Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, in my opinion, is the most overhyped, overrated, overpublicized, overrewarded star in the universe.
Ok OK he was very grand in his good ole days, but what has he done for us lately? Agreed, Mr. Bachchan is a larger than life star with a grandiose screen presence and he should be praised for his good work, but he has also laid many rotten eggs.
Back in the 70’s and I believe 80’s, Mr. Bachchan was simply superb in movies like Anand, Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, Amar Akbar Anthony, Mili, Naseeb, Satte Pe Satta, and Sholay. I loved him in songs like khayi ke paan bana raswala, chal mere bhai tere hath jhodta hoo, meray pas aao merey dosto ek kissa sunahoo, My name is Anthony Gonzalves. He oozed with style in Shaan with Parveen Babi and showed a lot of intense passion in Silsila with Rekha, charmingly adorable in Chupke Chupke, and subtly hilarious in Sholay. However, presently I don’t see the power, style, and screen presence that Amitabh of yesteryears had TODAY!
The obvious reason for this is because of his bad choice of films. Even with all his wealth, experience, education, refined taste, classiness, power, and influence in the industry, Mr. Bachchan ends up entertaining his millions of fans with royal rotten eggs like Ajooba, Lal badshah, Aetbaar, Mohabattein, Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gham, Aks, Kyun ho gaya na (inane Uncle Charlie role), Suryavansham (or something like that), and scores of other exciting entertainers that my mind has preferred to forget. Besides, Ankhein and Baghbaan (which was very average), I haven’t seen any good or original Amitabh film in quite a few years.
One would like to think that a person like him with so many resources and so much power at his disposal would choose to do intelligent films and not just do any role as if he is a newcomer who has no experience or choice.
When Amitabh came in the industry, he came like a breath of fresh air and took the field of entertainment to a new level. But now what’s fresh about him? I have seen young angry man Amitabh, old angry man Amitabh. Amitabh singing, laughing, screaming. Amitabh as a son, brother, father, grandfather, even as different kinds of wives (mere angne me tumhara kya kaam hai). Amitabh clean shaven, with a mustache, with black hair white beard....YAWN - What’s new? Nothing! Nothing will be new because the crux of the matter is that Mr. Bachchan will not do ’’Hatke’’ roles or films because he is a ’’common guy’s’’ star.
The common guy is very conservative and so to cater to common guy’s conservativeness, Amitabh will only stay inside the gold frame that common guy has put him in and will continue to stay the SUPER STAR Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and not dare venture to go outside the box. Would we find Mr. Bachchan in different films like Arth, Masoom, Kamoshi? Or, would he ever attempt path breaking roles like Kamal Hassan does? No, just the basic meat and potatoes for Mr. Bachchan please.
At any awards ceremony I see, its so funny to see him being praised and lionized to the hilt just because Mr. Bachchan has honored the function with his magnanimous presence. Even if there is no real award for him, the event organizers will make up a category called power and will give him a Power Award?? so great man does not go home empty handed. Because of him, his wife gets a lot of praise and recognition too just because she is Mrs Bachchan. Sometimes in these award functions, when camera catches him, I see Amitababh with a curiously confused look on his face.
Methinks it is because Amitabh himself is wondering what award will they make up especially for him today and why are they making such a big deal of him as a living legend and blah blah. When all this is going on, other well-deserving actors like Naseerudhin Shah, Hema Malini, Om Puri and other good actors get overshadowed by him and don’t even get 1/4 of recognition that the giant gets.
In short, Amitabh was awesome back then, but very average tody, and too much worshipping and lionization of any star is just too much. Enough already!
Anyway, I know I will get blasted and I know I have offended diehard Amitabh fans, but this is my 2 cents and to each his own OPINION.