Bachchan - A Signature

Bacchhan - A Signature 

There have been stars in India - not just in Bollywood, in politics and sports as well. Milkha Singh, Ajit Pal Singh, Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Amritraj, Nehru, Indira among others.

Amitabh Bachchan is an unparallel legend. I do not think anyone, anywhere in the world has been ever such a legend as Amitabh is.

Being popular is one. Being the symbol of popularity is another.

Taking the transit bus at the Delhi airport to board a late night flight with my wife, we suddenly saw him rushing in. Lo and behold, he stood right next to my wife. From her expressions and behaviour, I knew that she had her dream come true. Those were not the days when one had a camera on phone. She was so spellbound that she did not take the opportunity to speak with him. So I shared with him, how, like most people, she was simply enamoured by him, and that as he stood by her, she would cherish the moments all her life. As a gentleman, he said he was fortunate and honoured. He scribbled his signature on the Boarding Card for her and smiled.

As a gentleman, he made the way for her when the bus halted by the aircraft.

The next time I met him was as a guest at a special show of KBC in a Mumbai studio.

You are struck by his dignified presence. Graceful, polite and wears so elegantly.

For a person who did not possess the looks or the personality of the typical Bollywood star material, he used his voice and delivered expressions most compellingly attractive.

His roles were cast almost in the image that one fancied him being. Call that the Angry Young Man, or whatever, but the scriptwriters followed a unique, definitive fancy of his character when they wrote.

Yet the man saw his worst period. Almost rejected by the industry, his face showed beleaguered nerves, and his eyes cast a defeated scar.

That is when the legend in him rose I think. When he fought the various allegations politically and as an entrepreneur and reemerged as an actor, the skill that he mastered like his pet.

Roles after roles, you know it is Amitabh when one sees him in his late age characters. The way he lends an aura to the character defined.

Remarkably disciplined as the industry will acclaim him for. Arriving on time, rehearsing in quick time and delivering without the least retakes. That's exceptional cost efficiency for a director or producer.

Boy, hasn't he arrived his 75th with aplomb? Challenges of health, an unsuccessful career of the son he loved most, gossips, accusations and other odds just did not pervade upon his will to excel.

For anyone who is in search of excellence, Amitabh can be a real-life example!