No B’day Fanfare for Amitabh Bachchan, 77
The actor has no interest in celebrating his 77th birthday.
India’s biggest superstar Amitabh Bachchan, whom his costar Ayushmann Khurrana bills “a 77-year man with the mind of a 24-year old” is in no mood to celebrate his birthday.
“What is there to celebrate? It’s a day like any other day. I’m grateful that I’m still working and that my body is able to keep pace with my spirit,” Bachchan says humbly, urging his well-wishers to wish and pray for his good health. The actor recalls his childhood birthdays when his father, the great poet Harivanshrai Bachchan, would write and recite a poem for him.
“It was a family tradition, but this tradition took an entirely new definition after my near-fatal accident in 1984 (Bachchan nearly lost his life after a wrongly aimed punch in his solar plexus while shooting Manmohan Desai’s Coolie) my father recited my birthday poem. It was like a new life for me. While reading the poem, my father broke down. It was the only time I’ve seen him like that,” the actor reveals. The mega-star, who will soon be seen in the sports drama Jhund, says he misses the annual ritual. “My father’s poetry is muchmissed, as is my mother’s excitement on that day. The annual ritual of cake-cutting no longer interests me. It has been replaced by a plate of dry fruits,” he smiles. Despite having achieved more than what most dream about in seven lifetimes, Bachchan has many unfulfilled dreams. “There are so many! I want to play the piano, I want to learn many languages, and I’d have liked to work with Guru Dutt.”