It was 1991 and Amitabh Bachchan was shooting for a film in Jaipur. The movie playing in cinemas was Hum–starring him, Rajinikanth, and Govinda–and Bachchan felt like watching it on the big screen. So, he called up his old friend, veteran distributor, and exhibitor Raj Bansal, who told the megastar that he could catch the film at the iconic cinema hall Raj Mandir, but only at midnight, after the daily shows are over and the crowd has long gone. The actor agreed, for he just wanted to catch the movie. However, when Bachchan turned up at the venue, the word had spread, and thousands gathered to catch a glimpse of him.
“It was pure word of mouth, there was no advertisement, no announcement; people just heard and even then, at night, showed up to look at him. That amount of crowd, let me tell you, doesn’t even come for star today despite a PR blast,” Raj Bansal recalled as he told Indianexpress.com about the aura of Bachchan, who celebrates his 82nd birthday on Friday.
Amitabh Bachchan has been such a cinematic force that reams of papers can’t justify what his contribution to Indian cinema has been. The star, whose cinematic birth was in the 70s with the Angry Young Man, has aged now but remains unstoppable still. But something has been happening with Bachchan, especially in his career in Hindi films in comparison to what he displayed with his Telugu outing Kalki 2898 AD.
“He is one of the greatest stars to have ever walked on the planet. He is right there with the titans of movie history and for a reason– his aura is next to none,” exhibitor Vishek Chauhan told Indianexpress.com. “But are the Hindi filmmakers utilising him well? The answer is a big no.”
In the last decade or so, Amitabh Bachchan has spearheaded “character” parts in Bollywood as opposed to the heroism of his Hum co-star and long-time friend, Rajinikanth. While the latter continued his stardom within the framework of newer, exciting Tamil filmmakers willing to push the envelope, Bachchan, as per an industry insider, was mostly relegated to “grandfather” roles in Hindi films.
“Bollywood looks at Bachchan now as an actor, South looks at him as a megastar, which is why you could get a Kalki with him,” Vishek said, referring to the Telugu blockbuster which featured him as the giant Ashwathama. The film, also featuring a de-aged young Bachchan, had the megastar as a towering personality in some of its most exciting action sequences. In Kalki 2898 AD, Bachchan was the Angry Old Man, and naturally became a major highlight.
“At 73, they look at Rajinikanth as a star, we look at Bachchan as an actor and give him characters to play. Even if Vijay gets old, he will still be Vijay in Tamil films– and they love larger than life hero cinema, which has sadly gone missing from Bollywood,” Vishek added.
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Raj Bansal rued that majority of Hindi filmmakers don’t know what to do with the stardom of Bachchan anymore and lack vision to see him in larger-than-life films. So, they cast him for “mileage”, hoping that his face in their films could give the project some “credibility.”
“The Hindi filmmakers have stopped offering him a meaty role. Nag Ashwin used his angry man image rightly and they got dividend out of it. He can deliver even at this age, because there are certain things only Bachchan can do. When he plays a giant in Kalki, you buy it, because that’s how we have known him as– He can do anything,” Bansal added.
Even though Amitabh Bachchan may not be spearheading out-an-out commercial projects, the influences of his work continue to shape the heroes of today. Yash from KGF derives his persona from the Angry Young Man of the megastar and even the whistle-worthy interval block of Jawan, where Shah Rukh Khan the father, seen initially only through his silhouette, walks through a door smoking cigar was straight out of the actor’s moment from Shahenshah.
“Had Bachchan been in one of South industries, he’d still be belting hits the way Rajinikanth does. We have forced Mr Bachchan to become a character actor, failing to utilise his aura and gravitas. That larger-than-life aura of his can’t be dwarfed, but we don’t write such roles to do justice to him.
“I am not saying it has be a lead role, but to utilise that stardom of Mr Bachchan, you need those few scenes to unleash that angry man, who has become old now. Once you do that, people will start clapping and whistling again,” Vishek said, adding that Bachchan is a “limitless” actor, who can switch between “massy” moments as well as touching performances in films like Cheeni Kum, Paa and Piku.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said a Kalki 2898 AD made better use of Amitabh Bachchan’s personality and stardom than Karan Johar-backed Brahmastra, which was in the similar spectacle space of fantasy epic actioner. “The film didn’t work for me, but it also didn’t give Bachchan the star platform he deserved,” he added.
Adarsh said Bachchan has worked with all the greats and what sets him apart is that he is now eager to collaborate with new age directors. “I started my career in the 1980s, he was a phenomenon then. I am old now, but he is still there, relevant as ever. Others faded with the passage of time, but Bachchan still stands tall.”
An industry insider said when Amitabh Bachchan comes on board a project, the credibility can’t be “quantified in numbers”. Citing the example of Kalki 2898 AD, which also starred Prabhas and Deepika Padukone, the insider shared how only a fan of Bachchan could have presented him that way.
“Sure, it’s not that his presence leads to big box office numbers, but his mere name lends a film massive prestige. So, when you hear Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth in a film (Vettaiyan) or Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas and Deepika in a movie, you suddenly feel it is a heavyweight. The Hindi film industry needs to look at him in a newer light, and maybe someone like a Sandeep Reddy Vanga or an Atlee can tap into the Angry Old Man presentation that he deserves.”
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Justin Rao writes on all things Bollywood at Indian Express Online. An alumnus of ACJ, he has keen interest in exploring industry features, long form interviews and spreading arms like Shah Rukh Khan. You can follow him on Twitter @JustinJRao Experience / Industry Experience Years of experience: 8+ Qualification, Degrees / other achievements: PG Diploma in Journalism, Asian College of Journalism . Previous experience: Press Trust of India. Social Media Profile: Justin Rao has 7.8k followers on Twitter … Read More
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