New Delhi:
It's always a delight to see Amitabh Bachchan perform. "What a performance it was by Big B," is what the audience always say. But a lot goes behind the scenes to give that flawless performance. The legend shares the story of his struggle, his life and career on NDTV.
He speaks to Sonia Singh on NDTV's Your Call.
NDTV: Let's just look first at the highlights of your life and career, one thing is, the passion hasn't changed in those different dialogues. The different clips I have used from then to now, you haven't changed
Amitabh Bachchan: Well, I hope it doesn't. I would be a very dissatisfied actor if it did. I think one of the main reasons for all actors to continue working with the same amount of intensity is that you know, you love your work so much, and the fact that you keep getting challenged by different producers, directors, makers, into different kinds of genres. But as your age progresses you find that obviously you can't be doing the stuff that is done in the earlier years so, um, you adjust and you know happily for me it's been 42 years almost now in the industry.
NDTV: But in this movie, many have made the point about an angry old man, and you began as an angry young man. Do you feel that in some way it has come full circle? Do you find any similarities at all in the passion you brought in those roles in the 70'S and today?
Amitabh Bachchan: I would actually look at it in another way. It's actually the passion of the maker. Puri Jagannath, he's a Telugu film director, he's a very proficient, very popular in Andhra Pradesh and he's been an admirer of mine. And all this I came to know much after I'd, you know, been into the film already and I just saw a clip of him doing something for the Director's cut for the DVD of the film and he said, you know, he'd been an admirer of mine ever since the early years. And then after a certain period of time, he stopped seeing my films because he was not able to find the element in my movies that I was doing, that had attracted him to me. And therefore he said, "I wanted to make a movie that would bring back those very elements that made me admire you" And, uh, I thought that was a very sweet thing to say.
NDTV: mm-hmm
Amitabh Bachchan: And so he designed this film, even though you know there is a factor of age, but he designed the film primarily to be able to see me do stuff that he'd seen me do in the 70's and the 80's.
NDTV: What makes Amitabh Bachchan angry today? When you have to bring that fire in your belly to that role, what makes you angry today?
Amitabh Bachchan: Well, I mean, you know, the scripting is such, that you know, it's designed that way, but in general I just feel the indiscipline, people not following the rules and the laws that have been set up, simple things, you know like I get irritated when I'm at a traffic light and nobody, you know, pays heed to it and they just cross the red light, and you're supposed to stop behind a certain line, they never do that. Some of these things are... and I feel that if we don't take care of these little, little things at an early stage, they manifest themselves into something larger and then you have all kinds of other problems.
NDTV: You stay away from political issues now. That doesn't make you angry anymore?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, yeah, sure, absolutely not.
NDTV: I think you're in a different stage of course. But Mr Bachchan to have you here, I have to say congratulations and wonderful news now, of course on, the grandchild to be and...
Amitabh Bachchan: Thank you, yes, thank you.
NDTV: Have you been overwhelmed by the messages you have got of love and affection?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, absolutely, yeah I am, and everywhere I am going I am just thanking the mediums that have been responsible for this reaction and to thank the people for, for their concern, for their love and basically their affection in wanting to, you know, accept this news. I was just reading my e-mail and one of my friends from Los Angeles says, he's a Korean.
NDTV: mm-hmm.
Amitabh Bachchan: And he says, "I came to know through a Korean newspaper, so I'm wishing you all the very best." I was, I was pretty amazed.
NDTV: I said, it's nice you know, you went on Twitter. Abhishek and Aishwarya didn't say, "Oh no, you've let the cat out of the bag?"
Amitabh Bachchan: No, I took their permission.
NDTV: Alright.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, and I thought that you know I, I blog and I twitter and I vog, which is the voice blog, and I treat them as, you know, an extended family of mine. They become so useful and they become so attached to you they. They say, "What are you doing?"; "Why are you up so late?"; "Why aren't you getting to rest?"; you know it's very intimate. So I thought that I'll look upon them as my extended family and therefore I should tell them first, after telling the family, of course.
NDTV: Do you sometimes feel like the grand old man of the film industry? I mean, it's interesting that Shah Rukh, Hrithik, etc still see you as an actor, a lead film actor, and, their, well, contemporary in a way as well.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, I think that I've just been very fortunate and there are some makers who give me lead roles, but when I'm on set it's sometimes embarrassing because the average age is about 25 and I'm 70. So I do feel a little out of place. But it's just the joy of being in a company which is so enthusiastic, so determined, so aggressive and wanting to do so well and moving and thinking and speaking so rapidly. And I look at it as a source of inspiration for me, you know, when I'm doing interviews I like to speak as rapidly as possible so that, you know, I'm not sort of left behind but uh, that's really the enthusiasm when I'm on set but yes, obviously, the age difference is huge.
