A`Prose Ode to Amitabh Bachchan

                                     A`Prose Ode to Amitabh Bachchan             

AB turns 75. This is our AB. There should be no confusion with the other famous AB from South Africa, less than half the age of our AB,  who has been ranked Number one batsman in Test cricket and ODIs. 

By AB, I refer to the one and only AB of India. He is not only “A” but he has made it difficult for anyone to be “B” and thus has taken both A and B for himself. At 75, he is the tallest Indian not only of Bollywood and the small screen, he is incredulously tallest among all Indians. What makes him so special is  he seems to have no equal in contemporary India.  Even at the cost of irritating all the Bhakts, the truth is our darling PM can not out-tall AB.

I am older than AB by two years that makes it easy for me to say we belong to the same generation. Like me, many of my friends and colleagues are in  the same league where from our  early crush on AB to loving his romantic felicity as a young hero, to admiring his baritone voice, to applauding to his angry young man image, to delighting in his comic caper,s  to criticizing the gossipy news about his amatory  affairs, to feeling sad at looking at his grey beard, to appreciating his mature acting in his films of the last few years,  to seeing him in our drawing room and appreciating his grace , urbanity and svelteness in behaviour, we have experienced all emotions towards this towering personality. With advancement in years we are now treated to his blogs where he gives us a glimpse of  wisdom, knowledge and keen interest for all games and all cultural activities besides his great felicity with language.

As I look at  my own journey through life and see him through the prism of my understanding, I realize the truth that as one grows older, one cannot but change.  The question is do we change for the better or worse? The simple answer is we change because in hindsight we realize the mistakes we could have avoided by choosing an alternative on many occasions. Depending on the choice that we now see as a better alternative, we can safely assume that we have changed for the better. But if that alternative that we now visualize is more lethal than what we had done earlier, the change is for the worse.

With AB, the change has been a qualitatively improved change. Except for the baritone voice that he continues to possess, all other changes, including his physical appearance are there to see. He has gracefully aged and sports a circle beard where the chin patch and the mustache make a circle in place of the clean shaven looks of his younger days. The silver streaks that shine through the blackish brown hair lends grace to his years.  He no longer romances round the trees, the angry young man image has turned into a sober (and at times crotchety old man as seen in  Pihu)  and mature old man who still has many things to savour from life. But it is his anchoring of KBC that reveals the person and the persona that AB is. All those who sit on the hot seat do not feel the heat as AB’s presence and his cheerful and calm demeanour has a soothing effect. His greatest quality is to make the contestants feel at ease and engages them in a dialogue which more often than not turns out to be their monologue.  Even a trained psychologist cannot make people reveal their authentic personality as AB does. He is suave, charming, urbane and every word he says is crafted with care to make the person opposite him feel less intimidated by his very presence. Young and old, men and women, rich and the poor, rural and city bred, writer, artist and executives from all walks of life are treated with the  same degree of politeness and affability, leaving no one tongue tied in his august presence; on the contrary they all loosen up and talk without any self consciousness that AB is sitting before them. I have seen him all these seven years , not losing his temper or making a snide remark against any of the contestants. The way he escorts the ladies to the hot seat and makes them seated comfortably is full of grace and dignity. He receives the compliments showered on him without any false modesty and imperious haughtiness. He conducts the interview in the most dignified and professional manner. The Best of AB  goes beyond outstanding talent in living the role of his film characters, but in giving us a perfect role model to live life King size with modesty and humility.  

AB is AB- a genius. It is often said “talent does not originate; genius does”.  It is our good fortune that we have in our life seen a genius amidst us.

The government can give him the highest honour for his contributions to art and culture, but even that cannot do justice to the Man that he exemplifies, who, in Shakespearean words is  the noblest of God’s creations-

“What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving, how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals.”

Many Happy Returns to AB to continue to entertain, educate and inspire us.