SAUDAGAR(1973)—
This is one gem of a movie, rooted in Indian soil so deep that one could almost smell the fragrance. I guess Mr. Bachchan took on this film before the star-dust of stardom yanked him away from such realistic gems. And that is a complaint I will always have. Watch him in this movie and you can realize what he, us, and directors like Mr. Shyam Benegal or Mr. Satyajit Ray missed by not having him star in their movies. It is a complete anti-thesis to his ‘macho’ and angst-ridden persona he embodied later in his commercial madness. I watched this movie a few years back and do not remember exactly each and every scene. But I remember being just awe-struck after watching his performance in this movie. He plays a character so human and to such perfection that never once, and never ever once, during the entire length of this movie do you remember him to be the ‘super-star’ that he is. And remember, I watched this movie only 6-7 years back, after being privy to enjoying all the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-Chopra-Prakash Mehra-Desai-Ram Gopal Varma movies. His perfect portrayal completely wiped out all the hang-over I had of his ‘super-star’ movies! He plays a simple gurd-selling villager who has all the insecurities and selfishness—and maybe more— of the ordinary man. So deftly he portrays the emotions of angst, jealousy, selfishness, and helplessness that one is just stunned and mesmerized by the range that this man possesses when it comes to his craft. It covers a gamut of emotions from lust, to connivance, to greed, to selfishness, to insecurity, to anger, to helplessness, and to redemption. He just nails it, spot-on.
NISHABDH(2007) –
The film begins with Mr. Bachchan standing on the precipice of a hill attempting suicide. But he doesn’t have the guts. He is weak, emotionally very, very, weak. And his name is Vijay. Vijay? Weak? Thinking of suicide? Yes, it’s the same name; the same Vijay who fought—and killed if he had to— to live his life the way he wanted to in all his other movies. In one cinematic moment, Mr. Ram Gopal Varma, and definitely more so, Mr. Bachchan, successfully blow to smithereens the image of a strong and unyielding Vijay of yore who was always above his emotions, not beneath them. The closest he came to this stage was in KAALA PATTHAR, but again, that weakness was channeled into a brilliant portrayal of latent anger. Mr. Bachchan is just extraordinarily effective as a man caught between the societal morals and that hidden, free-wheeling emotional dynamite in any human being-particularly if that being happens to be of an introverted character. The emotional graph that the actor draws on screen when a matchstick in the form of an 18-year old girl lights up the dormant dynamite is unconquerable—and just impossible for any other actor to better. This is a portrayal so superlative that it just makes weaknesses and emotional instability in life so very appealing to the audience. One just feels compelled to tell the character of Vijay to throw away all obligations and run along with the brazen carelessness of the 18 year old Jiah. The pitch of his performance is more than perfect. Even when he raises his voice, there is mellowness and a subdued nature to his dialogue delivery and demeanor that never ever let the audience forget that this is an introverted man, and will remain so, even if he were to be occasionally stirred by the storm of passion. Isn’t that the hallmark of great performers? This ability to use the same emotions, and then peel different layers off of them?
That the audience and the media alike killed the movie even before its release has been and will always remain my bone of contention. Before the release, it was portrayed as a voyeuristic, Lolita-esque movie; and after, it was a slow, boring movie. Agreed, that cinematically, this one could have been a more fluidly made movie. But it was never, ever, given a fair judgment. It was analyzed for what it was supposed to be, but not for what it was. This is definitely a way above-average movie from Mr. Ram Gopal Varma. Thank you RGV—and thank you Hrishida for balancing a YAARANA with your BEMISAL and many alike before RGV. We –at least I—owe you one for capturing this incomparable actor in an outstanding performance. I rate this performance of his as THE best; better than SARKAR, KHAKEE, and all the other appreciated ones in his post KBC phase.
Mr. Spacey, you were wonderful in AMERICAN BEAUTY, but then, in 1999, NISHABDH wasn’t made yet, and Mr. Bachchan doesn’t act in Hollywood movies, and Hollywood(read the Oscars) didn’t know(want to?) know of an actor named Amitabh Bachchan from India. It still doesn’t recognize this non-English actor; and will probably never know what it is missing.
BOOM(2003)
I know I am going to face huge flak for considering this to be one of his under-rated ones. Say what you will about the movie, but do try to look at Mr. Bachchan’s performance objectively. I was shocked that on the first day of the movie release, there were countless ‘fans’ of Mr. Bachchan outside cinema theaters protesting against the fact that he was playing an offensive, profane character mouthing double entendre-ridden dialogues. And I couldn’t help but sigh thinking, ’ Here’s another facet to this man’s acting portfolio that will never again be given a chance to be explored.’ Nevertheless, I saw the movie, and just loved his free-wheeling performance. And I just could not help but remember Mr. Naseeruddin Shah’s statement that the only actor in this world who is better than his movies is Mr. Bachchan. Seeing him play a psychotic retard was such a joy and he so successfully negated his suave and charismatic image of a learned, classy host on KBC with this portrayal. He played an offensive man to the hilt. He was crass and crude, just what the character expected him to be. Watch him read a comic book, lust after models, or ride a kiddies’ car with gay abandon, and you will just be repulsed by his character. But wasn’t that the point?
=Aneesh(An Jo)