NDTV: But whatever you're doing sir, is obviously working. Let me just go across to people who want to ask you questions and let's go across first to Delhi.
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh gosh!
DELHI PEOPLE SING
Amitabh Bachchan: Thank you, gosh, that's fantastic.
NDTV: Does it ever cease amazing you, the kind of love, the way people who've never seen you, feel they're a part of your family, and seem to share in your joy?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, it's so overwhelming, and I've never been able to understand how and why it happens but it keeps happening. When I was in hospital after my '82 episode, accident, on the sets of Coolie and I recovered from there, I came back, ever since then, you know, people every Sunday, they gather outside my house and I just go out and I wave, and they cheer and that's about it. And it's been 28 years since, and every Sunday, not a single Sunday for the last 28 years, has this practice stopped. And I just wonder, you know, it's a lifetime 28 years and...
NDTV: And are the people getting younger and younger who come? Are they getting younger?
Amitabh Bachchan: Absolutely. Youngsters and little kids that come along. I just have gratitude, and great, great overwhelming feeling but this is, this is fantastic, I mean to remember the song.
NDTV: I was just going to say that the two songs, they picked up two very different key songs for you, does it bring back memories at all?
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh yes, of course you know, these are of course folk songs from Uttar Pradesh and we used to sing these at marriages and festivals like Holi, but finally incorporated into film by some of my Directors and then it became quite popular. So yes, we have fond memories, in fact one of them is in the film Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap.
NDTV: Let me go across to Jammu, let's see who we have to ask you a question
JAMMU QUESTIONS
NDTV: I mean, I guess that's a different question, but in sincerity so many people look on you as virtually God...
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, you know we all work for various charities.
NDTV: Of course.
Amitabh Bachchan: And we contribute hugely. But no one individual will have that kind of strength and the other thing is that it's, it's difficult to choose which one to do. I was watching television one day and there was a programme going on where a little kid in Kolkata, a little girl, who had a hole in her heart and they didn't have money to do the surgery and I, it was about 3 or 4 lakhs rupees. I immediately called the station and I said, "Look, tell me where I have to send this money and please make sure that it gets to her." So very kindly they took all the details and I gave them the cheque and the girl was treated and she was fine. But within a month you know I had about 200 people outside my gate saying you know my girl's got a hole in her heart as well, and what are you going to do about it? So how can we, you know... there has to be some kind of a community device...
NDTV: Yes...
Amitabh Bachchan: ...where we can all attend to it and the moment you get to know that someone's doing charity you get a lot of people coming in and it's really impossible for us to look into it, look into every one of them. Yes, of course, we work in various departments and we do a lot of charity but you I feel, that we should do it somewhat quietly rather than....
NDTV: Of course.
Amitabh Bachchan: You know, make an exhibition of it. Then it becomes difficult to control the kind of people that or the volume of people that come to it, and we will not be able to handle that.
NDTV: Does it ever become tiring being Amitabh Bachchan? Because as I said you are watched, you're looked upon as an idol by so many people. At times of grief or at personal moments how do you cope when there is an intrusive media, fans, how do you cope?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, firstly, Amitabh Bachchan is just another name, you see, it's nothing special. Yes, if you're in public life and if you're, you know, in the category of a celebrity legacy where the media is intrusive and their argument is that the people want to actually know and we are the people that will communicate to the people of the country. Yes, it does sometimes bother you, but I think that once you're in that realm you have to cope with it, you must know that you are going to be followed, you are going to be quoted, you are going to be looked at, whatever you do. So, there's a certain amount of discipline that I believe in, this is what I tell people in my family, there are four of us, so what we do publicly has to be controlled, what we say, how we say, how the perception is going to be, I think we have to be a little careful about that, you know, I can't go out in the middle of the street and start screaming and shouting and expect that it will not be noticed, not be written about. So I think that a certain amount of personal discipline is necessary, and that comes with the territory.
NDTV: Right. I've noticed that you're often much more sensitive about things said about your family, or you know when Abhishek has a film that hasn't done well and there's criticism. You react much more then than when it's criticism levelled against you. I mean why is that? Is it perhaps that you feel that Abhishek is at an unfair position because so much pressure on him, because he's your son?
