“Yeh Police Station hai… tumhare baap ka ghar nahi” said Inspector Vijay Khanna in the Hindi classic, Zanjeer. This was the first time the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan spoke the lines of the legendary screenwriting duo Salim-Javed. This was the first time Amitabh embodied the concept of the ‘Angry Young Man’ and thus a global icon was born in Indian cinema.
Many credit Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar for unearthing the diamond in the rough, and platforming the actor Amitabh before he became the Mega Icon of Indian cinema. “We were sharp enough to realise that Amitabh Bachchan was a great actor, and it was his films that failed him. We backed his talent, and he repaid us with his great performance,” said Javed Akhtar at the latest session of Expresso.
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The modern day great was joined by his daughter and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar in this conversation, and they spoke about a lot of topics including the present state of Hindi cinema, the need for censorship, the evolution of superstardom, and of course… Amitabh Bachchan. “We have to simply accept the fact that he (Amitabh Bachchan) is an exceptionally good actor. After Dilip (Kumar) saab, it is Amitabh. In fact, while Dilip saab did one film every two years, Amitabh’s turnover was almost 7-8 superhits a year,” remarked Javed.
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Going on to detail what made Amitabh a tour de force then, now, and forever, the veteran writer said, “He had tremendous discipline, focus, and total control over his tongue. He never made a controversial statement. If the shift was from 7, he’d be there on the sets by quarter to 7. He is an unbelievable actor. I have done 14 films with him, and I have no complaints about how he delivered my lines. In fact, I am thankful that he elevated some of my lines.”
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