Amitabh Is Better Than Taj Mahal, Curry, Kama Sutra

Oxford: The name 'Amitabh Bachchan' doesmore for India abroad than other known symbols of India's softpower such as the Taj Mahal, curry or the Kama Sutra,according to Rachel Dwyer, an expert on Indian cinema andculture.

Delivering the Annual Distinguished Ford Lecture 2011,Dwyer, a professor based at the London-based School ofOriental and African Studies (SOAS), said that Bachchan was a"great communicator of moral sentiment" through films that hadwon fans far beyond India.

Bachchan, who was on a visit here on Tuesday, was therespondent to Dwyer's lecture titled 'Amitabh Bachchan:Emotion and the Star in Hindi Film', delivered to a nearly300-strong audience mainly comprising students and people ofIndian origin in Oxford.

The lecture was sponsored by Alfred Ford and family,who support the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS). AlfredFord is a great-grandson of Henry Ford, the car manufacturerand Sharmila Ford, Ford's wife, is a member of the OCHS Boardof Governors.

Dwyer noted that Bachchan was uncomfortable with theword 'Bollywood', but used the word several times in herlecture that dwelt on the importance of emotion and Bachchan'scontribution to Indian cinema in the genres of romance,comedy, and the angry young man.

Bachchan is known to prefer the use of 'Indian filmindustry' than 'Bollywood', since the latter resonates withHollywood. He believes that Indian films have their uniqueidentity that need not be clubbed together with Hollywood.It was for the first time that Bachchan's famousdialogues and songs such as 'Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein khayalata hai' and 'Kajara re' were played in the historic venue ofthe lecture, the Examination Schools building constructed in1882, which is the venue of final year exams of the universitystudents.

Dwyer used clips from films to analyse Bachchan'scareer, his film-names 'Vijay' and 'Amit', and said thatemotion was a key feature of not only Indian films but ofIndian-ness itself.

Responding to the lecture, Bachchan said that sincethe 1950s and 1960s when Indian films were considered infradig by parents, it had come a long way today.

"Every time a nation does well economically, manyaspects such as clothing, music, food, culture suddenly becomeimportant. The west saw Indian cinema with cynicism, but nowthe very factors that were criticised earlier are seen asunique. There is a vast patronage to Indian cinema abroad,"said Bachchan.

Reflecting on his 42 years in Indian cinema, Bachchansaid, "It has been a marvellous journey. I am fortunate tohave worked with people such as K A Abbas, HrishikeshMukherjee, Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra, Salim-Javed. I amproud that Indian cinema has rapidly made inroads indifferent parts of the world."

Bachchan said Indian cinema halls symbolised the kindof integration that was fast losing ground in other parts ofthe world.

"When we sit, laugh, cry and enjoy the same songs, wedon't ask who is a Hindu or Muslim or Christian. There arevery few such examples in the world where cinema halls bringabout such integration. This is still being patronised in thespirit of togetherness, friendliness and peace," Bachchansaid.

The average age of people on film sets, he said, wasnow 25, and added that he would enter the 70s next year. He,however, regretted that the urban youth in India today was"perhaps drifting away from the deep-rooted principle" oflooking after parents.

He said his main ambition had been to earn enough tobe able to look after his parents. But now the urban youth, hesaid, faced alienation from parents, which is why 'Baghbaan',the film in which he played the main protagonist, touchedemotional chords the world over.

Speaking mainly in English to an audience thatcomprised many Indian-origin people who were born and broughtup in Britain, Bachchan also narrated extracts from his fatherHarivansh Rai Bachchan's famous poem, Madhushala, and alsotranslated the lines into English.