Amitabh Bachchan: No, it's not that. It's just the fact that, he's my son and I'm the father and I look upon it as a father-son relationship rather than anything else and I always acknowledge very valid criticism and yes, if there is something that I feel is unfair then I write about it. And now we have various mediums through which we can communicate as well/
NDTV: Now on Twitter I've noticed you stay away from controversial issues, you in fact, the nice bit is you have lots of lovely poetry you have brought from your father's writings and it would be wonderful if we could hear some of that, if perhaps you could tell us something you've just tweeted about
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah sure. I just, one evening, I just wrote one of his lines 'Main deepak hoon mera jalna hi toh mera muskurana hai' and I thought that that was very valid in today's times when we are all going through so much stress and everyone has problems. But the similie of the deepak, you know, which is " mera jalna hi mera muskaana hai". To give that similie I think was very beautiful.
NDTV: Well, I'm going to go across to another city close to your heart, to Kolkata, let's hear what they have to say there, let's go across to Calcutta.
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh.
KOLKATA QUESTION
Amitabh Bachchan: Okay.
NDTV: It's like choosing between...
Amitabh Bachchan: He's a, he's a member of the fan club in Kolkata.
NDTV: He has a temple for you apparently.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, he's the gentleman who is responsible for it so I keep meeting him off and on. It's very difficult to answer his question. He wants to know how I approach the scene in Black or in Paa. I mean they're all very difficult moments and there's always a history behind it. He asked particularly about the temple scene in Deewar and I remember that we were shooting in Raj Kamal Studios and Yashji came to me in the morning and said, "This is the scene and we have to do it, and the set is ready". And we started at about 7 or 8 in the morning, and for about a couple of hours I didn't come out of my make-up room and Yashji came and says, you know, "What's the problem? Why aren't you coming?" So I said you know "Yashji I don't know how to do this scene, I'm scared, I don't know if..."
So he said, "Look, you take your time. I'm ready, waiting down there, whenever you're ready you come". So I sat in my room the entire day and at about 10-11 'o' clock at night I finally, when I felt that I was somewhat prepared for it, I went down and... in moments like these, you know, you'd rather do it when you're all by yourself. You rehearse in a closed room or in front of a mirror and you seem okay, but the moment you get in the set and you see the camera and you see people, it somehow feels that it's taken something away from you. So many times I say, you know, "Get everyone off the set and just keep the camera there". Many a times we do this. So it was very quiet and everyone moved out and then I just went ahead and did it. I always remember this because we were really... I was really petrified about how this was going to come about and finally at about 10-11 'o' clock you just go there and just let everything out.
You know the first time he goes to the temple you know that he's almost as atheist, he doesn't believe in God and now his mother is ill, so for the first time he climbs up the steps and says "Aaj khush toh bahut hogey tum, jo aaj tak tumharey mandir ki seedeeyaan nahin chadha, jisne aajtak tumharey saamney sir nahin jhukaya, jisne aajtak tumharey saamne kabhi haath nahin phelayen, woh aaj tumharey saamne haath phelayega, bahut khush hogey tum". I thought it was, you know when this film released and on the day of the premiere when this scene came, the moment I said this line "Aaj khush toh bahut hogey tum", there was laughter, and it was a very grim, serious scene and you know I looked to Javed Saheb and I think some others were with me, I said "Gosh, this scene is going to go wrong". But then suddenly you know everything sort of focussed and they realised that he was, he was taking out his anguish and that somebody who hasn't ever believed in God, has made him come up to him and say this, so he's actually almost pretty sarcastic about it.
NDTV: You didn't choose the more famous one?
Amitabh Bachchan: No.
NDTV: But, tell me, four songs are in this, in your new movie, four songs of your earlier movies, why did you choose four? Why do you think they represented something of the earlier Amitabh Bachchan?
Amitabh Bachchan: Another mistake.
NDTV: Why?
Amitabh Bachchan: We were at a concert tour, you know, abroad, about two and a half, three years ago, a whole group of us artists, and Vishal Shekhar, the music directors and we had a show in New York and there was a couple of days off. One day we went out for dinner, and we went to a restaurant and there was nice music playing and all that, we liked what was happening. And I said "nice music". So I asked the DJ "can I have a CD of this music?" So he said "Yeah, sure." So he cut it out and gave it to me. I went and I was listening to it, and while I I was listening to it I said "Hey, you know, I can sing 'Khayekey Paan Banars Wala' to this rhythm". And I went and shared it with Vishal and Shekhar and they said "Yeah, so let's record it" So quickly booked a studio in New York and four of us went and Abhishek also, and we went there and we just made up words and we changed the beat and you know, sang this song and we recorded it and we actually played it on the concert and it was a great hit. The crew members, everybody came on and we sang and danced. And that was it. When I was sitting on the music with Puri Jagannath the Director for Bbuddha Hoga Terra Baap, I just played him this thing and said, "Is this the kind of thing you would like for this film?'' So he said, "No I want this particular song". So we went back to the studio and we re-recorded this medley.
