Source: The Hindu
This is the season for the man of all seasons. Millions of Amitabh Bachchan fans have not had it so good since 1978 when films like "Kasme Vaade," "Khoon Pasina," "Besharam" and "Ganga ki Saugandh" came one after the other. It helped that Bachchan was at the prime of his powers. Now, two and a half decades later, directors Milan Luthria, Farhan Akhtar, Govind Nihalani and Sameer Karnik are trying to repeat history. The man remains the same, the faith in his ability to score at the box office remains undiminished too.
One thing has changed though: Bachchan is no longer the sole hero, or even the leading man of all his films. Never mind, even a few minutes of Bachchan is better than a couple of hours of many others. So, over the next month or so, four films of Amitabh Bachchan will hit the screen, one after the other. Amitabh fans can queue up to watch Nihalani's "Dev" where Bachchan plays a cop, Farhan Akhtar's "Lakshya" where he is a commanding officer, Luthria's "Deewaar" where he is a prisoner of war, and Karnik's "Kyun?... Ho Gaya Na" which is a comedy.
Amazingly, the directors are not too worried about fatigue setting in among the Bachchan faithful. It seems one cannot have enough of Bachchan anyway.
``There is no risk involved. Every film is a brief for itself,'' says Akhtar, looking to repeat the success of ``Dil Chahta Hai'' with ``Lakshya,'' scheduled to hit the screen on June 18.
``Amitabh Bachchan does not have a lot of screen time but his role is important for the effect it has on Hrithik Roshan's (the hero) character. Hrithik learns from him about single-mindedness of purpose, devotion and other similar aspects.''
The die-hard fans of Bachchan need not worry. He is not sidelined in the film, nor is he bumped off before the interval, as Honey Irani did with disastrous results in "Armaan" last year. Says Akhtar, ``Amitabh Bachchan is there from the beginning to the end. He has got very important scenes in the film.''
He might be over 60 but roles are still written for him, and there are many who feel there is nobody who can carry out a certain character the way Bachchan can.
``The level of performance this film requires, nobody else could have handled. There is a lot in his role that is to be conveyed through his eyes, his body language. His is a quiet, stable personality in the film. Normally, he is associated with action and histrionics. In this film you will find him calm. This aspect of his personality has not been tapped in recent years. The fans will find a different Amitabh Bachchan in the film,'' Akhtar promises.