By: Amit kumaR Agarwal
- The latest artwork to release from Indian Cinema is of an upcoming Hindi film, Deva.
- What immediately caught my attention wasn't the lead, Shahid Kapoor with a cigarette jutting out of his mouth, but the faint art of Amitabh Bachchan looming large in the background!
- The interesting bit is Subhash Ghai became Subhash Ghai not by making Karma, Ram Lakhan, Saudagar, but by shelving a film called Devaa, starring Amitabh Bachchan
Why is it that even after almost 6-decades, the #Bachchan mania refuses to die. Year after year there are atleast 12 films with top-stars of today's gen, where Bachchan is referenced. Ask Pushpa; even the highest grossing film from India has given an ode or two to Bachchan!
Interestingly, when the internet was on fire when few netizens trolled Manu Bhaker for her 'Bachchan' comment, the trollers got it back in the most savage manner, when they were asked to get acquainted with cinema first!
So what is it that makes Bachchan even after all these decades, when his contemporaries whether living or dead, are all remembered only when their film is played.
It is the way Bachchan has mastered the art of adapting himself to generation after generation. One of the top-3 hits of 2024, Kalki 2898 AD had audience not talking about the lead, Prabhas, but Bachchan, which was merely a 30-minutes role in 181-minutes film!
Coming back to the artwork of Deva, there are so many 70's-80's heroes, the fact that Bachchan is still used in film after film is because of the connect Bachchan has with today's generation, not only in India, but continents after continents, across the world!