Amitabh Bachchan came to be known as Bollywood's "Angry
young man" and gradually worked his way to be tagged its "Shahenshah".
After years of stepping into different characters, India's cinematic
legend says his evolving on-screen persona is a reflection of the change
in roles offered to him in sync with his age.
The 74-year-old has for a while dwelt upon the "interesting offers"
coming his way, but he has been unable to take them on because of
paucity of time.
In one of his first interviews of 2017 -- a year which will see him
feature in "Aankhen 2" and "Sarkar 3" -- the cine icon has spoken about
his new projects, his desire to be a part of socially-relevant cinema
and how age is playing a decisive role in choosing his films.
"The process (of choosing a film) is the same, but the nature of the
work offered and accepted has changed. The change is not in the process,
the change is in the age. The work that comes to me is commensurate
with my age," Amitabh told IANS in an email interview from Mumbai.
Despite the rare stardom that he enjoys, Big B -- as he is fondly called
-- follows a very simple rule when it comes to his professional life.
"I am an actor employed to work in a particular project, and I attempt
to do my best for it," said the Padma Vibhushan awardee, who aims to
ensure that his work is always done to the "satisfaction of my (his)
employer".
For some, he is best remembered as the towering lead in films like
"Deewar", "Zanjeer", "Don" and "Sholay"; for some, his portrayal as a
strict teacher from "Black" is etched in their memory. Whether it was
his role as 12-year-boy Auro from "Paa" or the grumpy Bengali father
from "Piku" -- Amitabh has left lasting impressions with his varied
avatars for the camera.
The "Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap" star, who has also confessed that he is
surviving only on 25 per cent of his liver, having lost the rest to the
Hepatitis B virus, keeps a check on his health with his no drinking, no
smoking, no aerated drinks policy. He makes it a point to hit the gym
regularly.
Focus on fitness is a common New Year resolution -- what has Big B resolved for 2017?
"Why wait for a New Year to make a resolution -- personally or
professionally. If there is a need to resolve something, do it now,
immediately or tomorrow. Why wait for a year to make up your mind for
it? And, no, I do not keep any resolutions.
"If there is a desire for something that I feel needs to be done, I shall do it, why wait till 2018 or 19 or 20," he questioned.
Last year, Amitabh got critical acclaim with "Pink", a movie about
issues that women face. Would he like to pick more socially relevant
films?
"Yes, why not? If the issue narrated in a story concerns values and
issues that are socially and morally relevant, I would, if the
prospective producer-director offer and agree, want to get associated
with it," said the National Award-winning actor.
Talking about his upcoming projects, Amitabh said: "'Aankhen 2' is a
sequel and begins from where the first one was left. And 'Sarkar 3' is
already shot and will be ready for release by March 17. Here, the
settings and the ambiance of the film retains the original temperament,
but the story is different. There are references to the past, but the
screenplay is new."