NDTV: I would actually like to play this medley, because it's great. Let me just play that medley.
Amitabh Bachchan: That's Abhishek.
NDTV: Oh, okay.
Amitabh Bachchan: That's Abhishek's voice.
NDTV: He did Thaiyya Thaiyya also right?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, Thaiyye Thaiyye. So all the rap in the song is sung by Abhishek.
NDTV: Sir, so that's Abhishek and you, but can you give us some song? Can we hear you?
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh gosh, no. You know actually there's a, there's another very melodious number in the film, called 'Haal-e Dil' which is a soft number, which is the theme song of Hemaji and... I particularly like that. So conscious in front of so many people "Haal-e-dil, haal-e-dil, tumse kaisey kahoon? Yun kabhi, aa ke mil, tumse kaisey kahoon?"
NDTV: That's wonderful, thank you so much, sir. What I do have to ask you though is that I love the fact that you've made 'Buddha' sexy. How did you do that? How did you decide to play somebody, an older man, not a somebody who is seen as a senior citizen, but as someone who is still well, attractive and sexy?
Amitabh Bachchan: But this is a character who's an ex-gangster, he's, he's shifted out of Mumbai, he stays in Paris, he's running his own club. And he's called back to the city on a mission and he's a bit flamboyant and he's slightly arrogant, he has an attitude. But he's very cool. He's relaxed and colourful as you can see, with all the coloured dresses that he wears. But yes there is a back story in which he gets involved with, and finally how he accomplishes that mission, that's what the story's all about. It's not, you know, it's not there to set up any kind of morals or give any standards.
NDTV: Yeah, I won't dig for a larger meaning.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, exactly. It's not supposed to tell every 60- or 70-year-old, you know, get on to the floor and do something like this. No, it's just a happy, entertaining film.
NDTV: But I bet you've had lots of 60-year-olds coming up to you and saying you know "thank you".
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, I hope that they can do it, because I genuinely feel that if you have the desire then yes, why not? I go to the club sometimes with Abhishek and we go to discos and stuff like that, it's pretty enjoyable.
NDTV: If you have a fan following, female fans, do sometimes Abhishek and you compete? I'm sure young girls write to you as well.
Amitabh Bachchan: They do, but not with the same intensity as they do to Abhishek.
NDTV: Alright, I'll take your word for that. I won't ask Abhishek what he says. But let's go across now to Hyderabad where people want to ask you questions and Puri Jagannath of course comes from there. So let's go across to Hyderabad.
HYDERABAD QUESTION
Amitabh Bachchan: Well, one of the things that came up in the writing was some expletives and I've never done that and I'm very uncomfortable doing that and I would not do it in the future either. So I told Puri that this is something I would not be able to say, so he was a little disappointed. But then he invented something which he said, you know everytime there's an abuse that's going to come, just use the word 'beep' because that's what the television or the cinema houses are going to do in any case. So, instead of abusing, I made 'beep' a character. So when I have to say something I tell them "Ya maine tumhe gaali diya" He says "What is this beep beep" So I say "maine tumhe gaali di hai, jab bhi mujhe gaali dena hota hai toh main beep bol deta hoon, isse do cheezein hoti hain, ek toh meri zabaan saaf rehti hai aur do saamney waale ki izzat ki beep lag jaati hai".
NDTV: I don't want to drag in a controversy but then would you do a 'DK Bose' song?
Amitabh Bachchan: No, I'm... I'm... if there is an ambiguity, there is any semblance of a double meaning or a double entendre, I would like to keep away from it because I think that somewhere I would feel embarrassed to show it to my family members, or even my friends and fans. But, you know, if the younger generation, and if there is a maker who feels that he should do it, there is freedom of expression and they must go ahead and do it. If this is what the younger generation enjoys then it's absolutely fine. And if the censors are okay with that within the constitution, within the, you know the format of the law of the country, absolutely okay. I personally, as an individual, I don't like it.
NDTV: Right, sir, we're almost at the end of the show, and we'd love to leave with, well, some Amitabh Dialogues
Amitabh Bachchan: There's a very old one that we use in the movie also that "Ham jahaan khadey hotey hain, line wahin se shuru hoti hai" And I guess that's all that we can disclose at the moment.
NDTV: And I think that's the spirit really which has kept you going all these years and many more to come. Thank you so much Sir and congratulations once again.
