Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan (Hindi: अमिताभ बच्चन, IPA: [/əmitaːbʱ bətʃːən/]; born October 11, 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema.

Amitabh Bachhan in 2011

I believe that cinema picks up ideas from society and not the other way round.

Quotes

• I strongly believe that "Amitabh Bachchan" has the power to influence people and bring all of us together for a greater purpose – of peace, brotherhood and solidarity. By showcasing films from around the world and creating a platform for healthy dialogue, DIFF has taken cinema to its next level of social relevance. Personally, I am humbled by this recognition from Dubai, a city I consider as my second home.
  • Quoted in "Bachchan Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at DIFF". Khaleej Times. 25 November 2009. Retrieved on 15 December 2013. .

• When they were growing up, I was working from morning to night. When I left, they were asleep, when I came back, they were asleep," once he told a magazine. Even when they were young, he couldn't visit their school as Shweta and Abhishek asked him not to visit them to avoid too much commotion
  • His biggest regret is not to share the "growing up moments" of his children quoted in "Bachchan Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at DIFF".

• If Slumdog Millionaire projects India as a Third World, dirty-underbelly, developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations. It's just that the Slumdog Millionaire idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Golden Globe recognition. The other would perhaps not.
  • In his blog, reported in Andrew Buncombe, "Slumdogs who seek success", The Independent (January 16, 2009), News, p. 30.

• We had forgotten the art of using silence to convey emotions in our films and that's what you seem to have mastered. You've used silence to great advantage in the film. It's brilliant.
  • To Farhan Akhtar, after a private screening of the film, Lakshya, reported in Cine Blitz‎ (2004).

• He never gave us a script and we never asked - we were safe in his hands.
  • On Hrishikesh Mukherjee, reported in Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema‎ (2003), p. 492.

• I believe that cinema picks up ideas from society and not the other way round.
  • Reported in Cinema in India‎ (1991), p. 37.

• When your back is against the wall, there's only one way to go and that's forward.
  • On Rajiv Gandhi, reported in Steven R. Weisman, "India a Year Later: Gandhi Leaving His Mark", The New York Times (October 30, 1985), A-1.

Soul Curry for You and Me: An Empowering Philosophy that Can Enrich Your Life

Bachchan, Amitabh (2002). Soul Curry for You and Me: An Empowering Philosophy that Can Enrich Your Life. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7154-984-9. 

• One does not leave gold untouched, when one discovers the yellow metal in filth. One is very ready to pick it up. What is intrinsically good will never change no matter where it is found. A diamond is often spotted amidst black blocks of coal. Lotus blossoms in a swamp and the beautiful rose blooms among thorns. In fact the presence of such invaluable wonders enhances the importance of a place no matter how sullied it is!
  • P. 21-22.

• It is good to praise others but it important to look for faults within oneself. It is nice to be concerned about people but to be introspective is even nicer.
  • P. 25.

• I do not deny the importance of truthfulness, but sometimes an untruth, which benefits someone, may turn out to be a better alternative. It is better to have an impeccable character but it is more important to spread love and compassion.
  • P. 25-26.

• We should learn from the mistakes and experiences of others, particularly from those less knowledgable than we are. If our experiences are not grounded in reality, our decisions can never be correct.
  • P. 27.

• Tread the track of life with utmost caution. But let this not deter you from taking giant leaps towards your goals. Excessive caution may reduce your speed to move ahead in life.
  • P. 31.

• Nature is one. There is only one truth in life. We have a single universe, which has a sole creator.
  • P. 33.

• A seed is small in size. But it carries in its womb leaves, flowers, fruits, nay even the whole tree. The human brain is very much like a seed. It may not have a great shape and size. But it traps within itself endless possibilities. It is a fountainhead of thoughts and promises that can be fulfilled.
  • P. 113.

About Amitabh Bachhan

Amitabh Bachhan, the One Man Industry

• No one from Indian Cinema has made a bigger impact on the world.” he said. “
  • Comment during "The Lifetime Achievement Award" on his recognition as an artist in "Bachchan Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at DIFF."

• I am worried. I am praying to Allah and haven't been able to sleep well ever since I heard of the recent development," the words rang out from the telephone receiver. On the other end was 25-year-old Asma Idris from Cairo, who confessed that "she was in love" with our superstar no.1.
  • A lady admirer in Cairo "Egypt's Amitabh Bachchan mania". Times of India. 2 December 2012. .

• It seemed as if all of Cairo had turned out to welcome him at the airport when he came in 1997...We are planning to name the suit, where he stayed, after him.
  • Tarek Lotfy, Mena House Hotel assistant director recalled in "Egypt's Amitabh Bachchan mania".
• This Amitabh Bachchan seems to be more popular than me in Egypt.
  • Actor Omar Sharif during a visit to Egypt quoted in "Egypt's Amitabh Bachchan mania".

• There was a feeling of rebellion in the society and the star with a biggest rebel in celluloid screen Amitabh Bachhan became the icon. His angry young man image caught the attention of all the sections of society. The frustrated youth in his angry young man image saw a window of opportunity to rise against all odds.
  • Review by Abhishek Dubey in Dubey, Abhishek (2006). Dressing Room. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd.. pp. 128–. ISBN 978-81-8419-191-2. 

• One man industry.
  • Comment by the French Director Francois Truffaut in Rishi, Tilak (2012). Bless You Bollywood!: A Tribute to Hindi Cinema on Completing 100 Years. Trafford Publishing. pp. 82–. ISBN 978-1-4669-3963-9. 

• I'd be accused of bias, but worldwide currently Pa [Amitabh Bachchan] is absolutely iconic, he's celebrated, he's respected. He definitely is deservedly iconic, and I say this without any bias, and if I am accused of it so be it.
  • His daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai quoted in "Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's top 40 quotes on her birthday". Hindustan Times. Retrieved on 15 December 2013. 

• Mr Bachchan smells so nice that I can smell him from a good distance.
  • His co-artist quoted in "Jiah Khan, Amitabh Bachchan's 'Lolita', who never topped that role". Indian Express. 5 June 2013. Retrieved on 15 December 2013. 

• What kind of journalism do the self-appointed defenders of minority rights want to promote in India that does not give a journalist the right to interview a thrice-elected chief minister simply because the Congress and the Left parties feel threatened by him [Narendra Modi]? Likewise, Amitabh Bachchan was attacked viciously for merely doing an ad campaign for Gujarat’s tourism department.
  • Madhu Purnima Kishwar: Modi, Muslims and Media. Voices from Narendra Modi’s Gujarat, Manushi Publications, Delhi 2014. p. 16