 "Amitabh Bachchan")
As he turns 73, Amitabh Bachchan is gearing up for his second stint on Star Plus as the anchor of Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi. Since his debut in 1969, he has donned many caps, those of actor, producer, TV anchor and even that of a comic book hero. Bachchan spoke to Urvi Malvania about his latest show, what appeals to him about television and why he is happy being in front of the camera rather than on the producer’s desk. Edited excerpts:
How was anchoring Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi different from what you have done on TV in the past?
The content is different. The format is different. Therefore, your attitude and the way you address it (the role) has to be different. Kaun Banega Crorepati , which actually started with Star (Plus), was a game show which had a particular format, which needed to be followed. There was a template which one could not change. It is a game show running in almost 80 countries and nowhere can you change the format. That is part of the legal and contractual obligation that has to be followed. What changed, then, were the contestants and their life stories and journeys.
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Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi is more about celebrating achievements of individuals, notwithstanding the negativity they face every day or encounter almost every moment. There are individuals who are doing some good deeds and how wonderful (it is) to be able to project them and make people aware of them. It is an opportunity to make communities (in the society) aware of these deeds and perhaps inspire them.
Is it what appealed to you about the show?
Yes. I think it’s always good to have some kind of a moral or a philosophy behind what one is doing. It’s much like when you make films or tell stories. There are a couple of parameters, which we never want to move away from. There should be good over evil. There should be poetic justice. So there should be some kind of moral message that goes (out). These are some of the elements that make any kind of film or television viewing more meaningful. Even if you are watching an entertainment show, it is fun to see competition because you get an opportunity to compare one constant with the other. Similarly, this show, I hope, will create an awareness in some of the people who watch it. Perhaps (they will) go out and do things which (in turn) need to be celebrated.
Do you also find TV a platform to interact with people beyond the film and TV fraternity?
Most certainly, yes. I think I get to meet people who I might not otherwise meet in the celebrity life. Here, I use celebrity in the context of your question. I do not mean to put anyone on some kind of a pedestal. What it really gives you is not only an opportunity to meet people you may not have met before, but also to know about their lives and circumstances and what they go through. We read about it in the print medium or see their stories on television. But I think it is a different story when you sit with them and hold their hands or just being close enough to feel their emotion, their joys, and their sense of accomplishment. For me as an individual, I feel that is a very enriching experience.
How do you feel has television as a medium evolved over the past 15 years since you started your association with it?
I think it’s become so vast and big. It has always been a very powerful medium. It forms opinions, it gives you information. It leads you to places where you might have never gone before or seen. It invites debate and discussion. It gives you an opportunity to hear other individuals and viewpoints which perhaps you may not have realised were there. I know print media brings out the editorial which is a kind of a summation of what I am talking about, but not everyone has perhaps the time to read the editorial page. But if you see a debate in operation, it does give you some kind of information. You might have formed an opinion about something on your own and never had the opportunity to hear the opposition or hear something that is contradictory to what you have known. And after seeing that, you are still free to form your own opinion, but at least you get some deeper insight on the matter.
Do you plan to go beyond the role of an actor or anchor on television? Maybe dabble in production?
No. I feel I’m not capable of production. And production is commercially not viable. There is a lot of expense involved and I do not have that kind of funding.
