Amitabh 1983 Interview after Coolie's almost Fatal Accident

In work there is energy. In its execution there is energy BigB

In work there is energy. In its execution there is energy BigB

Jalsa , Mumbai        May  3,  2011      Tue 10 : 44 PM

In work there is energy. In its execution there is energy. When work and occupation mingle well, energy wins. Breasts the tape in one big rush. A gusto that can only be imagined and understood by the one that relishes its existence within him. Remaining complacent, down and trodden, helpless, forgotten, devoid of action is a state one never wishes for anyone. Yet there will come time when all of this shall be thrust upon us in a large wave of undiluted surf and those that shall know the wave, know the current, know the balance shall be the ones that shall ride it and not just survive, but make the event artistic.

I rode several waves in my short life. There shall be without any doubt or dispute, many more storms and strong currents to battle. To say that it shall be impossible to face them now after age has roughed you up, is a defeat. I find it easier to write about it than to be in a position to face it in practical terms. I am hesitant to commit, to aspire, to be defined in the pursuit of my will. And I really would not know how it would all turn out even if I did know. What I do know is that commitment to work, indulgence in its execution, the strife for perfection when displayed, shall find favor. Not that one clamors for it. But if it were to come by I should and would accept it, in whatever shape or form. That is a resolve. Resolves at times falter and give way. Better to quietly do the work assigned and move on. Moving on is prime. Stagnate and stagnation shall become your password. Sleep is a necessity. Stretch it and its a disease. Stagnation and sleep in an anomaly !!? No not quite. The reference is to sleep being almost stagnant.

‘Sona marne ka rehearsal hai .. ‘  my Fathers very short verse. ‘Sleep is the rehearsal for death, which mankind hesitates on, before coming on stage’.

Is it just me or … whenever one gets off after driving a fast moving car, a bike, a horse .. one gets within, that little extra adrenalin. That energy of being able to handle any situation … any !! Your mode of speech and posture undergo a machoism, hitherto unknown or unheard of. Suddenly the world seems a world at large and you its dedicated conquerer. There is a stride of confidence in whatever needs to be done ; a sense of fulfillment, freedom, perhaps a walk some inches above the normal ! A brash casualness overtakes you. Your countenance acquires a look of one that breathes servility from the other. The tone of speech and manner become higher than your own given status.

It is in order then to live and experience it. But to adopt it in permanence is certainly not recommended.

I lived with it for a few hours this evening. I drove a sports convertible for the shot at great speed, got off it and smoothly shifted bag and baggage to the black and silver Harley Davidson, immense in weight and style, but powerful, large and difficult to handle when stationary. And you drive home in your cocooned back seat travel wondering did I really conquer the world a short while ago ?

Barring any mishaps, ‘Bbuddah’ will complete in another week. For the others , not for me. I am done. I now look forward to its final completion, its post production, its music, marketing, and final editing. Its release and its results. It looks like it shall be the 1st of July. Its been quick and financially brave and conservative. Another down and more to start work on as soon as possible.

Working in some continuity, in daily commitment shall bring the energy. Do not ask where I get my energy from. Its rude, its destructive. Just give me the work. That is it !

Love

Amitabh Bachchan

As you shoot at the IMax Wadala for ‘Bbuddah’, news breaks of the killing of OBL BigB

As you shoot at the IMax Wadala for ‘Bbuddah’, news breaks of the killing of OBL BigB

Jalsa , Mumbai         May 2 , 2011      Mon 11 : 59 PM

As you shoot at the IMax Wadala for ‘Bbuddah’, news breaks of the killing of OBL. And all the tv channels are full of nothing but that. Expected. He has been wanted by the USA for a very long time, and yesterday they got him. Many questions shall arise. Right from his location to the repercussions, to the way forward, to what next …

There are going to be a great many questions that shall need to be addressed. And all one can say at the moment is that greater days of vigilance and care are necessary.

