Twenty years ago when he played father to his own characters on screen, the persona was more sober and his reflexes consciously slower. Remember the bearded father in Mahaan, Aakhri Raasta or as late as in Lal Badshah..? In real life however when Amitabh Bachchan crossed the sixty milestone, his persona turned more flamboyant. Who would have predicted the senior actor to romance his leading lady in Baghbaan or gyrate to the energetic ‘Kajra re...’ in Bunty Aur Babli at this stage in his career..? Foot-tapping numbers. Power-packed performances. Brand endorsements. Stage shows. There is no denying that his sheer presence lights up the big and the small screen. Only a few years ago, his detractors were asking him to borrow a leaf from Dilip Kumar’s life. Today, the same people are wondering if the thespian downed his shutters too early. Younger actors in the bracket of Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor look up to him to model their careers. He has not only made a successful transition from the hero to playing centerstage but emerged a sex symbol, sought after by the old as well as the young. If 2003 glorified him in prolific portrayals like Aitbaar, Khakee and Baghbaan. 2004 projecteds him as memorable characters in Black, Sarkar and Viruddh. Directors who have worked with him describe him as an addiction. Ask Ram gopal Varma, Govind Nihalani and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Those who have not worked with him dream of casting him. Ask Ashutosh Gowarikar, Madhur Bhandarkar and Prakash Jha. After so much adulation to what extent does the superstar feel responsible towards his characters and his audience? We meets up with Amitabh Bachchan.

Excerpts from the Interview:
 
In ten months you have delivered six (Black, Waqt, Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Viruddh, Dil Jo Bhi Kahe) power-packed performances, how does that feel?

I feel fortunate to be offered such well-etched out characters. To have able directors guiding me. My performances would not have been possible without the passion and involvement of all my writers and directors and I say this in utmost humility.

Don’t you feel drained giving so much of yourself to the various characters?

I’ve never felt drained or weighed down by them because the characters offer me as much as I offer them. On the contrary I feel stimulated everytime I play a new role. I enjoy the entire process of getting acquainted with a new character and projecting his anghish. If I didn’t, it would have reflected on screen.

Now that Black is many months behind you and your adrenaline is taken over by other films, do you feel detached from professor Debraj Sahai?

I don’t feel disconnected with any of my characters, least of all Black which has been an experience of a lifetime. Time has nothing to do with passion... I can still watch a clipping of my old films and feel emotional. In fact, a few days ago I watched Black all over again and was overwhelmed by its sheer genius. There are so many layers to the film that it is not possible to grasp all the details in the very first viewing. I was overawed by the filmmaker’s love for his craft. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a magnificent director and a very special individual to be able to capture all this.

Would you say that the film transformed you in some manner. Are you more sensitive to the visually impaired now than earlier?

The transformation was more as a creative artiste. I was always sensitive to the handicapped and aware of the problems they face. Jaya has been involved with the handicapped children for years and in the process I have often interacted with these special children. I am familiar with their responses. Their courage to fight obstacles and live life is truly admirable. I consider myself fortunate to have been given a role where I could address the issue through a larger medium.

In Bunty Aur Babli you go against law and release criminals. Did it occur to you that you are imparting a wrong message?

I don’t think people paid sufficient attention to the voice over in the film. The commentary clearly explains that the idea is to eliminate crime, not criminals. To begin with, the protagonists are not hardcore murderers but petty thieves. When handcuffed, they confess all their crimes as a result all the loot is recovered. The message of the film is much bigger. The cop follows his instinct and releases the protagonists. But he uses them for a bigger purpose. Through their co-operation he captures hardcore criminals. There is a moral to the story but most of them missed it because they got engrossed in the songs and the dances... That’s the price of any big success.

Do you feel that in the quest for packaging our films are losing the soul?

Not necessarily, the soul is very much there in subjects where it is required. Viruddh for instance is a very intense story and Kaante would not be the same without the technique or treatment. So the packaging varies from subject to subject.

Vipul Shah’s Waqt:The Race Against Time recently completed 25 weeks and grossed 55 crores. In fact most of your releases this year have been major hits, did you expect this?

I leave these commercial evaluations to the trade pundits. It is their prerogative to categorise stars as hits or flops. As an actor, it is my job to do my best in a given scene and I sincerely try that every day.

Looking back, would you agree that the film advocates sparing the rod and spoiling your grown-up son till the time of crisis?

