In a career spanning five decades and approximately 235 films across genres, the actor is primarily identified as an angry young man and his critics are to be blamed for this. He was never given credit for his varied, versatile performances and he once said that since critics feel that he only plays the angry young man he will continue to play angry middle-aged man and later, angry old man roles. His cynicism came out of deep hurt.
Today, fifty years later, all his detractors have mysteriously disappeared, today Amitabh Bachchan is the undisputed phenomenon.
My mind rewinds to 2009, the release of my second book on the actor, Bachchanlia. I had just received my advance copy of the book and leafing through the 300-plus page coffee table book, featuring all his film posters from Saat Hindustani/ 1969 to The Last Lear/ 2009, I marveled at his extra-ordinary career and more, his courage of conviction to pursue these films without getting affected by the constant criticism he was subjected to by the media.
It would have been so easy for him to get demoralized by his detractors. He didn’t, instead he followed his path relentlessly. A complete artiste is one who can portray all the nav rasas and Amitabh Bachchan’s filmography is a proof all the hues and the fragrance of the nav rasas and more…
To be continued