Amitabh Bachchan – The Brand

Inquilab Shrivastav turns seventy today. That person has for four decades and more built the brand that is Amitabh Bachchan. Writing anything about him is like explaining cricket to a bunch of Indians. Everyone else knows more than you. If cricket and films are like religion in India, Amitabh surely has his place in the pantheon. It is hard to say or write anything about him that is not already known and rehashed a million times over already.When I look at the brand called Amitabh Bachchan, all that I can think of is his resilience. I admire his ability to build his craft bit by bit. Expand his repertoire of skills and constantly challenge his own capabilities and shape the expectations of his audience. It is hard to think of brands which have done this so successfully for so long.Whenever he has ventured into a new field, he has taken one tentative step in that direction. In many instances he has failed. But then immediately after that he has reinvented himself and risen above his failure.Films: His career had a lame start. His first film as a voice narrator was Bhuvan Shome. His first film was Saat Hindustani (1969). His first Filmfare award was for Anand (1971) as best Supporting Actor. It was with Zanjeer (1973) that Amitabh reinvented himself as the “Angry Young Man”. An image that was reinforced in Deewar (1973). Then reinvented himself several times over. Whether it was the courage to make a film like Silsila (and I don’t of too many examples where public figures have had the same players play out the controversy on screen) or to take Nishabd (2007) or Cheeni Kum (2007), he has certainly challenged his brand appeal. No other actor’s appeal has lasted for so long and straddles so many generations.Brand Amitabh is about challenging established norms.Singing: The famous baritone has its own challenges. He isn’t a naturally gifted singer. His initial forays into singing were tentative whether it was in Kabhie Kabhie (1976) or in Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) with “My name is Anthony Gonsalves” (1977) or Mere Paas Aao Mere Doston (1979). In Laawaris (1981) when he sang his father’s composition “Mere Angne Mein” he was still treading cautiously. But with Rang Barse in Silsila (1981) he really started his career as a singer. In fact, Rang Barse or the Holi Khele Raghubeera from Baghban (2003) are now a part of our collective consciousness that gets more deeply etched each year when we celebrate Holi. As a singer he has tried his hand at Folk Music, Rap, Pop and keeps on experimenting by singing in different languages.Health: In 1982 while shooting for the film Coolie, Big B was punched by co-actor Puneet Issar. Bachchan, who wanted to do that shot himself rather than use a duplicate, had to fall on a table and then roll on to the ground. But as he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table hit his abdomen leading to a rupture in his spleen causing a lot of blood loss. He collapsed on the stage and then had to be operated upon. He bounced back to complete the film which went on to be a blockbuster.He was subsequently diagnosed with Myesthania Gravis - a neuromuscular ailment that causes muscle weakness and fatigue. Despite numerous surgeries and continual treatment, he continues unhindered. He suffers from health challenges but keeps pulling himself up from his bootstraps.Brand Amitabh demonstrates resilience despite his health.ABCL: The company floated in 1996 organized the Miss World pageant. Then went on to produce films like Gulabi and Saat Rang Ke Sapne (1996) that bombed. Five years later he relaunched the company in a new avatar as AB Corp Ltd and produced blockbusters like Paa and Bbuddha Hoga Tera Baap. Brand Amitabh will relaunch himself despite his adversities.Small Screen: Amitabh entered the silver screen with Kaun Banega Crorepati in the year 2000. After a four year break, the show was started in 2005 but had to be dropped because of Bachchan’s health issues. Shahrukh Khan hosted the third season and had the challenge of being repeatedly compared with Bachchan’s chaste Hindi, dignified response to the hysteria he generates among participants and viewers. Season four and five were again hosted by Amitabh and so is the current season. The pattern is the same. He will always come back to complete what he has started and then take it to its pinnacle. He speaks the kind of chaste Hindi that would put Doordarshan to shame and makes it cool to speak it that way.At seventy he remains a role model with his work ethic. He has endorsed hair oil, cement, Gujarat Tourism, chocolates and yet seems to do something when we see him endorsing stuff he does not and will not personally use. His voice and dance style has been much imitated. What I like about brand Amitabh is that he has not let success prevent him from testing his own limits and the limits of acceptance of his fans. That is a tough act for any brand to follow.Happy birthday to brand Amitabh Bachchan. Stay courageous. Stay inimitable.