47 Years On We May Never Find A Successor For This Man

A UP born boy and bred in a typical Kayastha family where education is the prime motto, a man took a journey of a lifetime without knowing the stupendous or let’s say insane stardom he was about to witness.

His real name meant ‘Long Live The Revolution’ and the name which was given to him later meant ‘The Light that will never die’. Little did he know that he will live upto both his names, probably a little later in life, after seeing life a little more than others do.

After finishing his studies from Delhi University, owing to his remarkable voice, he tried his hand at a job in All India Radio where he was ironically rejected. He then moved onto try his luck at films. A 6 ft tall man with a powerful voice made his acting debut with Saat Hindustani in 1969 and he showed signs of a promising future by winning a National Award for the best new comer for the same. But, that didn’t deter fate from testing his mettle. He gave 12 flops back to back until he came back as the angry young man in Zanjeer (1973). 

He found love in a beautiful Bengali girl who was more successful than him in those times. Rumours of his secret love story still do the rounds of the internet with an evergreen actress, but he has always been his wife’s husband, and that’s the truth.

He defeated death in 1983 and came back to life after a near death experience while shooting an iconic film. Surreally a man who shared his date of birth with him, died in the same hospital when he was revived by the doctors.

As they say, if you’re at your worst then the best is going to happen. He lost his shares, property and money to a showdown in his side business. He stood at the bar of justice and time showed him who his true friends were. A megastar already, he began his life all over again by embarking on a Television project, which was quite demeaning for a top actor to take up in those times. But the grandeur in his voice and the unfathomable etiquettes in his hosting made him the best quiz master of Indian television.
He bounced back with even more popularity and soaring success, never to look back again in life. He’s perhaps the most humble star in the entire film fraternity. He doesn’t stand in a queue; queues begin from where he stands. The biggest of celebs give him a standing ovation every time he enters a room or the biggest of events. You cannot beat him in punctuality and if you think a man in his 70s wouldn’t know social media, he’s the boss! He owns social media like nobody’s business. Too humble to show a streak of pride or arrogance when he still wins iconic awards, he still wishes everyone on their important days and sends hand written notes to congratulate people.

219 films later, 74 years young, he meets his fans every Sunday outside his residence and thanks them for their unconditional love and support. There are scholarships in his name, wax statues in museums and a fan even inside a five year old toddler. He has a fan in every age. 

As he completes 47 years in the industry, this is perhaps a blink and miss description of his journey of erstwhile Inquilab Shrivastava, and there isn’t a tribute that can do justice to this man’s legacy and existence. Yet in our own fandom, Desimartini extends its best wishes to the man who is the Shahenshah of cinema in India. He’s indeed the light that will never die. Rishtey mein toh woh tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan!

source the quint

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