The IMAX was built to house … well … just that ..a large screen . I do not know whether it is still functional, but it is a very large facility and does have all the required ingredients to make it most prestigious and event friendly location. Why many of my responsible films have had their premier at this locale -Sarkar, Black, Paa , to name a few. The days of the premier are fast evaporating. What a moment of excitement they used to be. Mostly conducted either at Minerva or Metro. Thousands of onlookers, jammed streets, enthusiasm among the fans … now all gone. Now the artist or the star is reachable. There are not too many communication ingredients that existed then. The masses were starved of seeing or being in close proximity to their favorites. Not any more. Everyday fresh and new inventions flood the market place, not with the intention of deliberately making the stars familiar with, but to state that invention is an evident phenomena. It cannot be ignored or side stepped in todays time. Sidestep and be sidelined !!

Marketing is and has become the main tool of films its makers and of course the product itself. Nothing moves today without the consultation of the gurus of  public relations. I loathe the process. I am uncomfortable beating my own drums. But everyone else says it is the norm today in todays times. If you do not talk about yourself, nobody is willing to talk for you. Which in a creative field is somewhat faint -

‘So did you get to see my film. I have done a most incredible number in it’ !!

‘Call me at this number, answer some select questions and win a prize - a car, a fridge, tickets to a recent movie ..’

‘We are here sitting atop the Eiffel Tower, taking in Paris and asking you to go in large numbers to my film in India..’

‘I personally think this has been my best performance till date. Wonder what will happen tomorrow ?’

And on and on and on ….

I am unable to talk about myself, leave alone talk about how many credits I possess. How can one ? Where do they get the courage to put themselves in such a position. This world is unknown to me.

But …. all the young tell me otherwise. If you will not, no one will. General appraisals that bring about a fair degree of self assessment shall of course prevail. But perhaps not the other one.

I may post a picture on my blog or on my twitter and be flooded with comments that only speak of how promotional I am getting. Why can they not understand that I could be genuinely interested in speaking. Good bad indifferent is not the point, just sharing something without intent.

Ah ! But the age of genuine comment has long been lost. Accumen, intelligence and all else, has become a dependent. They are no longer our valuable assets, they are now being termed as severe liabilities. Many a time a piece posted in deep thought and reflection gets buried in unresponsiveness.

There are many in my EF who are exceptional in their content. What they are able to see and judge is exceptional. I never fail to read as many as I can, before turning away for the day. What they say lingers for long. Finds appreciative audience when shared. Changes our perspective, and gives us a view never seen before. That truly then is the main course of this platform …

May this be understood and practiced …!!

Amitabh Bachchan

May the first, labor day, a day for the workers, a day for Maharashtra and Gujarat

May the first, labor day, a day for the workers, a day for Maharashtra and Gujarat

Jalsa , Mumbai         May 1, 2011          Sun 11: 30 Pm

May the first, labor day, a day for the workers, a day for Maharashtra and Gujarat, a day when work is not allowed. And so a holiday in many respects. But the mind and the body shall and does become restless for it. It is now at a stage of our life, when nothingness is the greatest ailment. To be up in the morning and have nothing to do, but idle. Idleness can kill and does on many spheres. So the ‘mantra’ subscribed is that we should be occupied. Occupied in any thing. But occupied.

My Vog, Bachchan Bol now expands its extent. It incorporates many more facilities than it did earlier. There are now some features that shall give an opportunity to those that wish to speak to me to speak to me. It shall give time for me to listen in to your questions and perhaps have opportunity to answer them personally and directly. Soon and I hope its sooner, there shall be facility to video converse, or at least for me to send out to you the messages or ideas or conversations that we have with each other. Hopefully this shall grow stronger from time to time and give us reason to believe that we connected with the others at our will.

There is to be an expansion in other countries as well. Next month it is Great Britain, UK and then hopefully even more countries. In time I would like to believe this blog shall become redundant. It would have gone way passed its scientific early inventions. I do not know how good that would be, but with invention you never know.

