New Delhi: As Amitabh Bachchan gears up for his upcoming action thriller Bbuddah - Hoga Terra Baap, a lot is at stake for the 69-year-old patriarch of India's acting dynasty looking to revive a faltering career as Bollywood reshapes itself for a younger audience.
While many of his contemporaries went into retirement, Bachchan has, film after film, struggled to reinvent himself as Indian cinema evolved from social drama driven by retribution to more realistic plots to keep pace with changing times.
According to teasers, 'Bbuddah' sees Bachchan reviving one of his most popular character stereotypes - that of the 'angry young man' - a term loosely coined by the media to reflect an individual's struggle against the hypocricies of upper class society in the mid-70s.
The 'angry young man label' was traditionally applied by British newspapers to describe young writers who were disillusioned with the traditional English society. As the term lost its meaning over time, Bachchan picked up the moniker that was to stay with him for the rest of his career.
Bachchan plays the role of a retired hitman in the film but if the posters the senior actor posted on his blog are anything to go by, the flashy aviator sunglasses, the shirt with the tropical flora print, or the five-day stubble he habitually carries, are a far cry from the intense actor of the 1970s whose portrayal of moody cynicism bowled over his staunchest critics.
But the term does symbolize the inner struggles and disillusionment of a talented but jaded actor caught in a time warp, with perhaps still a lot of acting left in him, but waning clout as one of the film industry's most influential names. The man dubbed as the original action hero is now a pale shadow of his regal self as he endorses a range of products - from health supplements to condoms - and takes to the small screen to host a nationwide quiz show in a clipped accent.
He is forced to expand his range with roles that hardly do justice to his talent. In his second coming he has fought inner demons in 'Aks', girated to item numbers in 'Bunty aur Bubbly' and portrayed a benevolent ghost in 'Bhootnath'.
Bachchan still waves from his balcony at fans who gather, sometime from remote parts of the country, for a glimpse of their larger-than-life star at his Mumbai residence.
But his towering presence, that once started the tradition of grabbing the 'first day, first show' tickets and sparked many fist fights outside cineplexes, has waned as his fans aged with him and a new generation of cinemagoers appointed newer and younger matinee idols.
The talisman he carried in 'Coolie' or the double-headed coin of 'Sholay' are memories from a distant dream and punches are hard to throw these days after a series of illness. The man who once said he never picked coins thrown at him has learnt the hard way that trade analysts and business strategists dominate the industry. Bachchan's 'Hum' did try to revive the action hero. But it failed to recreate the magic of 'Sholay', 'Zanjeer' or 'Deewar'.
Bachchan himself wrote: "And this is the generational age that patronizes, our movies the most! Which is why you shall find that subjects that identify themselves with the youth of the country are doing well. Which is why the tried and tested formulae, the routine, is just not working. There has to be a rabbit out of the hat every other day! That is the impatience and speed with which this youth functions. And God help you if you are not in tune with them! It is instant and final rejection!!!"
Meanwhile, the indefatigable actor has beat younger stars at promoting his film exhaustively on Twitter and his blog. The music will be released June 7 through T-Series.
"As I get into the post production work on the film, I find myself involved with many aspects of modern film making and the amount of effort it takes to bring out that first print. Also what I am observing is the tremendous amount of talent that, having lain dormant for many many years, now erupting in wave upon wave of young enthusiastic entrepreneurs," he wrote on his blog.
"I sit now with my head phones on me ears and listen as I type out, to that melody which I love in 'Bbuddah' - 'Haal-e-Dil'... the condition of my heart! And the condition of my heart can never be too far away from my well wishers and my extended family that have remained with me in my days and hours and months and years of my life, with love and affection and so much care! The song may describe the condition of my being, in the context of the film, but I can say with utmost honesty, that it truly depicts what I genuinely feel for all of you, in the context of my life!"
It is with a mix of extreme scepticism and defiant hope that Bachchan fans are awaiting 'Bbuddha' that promised to bring back the 70s Bachchan magic.
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