Amitabh Bachchan: Thank you. Thanks very much Sonia, thank you for having me.
He speaks to Sonia Singh on NDTV's Your Call.
NDTV: Let's just look first at the highlights of your life and career, one thing is, the passion hasn't changed in those different dialogues. The different clips I have used from then to now, you haven't changed
Amitabh Bachchan: Well, I hope it doesn't. I would be a very dissatisfied actor if it did. I think one of the main reasons for all actors to continue working with the same amount of intensity is that you know, you love your work so much, and the fact that you keep getting challenged by different producers, directors, makers, into different kinds of genres. But as your age progresses you find that obviously you can't be doing the stuff that is done in the earlier years so, um, you adjust and you know happily for me it's been 42 years almost now in the industry.
NDTV: But in this movie, many have made the point about an angry old man, and you began as an angry young man. Do you feel that in some way it has come full circle? Do you find any similarities at all in the passion you brought in those roles in the 70'S and today?
Amitabh Bachchan: I would actually look at it in another way. It's actually the passion of the maker. Puri Jagannath, he's a Telugu film director, he's a very proficient, very popular in Andhra Pradesh and he's been an admirer of mine. And all this I came to know much after I'd, you know, been into the film already and I just saw a clip of him doing something for the Director's cut for the DVD of the film and he said, you know, he'd been an admirer of mine ever since the early years. And then after a certain period of time, he stopped seeing my films because he was not able to find the element in my movies that I was doing, that had attracted him to me. And therefore he said, "I wanted to make a movie that would bring back those very elements that made me admire you" And, uh, I thought that was a very sweet thing to say.
NDTV: mm-hmm
Amitabh Bachchan: And so he designed this film, even though you know there is a factor of age, but he designed the film primarily to be able to see me do stuff that he'd seen me do in the 70's and the 80's.
NDTV: What makes Amitabh Bachchan angry today? When you have to bring that fire in your belly to that role, what makes you angry today?
Amitabh Bachchan: Well, I mean, you know, the scripting is such, that you know, it's designed that way, but in general I just feel the indiscipline, people not following the rules and the laws that have been set up, simple things, you know like I get irritated when I'm at a traffic light and nobody, you know, pays heed to it and they just cross the red light, and you're supposed to stop behind a certain line, they never do that. Some of these things are... and I feel that if we don't take care of these little, little things at an early stage, they manifest themselves into something larger and then you have all kinds of other problems.
NDTV: You stay away from political issues now. That doesn't make you angry anymore?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, yeah, sure, absolutely not.
NDTV: I think you're in a different stage of course. But Mr Bachchan to have you here, I have to say congratulations and wonderful news now, of course on, the grandchild to be and...
Amitabh Bachchan: Thank you, yes, thank you.
NDTV: Have you been overwhelmed by the messages you have got of love and affection?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, absolutely, yeah I am, and everywhere I am going I am just thanking the mediums that have been responsible for this reaction and to thank the people for, for their concern, for their love and basically their affection in wanting to, you know, accept this news. I was just reading my e-mail and one of my friends from Los Angeles says, he's a Korean.
NDTV: mm-hmm.
Amitabh Bachchan: And he says, "I came to know through a Korean newspaper, so I'm wishing you all the very best." I was, I was pretty amazed.
NDTV: I said, it's nice you know, you went on Twitter. Abhishek and Aishwarya didn't say, "Oh no, you've let the cat out of the bag?"
Amitabh Bachchan: No, I took their permission.
NDTV: Alright.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, and I thought that you know I, I blog and I twitter and I vog, which is the voice blog, and I treat them as, you know, an extended family of mine. They become so useful and they become so attached to you they. They say, "What are you doing?"; "Why are you up so late?"; "Why aren't you getting to rest?"; you know it's very intimate. So I thought that I'll look upon them as my extended family and therefore I should tell them first, after telling the family, of course.
NDTV: Do you sometimes feel like the grand old man of the film industry? I mean, it's interesting that Shah Rukh, Hrithik, etc still see you as an actor, a lead film actor, and, their, well, contemporary in a way as well.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, I think that I've just been very fortunate and there are some makers who give me lead roles, but when I'm on set it's sometimes embarrassing because the average age is about 25 and I'm 70. So I do feel a little out of place. But it's just the joy of being in a company which is so enthusiastic, so determined, so aggressive and wanting to do so well and moving and thinking and speaking so rapidly. And I look at it as a source of inspiration for me, you know, when I'm doing interviews I like to speak as rapidly as possible so that, you know, I'm not sort of left behind but uh, that's really the enthusiasm when I'm on set but yes, obviously, the age difference is huge.
