I take criticism as an incentive, says Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan discusses the necessity of criticism and how it helps to improve him as an actor

Amitabh Bachchan (right) has had his share of detractors in his long cinematic career but the veteran actor says rather than shying away from criticism, he uses it to improve further. “It (criticism) is important for us, it helps in improving yourself... I don’t look at criticism as it’s rubbish and not read it. I sometimes use it as an incentive,” says Big B.

“So, when there is a critic, a write up or assessment of your work, it’s wonderful to have another view point, you get a different perspective,” adds the Piku star, who feels that if a celebrity enjoys the love of public, he should also be ready to hear negative things. “If you keep hearing good things about yourself, you will be spoiled as a person. No one is perfect. We all have our faults, we all have our minuses and don’t have the capacity to notice all of that... If you are a public figure, you’re bound to be face all this. You have to reconcile with it. When fans praise you, you take that well and when they throw brickbats, you say don’t hit. How can you do that? It’s not possible. It’s not right, it’s not expected either,” says the 73-year-old.

Bachchan says he tells his son, actor Abhishek, to learn from his failures and bounce back. “I keep telling Abhishek, ‘If your film doesn’t work, you put up that criticism on the wall, get up in the morning and say you’ll work harder and prove’. There are times when things that are written are derogatory but that’s a challenge creative people have,” he adds.

That’s why @priyankachopra is the coolest people around... a hand written note in the time of SMS and emails (sic). ARJUN KAPOOR, ACTOR