‘Ab' Mein Ab Bhi Hai Dum!

(The First To Be A Hero Among Heroes At 77)

Ali Peter John

I find it extremely difficult to stop talking about a man who just doesn't stop working and who find all the reasons to be in the LimeLight and who gives me a flow of reasons to be believe that he is blessed by Providence or he would not have been what he is and where he is even after 50 years in a world where it can touch and go or come and go or just be there and then be nowhere. Yes, I am talking about the same Amitabh Bachchan who I don't think I will stop talking about at least as long as this life lasts.

I also consider myself blessed by Providence for having been a witness to the moment when he signed his first film,“Saat Hindustani" for my Guru, K.A Abbas, for being a witness to all the rejections and humiliations he faced, a witness to that scene in “Zanjeer" when he kicks the chair on which Pran is about to sit with one of his many immortal lines,“yeh police station hai, tumhare baap ka ghar nahi", and declared himself as the next superstar,a witness to the many ups and downs in his life and career and then a witness to that day, August 2,1982 when he was declared clinically dead at the Breach Candy Hospital and a witness to his Christ-like resurrection after a few months never to look back again.

I find it difficult as a human being to find out and know how this human being can be so abundantly blessed to be alert, agile and completely alive 38 years after he was declared ‘dead' and is still working with the same zest and zeal 18 hours a day and even more.

To think of it, can anyone at his age or older than him or younger than him imagine that among the many things he would be remembered for is the fact that he will have 4 major releases all through 2020, which will be more the films being done by the Khans, the Kumars, the Devgn and all the other stars of generations that came long after him.

• The first ‘AB' film in all probability to be released will be “Gulabo Sitabo" in which he has Ayushmann Khurrana as his younger co-star. The film is directed by Soojit Sircar who also directed him in “

“Piku" and “Pink". Nothing much has been revealed about the film, but ‘AB's look in the character he plays is enough to speak volumes for the character he plays.

• Then there is “Jhund" which has been directed by Nagraj Manjule who created a sensation with his Marathi love story “Sairaat" which was made into Hindi by Karan Johar as “Dhadak" with Ishan Khattar and Jhanvi Kapoor. ‘AB' is said to be playing a retired coach.
• Next in the‘AB' line-up is “Chehre" ,a crime thriller directed by Rumi Jaffrey who holds the record for writing 17 films for the team of Govinda and director David Dhawan and who has directed ‘AB' in “God Tussi Great Ho"
• And this grand ‘AB' season will end with karan Johar's “Brahmatra" directed by Ayan Mukerji. The film also has Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the romantic lead.
• ‘AB' has of late talking about being tired and his body not giving him the support he needs to work the way he used to
• He has also hinted at taking a long break. But, I still see hope in what he had said more than thirty years ago, words I was a witness to which said that he would like to work till the very end, even if he had to work in a crowd scene or as a part of a party scene. Humne dekha hai woh zamaana ‘AB' ka. Hum ab bhi umeed karte hai ki hum aage bhi dekhenge ‘AB' ka zamaana.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Amitabh Bachchan