NDTV: But whatever you're doing sir, is obviously working. Let me just go across to people who want to ask you questions and let's go across first to Delhi.
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh gosh!
DELHI PEOPLE SING
Amitabh Bachchan: Thank you, gosh, that's fantastic.
NDTV: Does it ever cease amazing you, the kind of love, the way people who've never seen you, feel they're a part of your family, and seem to share in your joy?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, it's so overwhelming, and I've never been able to understand how and why it happens but it keeps happening. When I was in hospital after my '82 episode, accident, on the sets of Coolie and I recovered from there, I came back, ever since then, you know, people every Sunday, they gather outside my house and I just go out and I wave, and they cheer and that's about it. And it's been 28 years since, and every Sunday, not a single Sunday for the last 28 years, has this practice stopped. And I just wonder, you know, it's a lifetime 28 years and...
NDTV: And are the people getting younger and younger who come? Are they getting younger?
Amitabh Bachchan: Absolutely. Youngsters and little kids that come along. I just have gratitude, and great, great overwhelming feeling but this is, this is fantastic, I mean to remember the song.
NDTV: I was just going to say that the two songs, they picked up two very different key songs for you, does it bring back memories at all?
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh yes, of course you know, these are of course folk songs from Uttar Pradesh and we used to sing these at marriages and festivals like Holi, but finally incorporated into film by some of my Directors and then it became quite popular. So yes, we have fond memories, in fact one of them is in the film Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap.
NDTV: Let me go across to Jammu, let's see who we have to ask you a question
JAMMU QUESTIONS
NDTV: I mean, I guess that's a different question, but in sincerity so many people look on you as virtually God...
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, you know we all work for various charities.
NDTV: Of course.
Amitabh Bachchan: And we contribute hugely. But no one individual will have that kind of strength and the other thing is that it's, it's difficult to choose which one to do. I was watching television one day and there was a programme going on where a little kid in Kolkata, a little girl, who had a hole in her heart and they didn't have money to do the surgery and I, it was about 3 or 4 lakhs rupees. I immediately called the station and I said, "Look, tell me where I have to send this money and please make sure that it gets to her." So very kindly they took all the details and I gave them the cheque and the girl was treated and she was fine. But within a month you know I had about 200 people outside my gate saying you know my girl's got a hole in her heart as well, and what are you going to do about it? So how can we, you know... there has to be some kind of a community device...
NDTV: Yes...
Amitabh Bachchan: ...where we can all attend to it and the moment you get to know that someone's doing charity you get a lot of people coming in and it's really impossible for us to look into it, look into every one of them. Yes, of course, we work in various departments and we do a lot of charity but you I feel, that we should do it somewhat quietly rather than....
NDTV: Of course.
Amitabh Bachchan: You know, make an exhibition of it. Then it becomes difficult to control the kind of people that or the volume of people that come to it, and we will not be able to handle that.
NDTV: Does it ever become tiring being Amitabh Bachchan? Because as I said you are watched, you're looked upon as an idol by so many people. At times of grief or at personal moments how do you cope when there is an intrusive media, fans, how do you cope?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, firstly, Amitabh Bachchan is just another name, you see, it's nothing special. Yes, if you're in public life and if you're, you know, in the category of a celebrity legacy where the media is intrusive and their argument is that the people want to actually know and we are the people that will communicate to the people of the country. Yes, it does sometimes bother you, but I think that once you're in that realm you have to cope with it, you must know that you are going to be followed, you are going to be quoted, you are going to be looked at, whatever you do. So, there's a certain amount of discipline that I believe in, this is what I tell people in my family, there are four of us, so what we do publicly has to be controlled, what we say, how we say, how the perception is going to be, I think we have to be a little careful about that, you know, I can't go out in the middle of the street and start screaming and shouting and expect that it will not be noticed, not be written about. So I think that a certain amount of personal discipline is necessary, and that comes with the territory.
NDTV: Right. I've noticed that you're often much more sensitive about things said about your family, or you know when Abhishek has a film that hasn't done well and there's criticism. You react much more then than when it's criticism levelled against you. I mean why is that? Is it perhaps that you feel that Abhishek is at an unfair position because so much pressure on him, because he's your son?
