Bachchan's god, his birthday a festival for fans

Amitabh Bachchan's birthday is nothing short of a festival for his fans, and so it was on Friday too when the superstar turned 77 and hordes of admirers gathered outside his residence dressed in their favourite Bachchan get-up.

Bachchan, who is celebrating his birthday with family, came out of 'Jalsa' to greet fans and that was enough for Nitesh Chaugale.

Chaugale had come all the way from Kolhapur with his son to Bachchan's house. He had brought number 77, made of ice, with him to celebrate his favourite star's birthday.

"I am happy I got to see my god today from such close quarters," Nitesh told PTI.

 

For two Bachchan lookalikes -- Ganu Bhai from Kutch and Amit Sukhija from Delhi -- Bachchan's birthday means a ritual visit to Mumbai every year.

"His birthday is like a festival for us. He is an inspiration to millions of us to do good work. I haven't met him yet, I do wish I get to meet him today," Sukhija, who has been coming to Mumbai every year for the last 12-years, said.

Ganu said Bachchan is an inspiration.

"Even at this age, he works relentlessly to entertain us through his work. He loves and values his fans and this means a lot to us," he said.

Gohil Pinakin, 34, a resident of Bhavnagar, dressed as Bachchan's gypsy character from the 2007 movie "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom" this year.

"Every year, I dress up like the characters he has played in films. On his last birthday, I was in the get-up of a thug from 'Thugs of Hindostan'. In Bhavnagar also, I dress up like his on-screen characters and entertain people. I am blessed to have some resemblance with him. I wish him good health, success and all the happiness," he added.

A group of 20 people, who are a part of Bachchan fan club, turned up with matching T-shirts that featured the actor's photographs, the number 77 and words like 'Satte Pe Satta' and 'Sara Zamana Iska Deewana'.

Many others turned up with framed photographs, which depicted Bachchan's 50-year-long journey in cinema.