One of my friends, a hardcore Amitabh Bachchan fan, kept complaining. “Why do you guys always show him so weak and clumsily dressed," he says. “Does he have to look ailing or aging badly in every film? Why can’t you present him stylishly and make use of his baritone – do a courtroom drama with him as the lawyer!” Well, his wish has been partly fulfilled. In Pink, he’s a lawyer fighting it out in the courtroom – and making it a terrific watch. Of course, it’s debatable if he needed to look older than himself or wear a Darth Vader kind of mask often.
This is the year of Amitabh Bachchan’s new avatar. His performances in Te3n and Pink are a class apart. And I’m a bigger fan of him now than before! And that’s not just because of how he’s brilliantly managed to be unAmitabh and become his character – which is no mean feat considering here’s a star of larger-than-life charisma and personality. For him to shed everything from his trademark mannerisms, body language and dialogue delivery to make you believe you’re watching John Biswas of Te3n or Deepak Sehgal of Pink is an amazing achievement. And he’s ready to go to any lengths to become the character.
Just before Te3n started shooting, almost everyone in Mr Bachchan’s team was sure that he would turn down director Ribhu Dasgupta’s request to trim his moustache and beard. But on the first day, he arrived on the sets minus his prized possessions – that he’d maintained for years – and looking anything but Amitabh Bachchan. With his shoulders drooped, his body language that of a defeated elderly man, wearing cheap shirts and speaking softly, he was a textbook on how to become a character.
Over 55 days of shooting, Amitabh Bachchan constantly threw up surprises. He would put himself through every possible challenge – from riding an old scooter on the streets of Kolkata to working without a break despite getting injured doing a fight scene that left him in tremendous pain. Everyday thousands of people waited patiently for a glimpse of him and he’d acknowledge them with a wave of his hand that would see the crowd going delightfully crazy. His dedication even pleasantly surprised Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who said, “He comes on the sets poori tayyari ke saath!” He probably expected a casual veteran who’d come on the sets and go about his job on auto-pilot mode rather than the hunger of a newcomer.
In every frame of Te3n he was John Biswas – never Amitabh Bachchan. The same is true for Pink – from a first half where he barely speaks an entire sentence audibly to transforming into a determined lawyer whose voice slowly gains power during the trial.
When you meet him, he’s humility and dignity personified. The only star who’ll reply promptly to your text message, despite being busier than those who think it’s cooler to reply after three days or not to reply at all. Amitabh Bachchan today is also more patient and affectionate towards the media. Even when a journalist springs a controversial question during his movie promotions, he never clamps up – instead he offers a dignified response. His suggestions to his directors, many of them not more than a film old, are often in the form of a request. He doesn’t throw his vast experience or knowledge into their faces.
I’m a bigger fan of Amitabh Bachchan today than ever before!
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Thumbnail Image Source: vk & twitter/SrBachchan