There are some Ef members who face the struggle of loved ones being separated, ill and in conditions that do not promise better times. We must think of them in our prayers. Hardship and illness do take away from us the freedom of the way life needs to be lived - with laughter and a smile. And that can only be countered by how we would want to accept it and react to it.

There are rumblings of discontent among all of us on how the blog should be treated. That there should be a code of conduct within, where the will and the wisdom of the conduct should be put to test, judgement passed and a uniformity introduced. I hear those that express this. I will not shun those that wish to express their mind, but shall commensurate with what they wish to lay down.

This space was made form fresh air, free expression and freedom. Any attempt by me or any other to lay down distinct regulation, shall be defeatist in attitude. I am not the conductor of this philharmonic. Its a symphony that plays on its own, and plays it well. If I had the capacity and the will to destroy the conductors stick, that little inconsequential element guiding an entire mass of very professional and efficient musicians, then there would be something wrong with my will. No ! I shall and will not interfere with the basics of this platform - a basics that has brought us all together. Giving it space and time and adjudication through rigid principlies and rules would break the very essence of this platform. It would wrench me dry.

I did not come here to make a family. I came here because it brought me closer to you. Wanting to redesign this utility was and shall never be on the cards, even for a gentle consideration. When you gave me reason to believe that you were no less than family, I invented the suggestion. I would have been equally happy if the Ef had not been formed, for, I was never looking upon it as some kind of a attempt to militarise the situation. Militarise ? Yes .. to bring in certain operatives, rules, discipline. No ! That was never my intention and it shall never be one either.

It was indeed your desire to be accepted as one that has made this platform so strong and successful. And that is how I wish it to remain. When there is great love, there is equal envy and suspicion. I do not think that to be bad. It merely throws up the discussion on to a different topic and plain. You shall envy because somewhere you have given the acceptance that the one you envy is superior. Else why would it be of any interest. Grudges and envy, jealousy and the penchant for one up man ship, destroy your metabolism. Save it ! Why must it be wasted and damaged. Its preservation is what shall stand you in good stead, in good time !

Its been a moment of great pride for me today. Apart from some interesting meetings, the crowds on Sunday and subsequent contemplative efforts, there has been the joy of constructive contribution. Constructive not in the sense it may have been used, but in constructive in a passive sense, by being a part of a moment of creativity, and feeling honorable about it. Could be a strain of music, a passage of well written verse, a visual … or just perhaps a film !

Whatever it has been, shall soon I hope be in demonstration. And then perhaps it would be time for another charged discussion. But till then we wait patiently. Knowing its capacity and strength, but not allowing it to be wasted.

Good Night dearest ones .. may all of you have pleasant dreams … not quite like the ones that the now Duchess of Cambridge had before her wedding ..

Amitabh Bachchan

Jaya and I will work together in films again: Amitabh Bachchan

Jaya and I will work together in films again: Amitabh

Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has been seen with Jaya Bachchan after a long time in Tanishq`s new ad, says he wishes to work with his actress wife in films.

"After `Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham` we faced the camera together for the first time (for the ad). We have done lots of films together and we were thinking that it`s enough and we should stop doing films together.

"But when we started working together in this advertisement, we together realized that we should do more films together. It looks like in coming time we would work together in some films too," Bachchan told reporters at the launch of a Tanishq`s store here Friday.

In their prime, the couple featured in hits like "Zanzeer", "Abhiman", "Sholay", "Chupke Chupke" and "Silsila".

Big B also mentioned that getting a chance to work with Jaya was also a primary reason to get associated with the brand.

"When the concept of Tanishq was brought to me, I was excited for the fact that it`s a Tata company, which is know for its excellence, its maturity, its dignity, its resilience to so many years and in so many aspects of their businesses but really what was most exciting for me was that my wife is going to be part of it," he said.