I don’t think so. Waqt promotes the importance of time in a relationship. The father loves his son and indulges him. His wife is upset with him for not reprimanding their only son. The husband reassures her that their son will improve with time. Their problem is that they don’t have time. According to me the film is about relationships... about conflicting emotions between a father and a son. Many years ago, I had portrayed a similar role in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Alaap where I played the errant son of an idealistic father portrayed by Om Prakash. The film was inspired from a real life judge in Allahabad whose son got involved with a gharana and later worked as a tangewala. We talk about exaggerations in cinema when in fact life is stranger than fiction.

Filmmakers have repeatedly said that your strength as an actor is that you make the most ridiculous scenes believable. Do you have some special trick that makes it work every time?

I’m afraid there are no tricks and no strategies. I have been told this time and again by my filmmakers but I cannot take any credit for it. Whatever happens in a given scene is all a part of the screenplay. As an actor it is my duty to deliver what is expected of the scene. Sometime these situations are realistic and delivering the emotion is comparatively easier. On other occasions, the situations are over the top but in keeping with the rest of the film. The only possible trick or strategy is to be convinced about what you are doing. I enjoy my work and the honesty perhaps reflects on screen.

From anti-establishment to anti-law, from an angry son to an indulgent father you have travelled many bylanes in your journey as an actor. How different was portraying Sarkar from your earlier don roles?

The canvas is too vast and the characters too many to classify them so broadly. It’s not as simplistic. All of them have a different past and a different future. In the olden days when I played a don it was usually a character who had humble beginnings but later due to circumstances was led to crime. In Deewar it was poverty and in Agneepath injustice. In Sarkar the character is a don without any justifications. He has certain strengths and weaknesses. Some people perceive him as an inspiring leader, some describe him as a villain. For me it was a challenge to portray a larger-than-life character like him.

How different is your role in Keshu Ramsay’s Family:Ties of Blood where you also play a don?

The difference will be in the projection of the director. Last year, I played a cop in two films, but both were poles apart. While Govind Nihalani delved on communal riots in Dev, Santoshi talked about corruption in the police force in Khakee. In Family Rajkumar Santoshi will once again provide new insights. As of now what makes the film stand apart is that it is about two warring gangs.

It is also the second production of AB Corp in partnership with DMS Films.

That’s right, it has been a lucrative partnership and we hope our combined efforts will be appreciated.

Directors who have worked with you want to cast you again and again in their films. What is it about you that filmmakers describe you as an addiction?

I don’t know what to say except that I’m deeply touched by their affection. All I can say is that it is my privilege that Rajkumar Santoshi, Karan Johar and Ravi Chopra have cast me in their productions. I look forward to all these films - Family, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Babool which will be released in the coming year.

Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra had been trying to work with you for decades and it’s only now that the two of you have come together for Eklavya. How was the experience?

Very good, we have been working round the clock in Udaipur and Jaipur. It is a film about palace secrets, full of mystery and intrigue. I play a loyal caretaker who is a custodian of many secrets.

And in Baabul and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna?

Babool is a father-daughter story, a very emotional subject on the lines of the director’s earlier film Baghbaan. Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna is a mature love story where I play a small but significant role.

In ’92 when you took a sabbatical down to a comfortable rhythm. Had you ever envisaged that your career would turn around?

I don’t believe in planning. At that point I was not thinking of my career or future. I was enjoying the luxury of being at home. I had retired from the studios but I was active in my office. I knew that the break was temporary.

How similar was that to the retired routine you portray in Viruddh?

Most retired people or couples follow a definite routine. What we portrayed in the film are the concerns and observations of the writer. Mahesh Manjrekar weaved the routine of the couple to tell a sensitive story. The details become further endearing when they suffer a tragedy. The routine plays an important part in their life and the story.

You are far more vulnerable in your roles today than you were in your earlier films?

The present writers see me in a different perspective. In my earlier films they portrayed me tough and angry. Times were different then. The issues addressed in those films were different. Today, I get roles of the patriarch because I represent the senior citizen. The audience expects me to have solutions. In my recent release Dil Jo Bhi Kahe, I play the mediator between my wife and my son. Revathy is orthodox and disapproves of his choice of girlfriend while I’m more liberal.

You even dance on the beach of Mauritius?

Why not... if the scenes demands it, I have to do it.

As a senior citizen you are not at all like the aged man you played in your films. Have you thought about that?

Yes, because at that time I was merely acting to be old. Since I was not really old I was merely making assumptions. Today, when I have come of that age, I know clearly what I can and what I cannot and therefore my projection is based on personal experiences. Another reason why the earlier portrayals seemed far-fetched was because when you are playing both the roles, (the son as well as the father) in order to bring a contrast, you make exaggerations. This happens to all the actors.