Saw 'Bbuddha hoga Terra Baap'. After years, I was watching a movie that left me refreshed, happy and pulsating with life. As films go, it's above average, especially considering the current crop of horrors we are subjected to, like I hate Luv Storys, Three Idiots etc, which are just so juvenile they depress you for days and take away your faith in human ability to make films, never mind their so-called critical acclaim.
I am a mass movie goer, not the class one who twists and turns the film in her head for every possible nuance to issue a pass or fail certificate. I watch movies for fun and their entertainment quotient. And in that, Bbuddha.. scores seven on ten, strictly as a film and away from the lead actor. There are problems with the movie of course, some parts sit odd and are over the top, some dialogues are plain silly; some characters like the saint gone wrong are unnecessary and needlessly makes a mockery of religious preachers.
But what makes Bbuddha... a 100 on ten, what makes it breathe is the genius of the man called Amitabh Bachchan. The man towers in every department: looks, energy, carriage, charisma, class, style, pomp, panache, attitude, acting, emoting, diction, voice, dialogue delivery. He overcomes the flaws in the film not just effortlessly but in a way you dont mind them at all, if at all you notice them: his garish clothes and eyewear, over-the-top dialogues which are delivered with such flair you want to appreciate them with applause and dont feel silly doing so, his larger-than-life role that would be so unconvincing on any of the Khans but which suits Bachchan to an A. He takes over the film in every scene in a way you notice only him, and your overworked brains collapse into rest, letting you soak in every moment of his joyful majesty unfolding on screen. You are hooked and when the film ends, you are begging for more. He overrides the shortcomings of the script, limp ends, insipid acting of co-stars like Sonu Sood, Hema Malini and that wooden wonder, Sonal Chauhan, and of course, his sheer defiance of age. Comparing the Khan brigade and others after or before him is a bit like comparing a lamp to the Sun. It's laughable.
Comparing Al Pacino to AB is pointless because you'll not find this energy in any Al Pacino film. Al Pacino is the god of underacting and often carries the weight of his personality on his face. Bachchan is the god of acting and carries no baggage of who he is. At times, he catches you unawares by the way he transcends his role. As in the last scene, when he gets emotional before his wife. Suddenly, you see his guard lowered; the vulnerable side to the man who was invincible throughout the film is bare and naked for all to see. It's an amazing switch. His eyes betray his emotions so graphically you are tempted to believe they caught this action in real life. If you think this is all he did, pl check out the songs; all sung by him. A professional singer would do no better and he would still not have that baritone.
To say Bachchan is a treat, a delight to watch is an understatement. To say he is the best actor produced by India or the world is to pull him down to the level of comparison. Words cannot suitably describe him; they do no justice to the sheer magic of the man who stands in a class of his own.
Check out the man offscreen: he radiates intelligence. He has charisma, grace, charm, humility, poise, his linguistic mastery and a facility of articulation that perhaps no scholar can match.
The movie brought alive the memories of the Bachchan mania of my childhood. It revived me at every level of being and made me grateful that I am living in an age and in a country where I get to watch him and see him. Ya, I have seen him twice, once as a kid at a funds collection rally organised by the film industry for floods in some part of the country, and second in Times of India building, when I sat in at a press conference just to bask in his presence.
I cant help drooling. For all those who say he should retire, I feel sorry for them.
AB, thanks for coming into our lives. You rock! And, you rule for all times to come.
