I am fortunate to get work at this age: Amitabh Bachchan

Recovering from a bad cold and chest congestion Amitabh Bachchan is ever agile before his latest release, 102 Not Out. Ensconced at his Juhu office, Janak bungalow — the Big B — is conducting a slew of press interviews on the eve of the film’s release. Edited excerpts from the interview…

The film is inspired from a Gujarati play [of the same name] which has already been quite popular. To say that protagonists of this age are now being seen more often in Hindi cinema is a very welcome sign. And I don’t say this selfishly because artistes of my age then get an opportunity to work. But I believe that the generation of today wants to see a good story. They want to see something different.

No, I wouldn’t agree with that. We are not the same calibre as Ashok Kumar or Balraj Sahni or Moti Lal. They were all geniuses in their own time. Stories and characters were designed around them and they contributed with equal aplomb. I consider myself fortunate that there are a few people who are desirous of working with me.

Yes, of course.

You could be right there. I also feel that maybe these things were happening in earlier times but were never noticed. Communication today is such that you can’t step out of your house without being photographed and what you were up to gets told to the rest of the universe within a nanosecond. Because communication has become so rapid anything that is happening in any part of the world becomes a story, people want to emulate it.

That’s a clichéd remark. I just feel that I am [very] fortunate that I am getting work at this age. If it continues I will be very happy to continue working.

I think that the fact that there is a 102-year-old father who wants to send his 75-year-old son to an old age home speaks volumes for itself. Why he is doing so is part of the story which I can’t reveal right now. From whatever has come out [about the film] the father is full of joie de vivre, is full of life and the son has always been criticised by the father for not living the kind of life he should be living. Enjoy life and be free. So if it is sending a good message to the elders thank god for that.

Most of what we do, at least a lot of what I do is already written by the writer. To me the writer is the most important person. He conceives the plot; he writes the screenplay, dialogue, he creates your characterisation. The director is in consonance with him and they bring that idea to an actor. The actor merely narrates what has already been done for him.

No I am not. This is how it is, sincerely. To ask whether we relate to it with outside [world], we don’t get a moment. Yes, there can be instances where you reminisce about certain things that may have happened, how your father or grandfather may have behaved or your child may have behaved. And you may want to suggest that but most of the times my suggestions are rejected.

We just go with what the director wants.

That’s the nature of this film and the character [I potray]. He is a lively sort and the dialogue has been written in that manner.

It’s always good to have somebody you know around. Somebody you have worked with before. There is a comfort zone. Not to say that working with someone for the first time is any more difficult. We are working [together] after 27 years.

Ajooba. We keep meeting socially. Now he is family, my daughter is married in to their family.

It was just the same as it was. We are professional artistes, we are meant to behave professionally. We are actors, we do what we are asked to do. We try to enact the roles as best as we can.

I am very fortunate that I get an opportunity to work with them. I love the work that this generation is doing. I love the actors, the makers. It’s phenomenal, their output. Look at our young artistes today. They are unbelievable. Even in their very first project they are faultless. There is a sea change in the entire thinking process of the nation. It is the youngest nation in the entire universe. We have the largest percentage of youth in this country. Not just cinema, it is reflected in many other parts as well. Take cricket. You have all these youngsters coming from small, unknown places and making a mark. You can only have pride for that.

With all due respect in the years gone by the cricket team was 90% Shivaji Park. It was the only place producing world-class cricketers. Now in IPL you have 17-18-19 years old doing so well. Look at the young film directors, from small towns. The flavour, element of their city—it’s so wonderful to be able to see and acknowledge that. The formulaic screenplays existent in my time [have gone] through a sea change. You hear these youngsters talking, they speak so fast. They are so abbreviated in their conversation yet they [get] across what you want. That’s the way the generation is and everything connected to it is like that.

I have youngsters in the house. I don’t want to feel left out.

I keep putting things out there. It’s good to know what people think about you. We didn’t have this device and opportunity earlier on. We just went by the success or failure of a film. Nobody knew what you looked like, what you wore, where you went, what your opinion was. Now they all do. I write everyday on my blog, I get 400-500 responses every day. I have been writing every day for the past 10 years. I am now on day 3680. People have viewpoints, criticism and there is abuse. I can’t be without fault. What is wrong if somebody expresses it and I am able to notice it, read it and try to rectify myself on it.

It’s obviously going to happen. You have to live with it. People write me ‘your mystique is getting lost’. Kya mystique! It’s not there. I step out of my house and 40 photos will be taken and [will be] out in a second, even before I reach home. Sometimes I go to an event and come back, switch on the TV to see how I was doing there. It’s only natural that this should happen.