening, there were faces that were turning towards me. It’s elating to be in such a condition but with time you get introduced to its many facets. As you gain success, your recognition expands and then one fine day, it fades too.

 

Yes. I was always apprehensive of my face being film material, and still do! And I am never confident of being able to enact what I am asked to!

 

Image is worrisome. It constricts, limits and perhaps prevents an expansion or diversion, particularly so in the field of the arts. I have no larger-than-life personality. I am ordinary and normal and do not have any considered popular image that you mention. I do deeds on film that come to me as enactments of a written character.