Interestingly, in his 1979 hit, 'Kaala Patthar', Bachchan played the role of a coal miner.
"When I was young, Amitabh Bachchan was the superstar. Now, as I’m growing old, Amitabh Bachchan is still the superstar." - Aamir Khan
Becoming a superstar is relatively the easier part, which mostly depends on being "at the right place at the right time". However, maintaining that superstardom for decades, and staying relevant for generations after generations - man, that's where the real challenge lies! Because that requires insane consistency, which, according to Jeremy Bentham, is the "rarest of all human qualities". You have to evolve and reinvent yourself time and again, and can never get into a comfort zone, even after reaching the top.
Well, this is exactly what's so special about Amitabh Bachchan. Often referred to as the "Shahenshah of Bollywood" and "Star of the Millennium", the actor became the most popular face of Indian cinema during the 70s-80s, reigning as the "one-man industry" (as described by French director François Truffaut) with an unprecedented fan following. And today, at the age of 82, he continues to be the same enthusiast about his work, and is widely celebrated as a 'megastar'. While many of his contemporaries have left the business, he is still at the top of his game!
Credit: vyjayanthimovies
The legendary actor turns one year wiser today. On this occasion, we share an interesting fact about him that you probably didn't know.
Yes, you read it absolutely right! Before stepping into showbiz, Amitabh Bachchan did several jobs to make a living. And for quite some time, he worked at the coal dept of a company in Kolkata, for which he sometimes worked in coal mines in Dhanbad and Asansol, West Bengal.
Speaking about the same, Bachchan later shared in an interview, "Not many know that my first ever job was in Kolkata in 1962 where I worked in coal mines for 7-8 years.”
Notably, while promoting his film, 'Te3N', in Kolkata, the megastar recalled his days in the city, saying, "... A lot has been changed in the city. Many flyovers have been made now. I love eating puchka pani opposite Victoria Memorial. Several theatres where I used to watch movies have been demolished but the people are the same as ever. They are very hospitable."
It's quite interesting that in the 1979 film, 'Kaala Patthar', Bachchan played the role of an ex-Navy Captain working in a coal mine. As the actor later shared, a substantial part of the film was based on his own experiences of working in coal mines. Also, his previous experiences helped him portray the character with conviction.
Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Kaala Patthar’
Back in 2021, marking 42 years of the film, Bachchan shared a collage of stills from the Yash Chopra-directed film. He wrote, "42 years of Kaala Patthar! phew! Been a while. And so many incidents in the film from my personal experiences when I worked in the Coal Department of my Calcutta Company, my first job before joining the movies... actually working in the Coal mines in Dhanbad and Asansol."
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Besides Bachchan, 'Kaala Patthar' also starred Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Parveen Babi, Neetu Singh, and Sanjeev Kumar. It was a box office hit and received several Filmfare Award nominations.
T 2832 - 37 years of Kala Patthar ..!! many incidents were recreations of my own experiences at coal mines when I worked in Kolkata !! pic.twitter.com/c3RViVz5UB
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) June 9, 2018
Credit: amitabhbachchan
Big B's aspiration was always to become an artist. When he finished his studies, his father (late Harivansh Rai Bachchan) approached Prithviraj Kapoor to get a job for his son at Prithvi Theatre. There was no opening for him, and hence he started applying for other jobs.
He became a business executive for Bird & Company in Calcutta (now Kolkata) where he worked for quite some time. Meanwhile, he also worked in theatre and honed his craft as an actor. On the other hand, he applied for the position of newsreader for All India Radio in Delhi but was rejected due to his heavy voice.
“Just after finishing college, while in Delhi, I wanted to do plays on the radio. I went for two voice tests - in Hindi and English. Few days later I got a letter which said ‘we regret to inform you that your voice is unsuitable for our purpose” - Amitabh Bachchan.
— Film History Pics (@FilmHistoryPic) October 11, 2023
Ameen Sayani… pic.twitter.com/Vj5OlDDTGP
Credit: Film History Pics
Finally, he made his film debut in 1969, as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award-winning film 'Bhuvan Shome'. That same year, he made his acting debut with 'Saat Hindustani', directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The rest, as they say, is history!
Happy Birthday, Mr. Bachchan. Thanks For Inspiring Us!
