People know what I am in real life, says Amitabh Bachchan

[Ramu]

Amitabh Bachchan says that playing the evil Gabbar Singh in RGV’s ‘Sholay’ will not affect his image.
It is indeed difficult being Amitabh Bachchan. The greatest superstar of the subcontinent, having spent almost a lifetime in movies, still works round the clock.
On Saturday evening he kept his date with the media to promote Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Sholay’. No airs, no nakhras and no pumped-up chest, Bachchan dealt with all with respect. Occasionally, his characteristic humour took over. “Let’s meet outside,” he told a reporter who was pestering him with the same question repeatedly.
Incidentally, RGV’s ‘Sholay’ backed by Adlabs, brought back a flood of memories for the original Jai. Why did Bachchan, idolised for heroic roles, agree to essay the most hated villain of all times. “I am an actor and my responsibility towards my audience is to entertain them. People are intelligent enough to differentiate between a hero and a villain. They know what I am in real life,” explains Big B.
He says that Gabbar Singh has always been special for him. “I wanted to play that role, and I had told this secretly to director Ramesh Sippy. But he said that he already had another role for me,” he reminisces. “I was recently talking to Sushant Singh (who plays Sambha in the remake) and he recollected that when his film ‘Jungle’ was released, people would abuse him. That is his success as an actor. You should be convincing. So as an actor, I have to shut one door and open another,” adds Bachchan.
It’s been three days since Bachchan has begun shooting for ‘Sholay’. He even hurt his eye while doing so. “I am required to wear a lens and it hurt me,” he says. Incidentally, ‘Sholay’ is not the only Bachchan starrer to be remade. Farhan Akhtar’s version of the cult ‘Don’ will be out in two weeks. “I find nothing wrong with it. It’s all about the maker’s vision. I met Shah Rukh (Khan) and Farhan (Akhtar) and they said that they would show me the first copy. I am excited,” says Big B.
As always, he takes objection to being called a megastar. “I am not a big actor; I am merely an actor who’s doing his job,” he mutters unassumingly. And almost as modestly he reveals that there would be no grand revelry on October 11, his birthday which his fans never forget to celebrate. “I accept the good wishes humbly. It’s because of my fans and well-wishers that I am what I am.


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