Amitabh Bachchan — COVID, Comebacks, and a 50-Year Career
Amitabh Bachchan's retweet caught my eye today: he called out Times Now for its reporting on his COVID-19 illness. Times Now had released a video claiming Mr. Bachchan was COVID-negative; he was still in the hospital after nearly two weeks. Millions of his fans were hoping he would be well soon.
His journey as a professional actor, whatever one thinks of him off-screen, is exemplary.
There never was — and maybe never will be — an actor like Amitabh Bachchan. His belief and perseverance in staying on in the industry in his early years is a lesson for anyone trying something new. He struggled for years before his first break — dismissed for being too tall, and famously rejected even in a voice audition. Today that seems unbelievable, because I have yet to meet a person who isn't fond of Amitabh's voice.
He got his first break in Saat Hindustani and won the National Film Award for Best Newcomer for it. His true breakthrough came with Zanjeer (1973), and slowly he was replacing the likes of Rajesh Khanna. He found success as the angry young man on screen — while off screen he was famously polite, with no appetite for scuffles or physical fights.
When his venture ABCL dwindled away his wealth and left him buried in debt, he reinvented himself. Deep in a financial hole, he started hosting TV's Kaun Banega Crorepati — audiences loved him, and he started the trend of Bollywood stars hosting their own shows.
I have yet to see an actor who can entertain all ages. His on-screen presence is electrifying, to say the least. He has starred in nearly 200 films, won national awards for many, and has been written off at many stages — yet his perseverance to go on, reinvent himself, and tread unknown waters defines him. At age 77, before he was infected with COVID-19, he was still acting and active.
Some of my favorite Amitabh Bachchan films: Piku, Amar Akbar Anthony, Deewar, and Silsila.
Update: He recovered and was discharged from Mumbai's Nanavati hospital on July 27, 2020.
Originally published July 2020.
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