There is no doubt in any of the Indian movie goers mind that Amitabh Bachan is a living legend when it comes to acting. Even at this old age, his presence is as enigmatic as ever it could be. Let it be the role of an underworld don, or a cocky chef or even a romantic hero he plays justice to his role and we would love to cherish those lovely moments after we leave the theater. My dad who had seen only a handful movies of Bachan is still a die-hard pro Bachan J
His come back trail started with the reality show aired on Star TV called – “Kaun Banega Crorepathi” (Who will become the billionaire?) after his endeavor with a series of bad luck. His down fall started when he; along with his brother put up a company called ABC. The movies under this banner nose-dived on box office and the miss world competition which was set up in Bangalore amidst the outcry of the so called “SOCIAL” activists was a flop. It came to a stage where he had to sell off most of his belongings and was out of the limelight for a good time. Nevertheless, ever since he made his re-entry through television, he never had to look back. It was a welcome relief for the Hindi film industry where the last word always ended with “Khan”.
However, as many of the report suggests, Big B is a class of its own, often attached to big brand products – not only in commercials, but also in real life. The facts (if at all they are facts) which I red in newspapers and from here and there is given below.
Amitabh's home
Mr Bachchan loves comfort and style. He does not compromise on the same. The flooring at his home is Italian marble, the bath fittings are from France and Germany. It is said his bungalows -- Pratiksha and Jalsa -- put together, would be worth a whooping Rs 160 crore. Interestingly, Jalsa was gifted to the actor.
Amitabh's clothes
Amitabh is very fond of suits. His favorite is Gabbana. They have been designing his suits for the past 30 years. The fabric is especially imported from Italy, the thread from France and buttons from England. His other favourite brand is Fratelli Rosetti, with prices starting from Rs 35,000.
Amitabh's cars
The Big B owns 11 cars, including one Lexus, two BMWs and three Mercedes. His favourite is the Lexus. The car is bulletproof, and has radial tyres that are normally used for Formula 1 races. The cost of each tyre is Rs 2.5 lakh. The car also has a global positioning system -- which enables him to know, at the snap of his fingers, the closest food outlet or shopping mall he would like to visit.
Amitabh's eating habits
Though AB loves eating, he is diet conscious. He is a vegetarian, and loves authentic Italian food at Mezzo Mezzo, at Mumbai's JW Marriot.
Amitabh's passion
The Big B has a passion for collecting watches. It is said he never repeats his watches. His favourite brand is Longines, which costs about Rs 2 lakh. His other interest is collecting pens, which he might have inherited from his father, the late Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan. The actor has a collection of over thousand pens. Mont Blanc gifts AB a special pen every year on his birthday.
Amitabh's favourite destinations
Bachchan loves to visit London and Switzerland. In London, he prefers to stay at St James Court, five minutes from Buckingham Palace. As they say, the queen and king are never too far away! He stays at the Presidential Suite. The hotel has especially designed a gym in his suite, and a lift that takes him to underground parking directly from his suite.
On Brand AB
According to ad pundits, the Big B charges anything between Rs 5 and 12 crores. According to one report, a company paid him Rs 10 crores for 10 days. That works out to Rs 7,000 per minute! Bruce Willis once commented, at the opening of Planet Hollywood, that Amitabh Bachchan was 'bigger than any Hollywood star.'
Amazing indeed isn’t it?
Now comes the social responsibility part of it. I will not dare to compare the south Indian actor Rajanikanth or say Chiranjivi when it comes to acting against Big B. However, these figures are well known for their public support not just because they are excellent artists, but because of the charity works, these people give support to. Atleast they don’t send out an odd message out from their style of living. Rajanikanth would appear in public with his white hair, admitting that he is getting old (Though the directors are still not convinced). I am pretty sure Bachan wouldn’t dare to do the same.
It was a fiesta for media when the Abhishek – Aiswarya got married not just because they were known artists, but because the groom is the son of Big B. Even other international or national news had to wait to get their slot to be aired. How gross is that???
Most of our big time actors or say public figures may be trend setters, but not necessarily a role model. Amitabh recently had received a rupees 2. Crore worth Bently car from his director where he charged only one rupee for the movie. Come on… even a kid knows it is just another way to elude tax. As per the latest update, he had to finally let it go as it bought too much of unwanted attention J He is also involved in a land scam off late where in he had bought some land stating he was a farmer – come on Bachan, look up to your father, he might be able to enlighten you from heaven.
So… Bachan might be a great artist. But role model? ….. naaaa
(Die-hard Bachan fans… please excuse. Unless and otherwise I do not see something good for society coming up from Bachan, this blog is to stay!)
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