Bhawana Somaaya’s new book has Amitabh’s A to Z, and depicts scenes from his movies vividly. It is a compilation of selective words from the English alphabet, associated with different scenes from the actor’s body of work—where he made you cry, laugh, and all shook up. His charisma extends far beyond Indian borders. He is a chameleon who created the persona of an angry young man and rebelled, entertained, danced and romanced with elan, enthralling audiences for over three decades. In this book, Somaaya has guidelines ready for you. The author suggests that A should stand for ‘attractive’ and B for ‘bottle’.
Don’t get confused. The author, who has penned down two books on Big B earlier says, “Attractive reminds me of Silsila, where Amitabh falls in love with Jaya Bachchan during a wedding sequence, and bottle reminds me of Sharaabi.” The list does not end here. Titled Amitabh Lexicon, the book is a colourful memorabilia of the star and his work over the last 41 years. “The book is, quite literally ‘Amitabh’s A to Z’—it’s a celebration of Hindi cinema’s biggest success story. There are quotes on every alphabet by the megastar himself,” says Somaaya. “This book is not a biography, but a thesaurus on him, in which from every alphabet, I have mentioned a word followed by a name of his film and a scene related to it,” she adds.
The idea of the book, she says, occurred to her, “almost 11 years ago, when I was heading the creative team for a portal to be launched on the actor, probably the first-of-its-kind in the web world. One day, I was with friends, and everybody suddenly started conversing in famous dialogues by Amitabh Bachchan. It was interesting that everyone connected with the other through what seemed like an alternate language. The book is a compilation of selective words in English, associated with different scenes from the actor’s work: I’m sure, fans will want to take it to another level or create their own variations. I thought a glossary that would remind people of star’s works and his dialogues would be really interesting.” Unlike her first two books, Amitabh Bachchan-The Legend and Bachchanalia, this book is more than a biography. “All three books are different. I came out with my first book on him, The Legend in 1999, which was a compilation of the conversations I had with the star, in chronological order. And then in 2009, I came out with a continuation, Bachchanalia. When asked why Amitabh Bachchan, pat comes the reply, “It’s a strange question. I have written 10 books, and out of that three are on him. The Legend—which is a biography in conversations is personal. Then Bachchanalia—a career journey in posters is professional, and finally Lexicon—a fun dictionary, a joyride into his films and songs. I cannot imagine any other actor in Hindi cinema with the same body of work. He deserves it, that’s why.”
The author shares a long, cordial relation with the star. She boasts that during the time when Bachchan stopped interacting with the media, she always managed to get through. “When I started my career in ’79 as a cub reporter, he was a superstar. In ’85, I became an editor. He was still a superstar. In ’89 I launched a new magazine, and he was still ruling the roost, and still not talking to the media. In 1990, he lifted the ban on the media after not talking to them for more than 15 years. I was amongst the first he talked to. So I had enough matter related to him, whenever required,” she says. Sharing some of her special moments with Amitabh, she says, “I was visiting an outdoor shoot of a film, when I got news of my mother being hospitalised. He went out of his way to facilitate my journey back, and made sure his office followed up with doctors till I reached her bedside.”
“All the moments spent with him have been a learning experience both as an individual and as a journalist. On the sets, he does the most mundane shot with focus and passion. During dubbing in the olden days, he would always say, ‘I’ll try a take’,” she adds.
“In 1889, I came up with a magazine and wanted him on the cover, but the media ban was on. Finally, Shabana Azmi whom I met during the shoot of Main Azad Hoon, organised a meeting.”
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