With Men Like Him Around, I Stood No Chance At All: Amitabh Bachchan Remembers Shashi Kapoor

"With men like him around, I stood no chance at all," writes Amitabh Bachchan recalling the life and times of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor. The thespian breathed his last on Monday evening at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai and left the film fraternity in deep shock. Many took to Twitter to express their grief and offer condolences to the family.

Big B, who had rushed to Kapoor's residence last evening with his son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda and daughter in law Aishwarya Rai, penned down an emotional post remembering his friend and colleague.

Soaked in nostalgia, Big B wrote about the time he came across a photograph of Shashi Kapoor in a magazine which was aimed to announce his debut. "Standing elegantly without a care in the world, I saw him standing by a Mercedes Sports car, a convertible, a smart trimmed beard and moustache, adorning involuntarily, the face of this incredibly handsome man. It was a picture that filled almost an entire page of a magazine," he wrote.

He went on to shed light on how he'd be introduced to Kapoor at various gatherings and how, despite his stardom, the veteran actor always humbly introduced himself. "When he spoke, there was a mischievous, gentle, almost inaudible, delicate, yodel, in his voice - most endearing and comforting to the one he was introduced to. The self introduction habit, was a gem," recalled Big B.

"What followed .. is a documentation of very intimate association, personal exigencies .. collective professional camaraderie .. ending in family bindings.." he added.

Big B also shared why he didn't pay many visits to Kapoor in the hospital. "He had been ailing .. somewhere he had let himself go after the passing away of his dear wife Jennifer .. I had visited him on occasion in Hospital during some of the times he had been hospitalised earlier .. but I never went to see him again .. I would never have .. I never ever wanted to see this beautiful friend and ‘samdhi’ in the state I saw him in hospital .."

"And I did not today, when they informed me that he had gone…" he added.

The actor signed off by saying that Kapoor addressed him as Babua and later took to Twitter to share a photograph. He captioned it as, "T 2731 - To Shashji from your 'babbua' .. !! "

Big B had worked with Kapoor in films like Silsila, Kaala Patthar, Kabhie Kabhie, Trishul and Deewar.