Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Bachchan in his own words

HOW CINEMATIC GIANT AMITABH INSPIRED EASTERN EYE READERS ACROSS THE YEARS

by ASJAD NAZIR


ON OCTOBER 11 Amitabh Bachchan celebrates his  77th birthday and this year marks 50 years of working in cinema. He is also this year’s recipient of Indian cinema’s most prestigious honour The Dada Saheb Phalke award. All the accolades are well deserved for

someone I regard as the greatest and most influential movie star in history. I have been lucky enough to interview him in five countries and been inspired every time. As a tribute, here are 18 of the timeless quotes he has given me over the past 18 years.

“Any kind of failure doesn’t bode well with us, but we want to learn from it, see where we went wrong and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again.”

“It would be a delight to be challenged every day. I think all artists should be in a position where they have to deal with new situations and characterisations. It’s a great moment for developing your own creativity.”

“Do not look up to me. I am not worth it, look within, you shall be happier and greatly more satisfied.”

“I don’t know what tomorrow holds. If there is something there or a new frontier, I will give it a shot.”

“My fans are like extended members of my family and look upon them as being there with me not just for support, but also as them being able to share any issues or problems that they might have with me, which they do. I just feel that they feel I am sort of a father figure they can confide in.”

"Stay grounded and humble, work with integrity, be eternally thankful for the wonderful blessings bestowed in life, and love and respect all as equals.”

“Films are meant to entertain and engage audiences, but this needs to be balanced with the onus on filmmakers to raise awareness on issues that need to be addressed

in order for positive change to be facilitated.”

“You don’t always get it right, but that’s part of the learning, as long as you take the relevant lessons on board.”

“The greatest of achievements are ones within the actor. I know when I have given a good shot or a good performance, and that is valued more than any awards.”

“Well, every day is a new day and each new day provides a different challenge. One

has to look at the challenge positively, go out and try to give the best one can.”

“I don’t believe in these images of grandeur or being called a legend. I am grateful to people who talk like that and think like that, but we in the film industry are not what they think we are; we’re just normal ordinary human beings. I am someone who believes in being normal.”

“I believe this is the best time to be an actor in India because the industry is filled with new

technologies, fresh ideas and a whole bunch of youngsters at the helm of affairs. Having this is very attractive for any kind of creativity.”

“Yes. I try to learn from any criticism.”

“When I was growing up I always admired Dilip Kumar and Waheeda Rehmanjee. I thought

they were wonderful when I saw them on the big screen. Both of them still remain

close to my heart till this day.”

“I think Yusuf saab was phenomenal! When the history of Indian cinema will be written

it be before Dilip Kumar and after Dilip Kumar.”

“I don’t think that I have achieved anything and all these wonderful words

of role model and icon I have never believed in them and never will.”

“I’m very happy with the roles I am doing. I’m an actor and would do any role that comes

my way.”

“I love cinema because I do not know any other vocation that would earn me a living and help me run my kitchen.”

More For You

starmer-bangladesh-migration
Sir Keir Starmer
Getty Images

Comment: Can Starmer turn Windrush promises into policy?

Anniversaries can catalyse action. The government appointed the first Windrush Commissioner last week, shortly before Windrush Day, this year marking the 77th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Britain.

The Windrush generation came to Britain believing what the law said – that they were British subjects, with equal rights in the mother country. But they were to discover a different reality – not just in the 1950s, but in this century too. It is five years since Wendy Williams proposed this external oversight in her review of the lessons of the Windrush scandal. The delay has damaged confidence in the compensation scheme. Williams’ proposal had been for a broader Migrants Commissioner role, since the change needed in Home Office culture went beyond the treatment of the Windrush generation itself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh’s ‘Sapphire’ collaboration misses the mark

The song everyone is talking about this month is Sapphire – Ed Sheeran’s collaboration with Arijit Singh. But instead of a true duet, Arijit takes more of a backing role to the British pop superstar, which is a shame, considering he is the most followed artist on Spotify. The Indian superstar deserved a stronger presence on the otherwise catchy track. On the positive side, Sapphire may inspire more international artists to incorporate Indian elements into their music. But going forward, any major Indian names involved in global collaborations should insist on equal billing, rather than letting western stars ride on their popularity.

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Keep ReadingShow less
If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

Portraits of Iranian military generals and nuclear scientists, killed in Israel’s last Friday (13) attack, are seen above a road, as heavy smoke rises from an oil refinery in southern Teheran hit in an overnight Israeli strike last Sunday (15)

If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

THERE is one question to which none of us has the answer: if the ayatollahs are toppled, who will take over in Teheran?

I am surprised that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, has lasted as long as he has. He is 86, and would achieve immortality as a “martyr” in the eyes of regime supporters if the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, succeeded in assassinating him. This was apparently Netanyahu’s plan, though he was apparently dissuaded by US president Donald Trump from going ahead with the killing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

A woman poses with a sign as members of the public queue to enter a council meeting during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council offices at City Centre on January 20, 2025 in Oldham, England

Getty Images

Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

WAS a national inquiry needed into so-called grooming gangs? Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer did not think so in January, but now accepts Dame Louise Casey’s recommendation to commission one.

The previous Conservative government – having held a seven-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse – started loudly championing a new national inquiry once it lost the power to call one. Casey explains why she changed her mind too after her four-month, rapid audit into actions taken and missed on group-based exploitation and abuse. A headline Casey theme is the ‘shying away’ from race.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Shraddha Jain

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

FUNNY UK TOUR

The tidal wave of top Indian stand-up stars touring the UK continues with upcoming shows by Shraddha Jain this July. The hugely popular comedian – who has over a million Instagram followers – will perform her family-friendly show Aiyyo So Mini Things at The Pavilion, Reading (4), the Ondaatje Theatre, London (5), and The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham (6). The 90-minute set promises an entertaining take on the mundane and uproarious aspects of everyday life.

Keep ReadingShow less