Amitabh Bachchan: No, it's not that. It's just the fact that, he's my son and I'm the father and I look upon it as a father-son relationship rather than anything else and I always acknowledge very valid criticism and yes, if there is something that I feel is unfair then I write about it. And now we have various mediums through which we can communicate as well/
NDTV: Now on Twitter I've noticed you stay away from controversial issues, you in fact, the nice bit is you have lots of lovely poetry you have brought from your father's writings and it would be wonderful if we could hear some of that, if perhaps you could tell us something you've just tweeted about
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah sure. I just, one evening, I just wrote one of his lines 'Main deepak hoon mera jalna hi toh mera muskurana hai' and I thought that that was very valid in today's times when we are all going through so much stress and everyone has problems. But the similie of the deepak, you know, which is " mera jalna hi mera muskaana hai". To give that similie I think was very beautiful.
NDTV: Well, I'm going to go across to another city close to your heart, to Kolkata, let's hear what they have to say there, let's go across to Calcutta.
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh.
KOLKATA QUESTION
Amitabh Bachchan: Okay.
NDTV: It's like choosing between...
Amitabh Bachchan: He's a, he's a member of the fan club in Kolkata.
NDTV: He has a temple for you apparently.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, he's the gentleman who is responsible for it so I keep meeting him off and on. It's very difficult to answer his question. He wants to know how I approach the scene in Black or in Paa. I mean they're all very difficult moments and there's always a history behind it. He asked particularly about the temple scene in Deewar and I remember that we were shooting in Raj Kamal Studios and Yashji came to me in the morning and said, "This is the scene and we have to do it, and the set is ready". And we started at about 7 or 8 in the morning, and for about a couple of hours I didn't come out of my make-up room and Yashji came and says, you know, "What's the problem? Why aren't you coming?" So I said you know "Yashji I don't know how to do this scene, I'm scared, I don't know if..."
So he said, "Look, you take your time. I'm ready, waiting down there, whenever you're ready you come". So I sat in my room the entire day and at about 10-11 'o' clock at night I finally, when I felt that I was somewhat prepared for it, I went down and... in moments like these, you know, you'd rather do it when you're all by yourself. You rehearse in a closed room or in front of a mirror and you seem okay, but the moment you get in the set and you see the camera and you see people, it somehow feels that it's taken something away from you. So many times I say, you know, "Get everyone off the set and just keep the camera there". Many a times we do this. So it was very quiet and everyone moved out and then I just went ahead and did it. I always remember this because we were really... I was really petrified about how this was going to come about and finally at about 10-11 'o' clock you just go there and just let everything out.
You know the first time he goes to the temple you know that he's almost as atheist, he doesn't believe in God and now his mother is ill, so for the first time he climbs up the steps and says "Aaj khush toh bahut hogey tum, jo aaj tak tumharey mandir ki seedeeyaan nahin chadha, jisne aajtak tumharey saamney sir nahin jhukaya, jisne aajtak tumharey saamne kabhi haath nahin phelayen, woh aaj tumharey saamne haath phelayega, bahut khush hogey tum". I thought it was, you know when this film released and on the day of the premiere when this scene came, the moment I said this line "Aaj khush toh bahut hogey tum", there was laughter, and it was a very grim, serious scene and you know I looked to Javed Saheb and I think some others were with me, I said "Gosh, this scene is going to go wrong". But then suddenly you know everything sort of focussed and they realised that he was, he was taking out his anguish and that somebody who hasn't ever believed in God, has made him come up to him and say this, so he's actually almost pretty sarcastic about it.
NDTV: You didn't choose the more famous one?
Amitabh Bachchan: No.
NDTV: But, tell me, four songs are in this, in your new movie, four songs of your earlier movies, why did you choose four? Why do you think they represented something of the earlier Amitabh Bachchan?
Amitabh Bachchan: Another mistake.
NDTV: Why?
Amitabh Bachchan: We were at a concert tour, you know, abroad, about two and a half, three years ago, a whole group of us artists, and Vishal Shekhar, the music directors and we had a show in New York and there was a couple of days off. One day we went out for dinner, and we went to a restaurant and there was nice music playing and all that, we liked what was happening. And I said "nice music". So I asked the DJ "can I have a CD of this music?" So he said "Yeah, sure." So he cut it out and gave it to me. I went and I was listening to it, and while I I was listening to it I said "Hey, you know, I can sing 'Khayekey Paan Banars Wala' to this rhythm". And I went and shared it with Vishal and Shekhar and they said "Yeah, so let's record it" So quickly booked a studio in New York and four of us went and Abhishek also, and we went there and we just made up words and we changed the beat and you know, sang this song and we recorded it and we actually played it on the concert and it was a great hit. The crew members, everybody came on and we sang and danced. And that was it. When I was sitting on the music with Puri Jagannath the Director for Bbuddha Hoga Terra Baap, I just played him this thing and said, "Is this the kind of thing you would like for this film?'' So he said, "No I want this particular song". So we went back to the studio and we re-recorded this medley.
