MORE WORK
| Date :31-Dec-2019 |
WHEN a celebrated thespian says at the pinnacle of his glory that he has more work to do -- which he looks forward to -- then the common man solves instantly the puzzle, the mystery that surrounds his greatness. The moment the iconic Amitabh Bachchan says candidly, upon getting the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his lifetime achievement in cinema, that he has yet more work to do, the common people realise what is at the root of his excellence -- the craving for achieving more, rising higher, acquiring a greater gravitas. It is in this pursuit that Amitabh Bachchan has spent his life -- without becoming a spent-force, without getting a burn-out, without becoming frigid in arrogance or rigid with experience of success. Dadasaheb Phalke Award, which President Mr. Ram Nath Kovind bestowed upon him on behalf of the Government and the nation, therefore will not act as a culmination of his journey (which he suspected, as per his own admission) but act only as one more -- and finer -- milestone!
That is Amitabh Harivanshrai Bachchan! That is the reason why ‘The Hitavada’ has chosen to write yet another leader-comment upon the event of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award to Amitabh Bachchan, having written one when the honour was announced sometime ago. For, the very name, the very persona, the very presence of Amitabh Bachchan among our midst is a matter of continued celebration, to say the least. For, in other words, he is continuously a ‘work in progress’, on a continuous ascent, raring to reach higher levels of thespianism (if one may coin the word in pursuit of an expanded definition of the cult the man metaphorises)!
That is what the Award may mean at the most! In fact, each of the past winners has added that value to the Award, making the honour truly iconic, almost ethereal in feel. Amitabh Bachchan has added yet another facet to the diamond of the honour, adding to its resplendence, giving the glow certain eternality, certain divinity! The world knows the detail -- of Amitabh Bachchan’s life and work. The world has also tried its best to identify the seed of the secret of his greatness. Yet, the world has often struggled to ‘isolate’ the gene that made the man, to use the scientific jargon.
The statement that he still has more work to do, offers only a limited delving into that secret place where his greatness was born, that exclusive domain inside him. The world, therefore, will not miss his words: “There is some more work I have to finish and certain possibilities are coming up where I may get a chance to do some work. I just wanted some clarification on this (?!)” -- about “whether this is an indication for me to sit at home and relax after working for so many years”. The world will realise that this statement only partly answers the curiosity about that seed of greatness that has made the man what he has been!
The world has never tired itself out while talking about the rise and fall of the tide of Amitabh Bachchan’s career, his successes and failures, his hobnobbing with politics, his huddling with the powerful and the mighty, and finally his return to the central theatre of his domain to make colossal strides into higher zones. Each step of this chequered journey has its own inspiration to offer not just to the fans but also to fellow journeymen in the cinema at large! This craving to do more work actually stems from an undying urge to actualise oneself to both, the nuclear and universal levels. It is this urge that has powered the collective journey since Time began. The story of Amitabh Bachchan -- his life and work -- symbolises all that spiritual thrust that has made him an iconic personality that his own eminence actually may not embrace!