PAASHA
of portrayal

Amitabh Bachchan’s magic has endured much beyond that of his contemporaries. With the National Award for Paa being the latest feather in his much-decorated cap, the indefatigable
actor tells Jyothi Venkatesh about his future films, the upcoming KBC 4 and more…


Amitabh Bachchan is one actor who has reinvented himself with age and shown his versatility
in varied roles in films like (L to R) Paa, Black, Baghban and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar

AMITABH Bachchan is one actor who has indeed stood the test of time and his recent National Award for Paa bears testimony to that. Other actors who started their acting careers around the same time as him are no longer in the race today — like Navin Nischol or, for that matter, Anil Dhawan — whereas Amitabh is having the best of both the worlds, television as well as films. The reason is his perseverance and penchant for perfection.

Amitabh confesses that he does not have any film on the floors at the moment. "I had five films completed and ready for release last year. I felt that I should wait till they were completed before I took on new work but because of the strike by the multiplexes, the releases of all films were delayed. By now, most of them, like Rann, Teen Patti and Aladdin, have been released but Johny Mastana is yet to be released.

"Then, I had to be away to Singapore because my friend was ill. And, frankly, I did not know how much time it would take for him to recover, I did not take on new commitments till he was back on his feet. Once he regained his health, I was ready but projects take time. I am now committed to working with Rajkumar Santoshi on his next project, Jagannath Puri for his movie Budda (not Buddha) and with R. Balki, who is yet to lock in his new script.

"Since I am coming back on KBC after a gap of 10 years, it takes time to reorient myself once again. The broadcast will begin this October and go on till December."

Amitabh will be seen hosting the popular KBC in its fourth season on Sony. He concedes that it was very difficult for him to say yes when he was approached to host the first season of KBC. "Yes, it was definitely a very difficult decision to take up the job of hosting a show like KBC because there was no example for me when I was approached to do the show by Star TV. When you are about to venture into something new, you always look to a precedent, but there was none for me in India. Besides, there was this belief that since you are in 70mm, you just cannot dare to come on 25 mm at that point of time."

He adds. "Whatever you may say, I still do not think that I have any foresight. KBC just happened. I was fortunate that the show was liked by the people. Nothing was planned by me. All that I can say is that sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. It is as simple as that. If the stars today, who are doing a great job as anchors, say that I had inspired them to take the plunge, all that I can say is that they are gracious."

He continues. "I do not think that I set an example for them to follow. They are all famous and popular. The format, the ingredients of the show had and the way it was constructed, all helped it in a big way. A huge element of psychology went into its making because it was created by a psychologist. Just because they had me as a example, it may have helped them but I did not have any example at all when I started working on KBC."

In what way is the new season of KBC going to be different? I ask him. Pat comes the reply, "All that I can say is that there will be a few changes to make it more rapid though, for obvious reasons, the format per se will not be changed. There will be certain cosmetic changes about which I just cannot talk now. For instance, there will be 12 money trees instead of 15 earlier. The participant will also start with a higher value of prize money and there will be some kind of time limit unlike earlier, hence you have to be sharp and quick. Also, you will now see a friend in the ‘phone a friend’ option."

His production house, A B Corporation, is also planning to produce TV serials. "After Paa, we at ABCL are keen on making not only films but also TV serials. Dekh Bhai Dekh was launched by Jaya. Unfortunately for us, we went through a harrowing time and almost became bankrupt and stopped making serials."

After hosting KBC and being the pop philosopher for Big Boss, Amitabh says that he is game for acting in a fiction serial like Anil Kapoor did in serial 24.

"I frankly do not mind acting in a fiction serial if it is interesting. I am told that it is a time-consuming process and very tense, because serials are shot till late at night and then sent to Singapore to be uploaded the very next day. It is nothing short of a horror story. Recently, when I met Anil Kapoor, he told me that he had an incredible experience working on a serial like 24 in the USA. He told me that he used to rehearse with the other actors for six days and then shoot it non-stop for half an hour on the seventh day. It is unbelievable the way they shoot a serial with so much of planning. I have watched West Wing. It is incredible to see such kind of camera work, with the cast moving from one gallery to another with fluency and naturalness. I do not think we are capable of it as of now since we need time."

Awards may come and go, but Amitabh is here to stay, come rain or shine.

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