NDTV: I would actually like to play this medley, because it's great. Let me just play that medley.
Amitabh Bachchan: That's Abhishek.
NDTV: Oh, okay.
Amitabh Bachchan: That's Abhishek's voice.
NDTV: He did Thaiyya Thaiyya also right?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, Thaiyye Thaiyye. So all the rap in the song is sung by Abhishek.
NDTV: Sir, so that's Abhishek and you, but can you give us some song? Can we hear you?
Amitabh Bachchan: Oh gosh, no. You know actually there's a, there's another very melodious number in the film, called 'Haal-e Dil' which is a soft number, which is the theme song of Hemaji and... I particularly like that. So conscious in front of so many people "Haal-e-dil, haal-e-dil, tumse kaisey kahoon? Yun kabhi, aa ke mil, tumse kaisey kahoon?"
NDTV: That's wonderful, thank you so much, sir. What I do have to ask you though is that I love the fact that you've made 'Buddha' sexy. How did you do that? How did you decide to play somebody, an older man, not a somebody who is seen as a senior citizen, but as someone who is still well, attractive and sexy?
Amitabh Bachchan: But this is a character who's an ex-gangster, he's, he's shifted out of Mumbai, he stays in Paris, he's running his own club. And he's called back to the city on a mission and he's a bit flamboyant and he's slightly arrogant, he has an attitude. But he's very cool. He's relaxed and colourful as you can see, with all the coloured dresses that he wears. But yes there is a back story in which he gets involved with, and finally how he accomplishes that mission, that's what the story's all about. It's not, you know, it's not there to set up any kind of morals or give any standards.
NDTV: Yeah, I won't dig for a larger meaning.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yeah, exactly. It's not supposed to tell every 60- or 70-year-old, you know, get on to the floor and do something like this. No, it's just a happy, entertaining film.
NDTV: But I bet you've had lots of 60-year-olds coming up to you and saying you know "thank you".
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, I hope that they can do it, because I genuinely feel that if you have the desire then yes, why not? I go to the club sometimes with Abhishek and we go to discos and stuff like that, it's pretty enjoyable.
NDTV: If you have a fan following, female fans, do sometimes Abhishek and you compete? I'm sure young girls write to you as well.
Amitabh Bachchan: They do, but not with the same intensity as they do to Abhishek.
NDTV: Alright, I'll take your word for that. I won't ask Abhishek what he says. But let's go across now to Hyderabad where people want to ask you questions and Puri Jagannath of course comes from there. So let's go across to Hyderabad.
HYDERABAD QUESTION
Amitabh Bachchan: Well, one of the things that came up in the writing was some expletives and I've never done that and I'm very uncomfortable doing that and I would not do it in the future either. So I told Puri that this is something I would not be able to say, so he was a little disappointed. But then he invented something which he said, you know everytime there's an abuse that's going to come, just use the word 'beep' because that's what the television or the cinema houses are going to do in any case. So, instead of abusing, I made 'beep' a character. So when I have to say something I tell them "Ya maine tumhe gaali diya" He says "What is this beep beep" So I say "maine tumhe gaali di hai, jab bhi mujhe gaali dena hota hai toh main beep bol deta hoon, isse do cheezein hoti hain, ek toh meri zabaan saaf rehti hai aur do saamney waale ki izzat ki beep lag jaati hai".
NDTV: I don't want to drag in a controversy but then would you do a 'DK Bose' song?
Amitabh Bachchan: No, I'm... I'm... if there is an ambiguity, there is any semblance of a double meaning or a double entendre, I would like to keep away from it because I think that somewhere I would feel embarrassed to show it to my family members, or even my friends and fans. But, you know, if the younger generation, and if there is a maker who feels that he should do it, there is freedom of expression and they must go ahead and do it. If this is what the younger generation enjoys then it's absolutely fine. And if the censors are okay with that within the constitution, within the, you know the format of the law of the country, absolutely okay. I personally, as an individual, I don't like it.
NDTV: Right, sir, we're almost at the end of the show, and we'd love to leave with, well, some Amitabh Dialogues
Amitabh Bachchan: There's a very old one that we use in the movie also that "Ham jahaan khadey hotey hain, line wahin se shuru hoti hai" And I guess that's all that we can disclose at the moment.
NDTV: And I think that's the spirit really which has kept you going all these years and many more to come. Thank you so much Sir and congratulations once again.
Amitabh Bachchan: Thank you. Thanks very much Sonia, thank you for having me.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
