On the sofa with a living legend

Hasina Momtaz met her hero, veteran film star Amitabh Bachchan, on his recent trip to the East End.

It’s not every day that one gets invited for an up-close and personal chat with a living legend – but that’s exactly what happened to me earlier this week when Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan flew into town. No, this wasn’t a movie premiere or a film festival in Cannes – the surroundings were a little more down to earth than that. The veteran actor was here to cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of the fourth branch of Caveat Solicitors at their brand new office in Barking.

Mr Bachchan was here to support his longstanding friend CJ and his wife Rehana Choudhury in their new endeavour and was greeted by an intimate crowd of specially invited guests when he arrived to inaugurate the firm’s office in Ripple Road.

As we conversed, the superstar revealed that he first met CJ many years ago. Over the years, as well as becoming a firm family friend, CJ has also provided legal counsel not just to him, but also to members of his immediate and extended family. The friendship has been built on a foundation of trust, Mr Bachchan confided to me – and he stressed the importance of this in all dealings, regardless of whether one is a lawyer or an actor or in any other profession.

Speaking in that very famous deep voice which is instantly recognisable by millions around the world, he told me that he was here because of a sense of family, not duty. He described CJ and Rehana as very efficient and stated that he felt comfortable with them and that is important for him.

However, when I asked him whether he would have ever considered becoming a lawyer if he hadn’t gone into acting, he replied that while he supports CJ and Rehana in their endeavours, he himself has never harboured any aspirations to become a lawyer, despite the fact that his mother’s family comes from a legal background.

He was less forthcoming when asked to choose his favourite character from the many roles that he has played over his long and illustrious career, but he did reveal that all the characters he has played have been close to his heart in some way or another.

As we chatted along comfortably, he revealed to me that he found it very difficult to decide whether to do a role or a film, and that many factors influence his decision, such as the director and the character – but the most important aspect for him was the story itself. He confided that he was bad at choosing roles, even though he has played some of the most memorable characters in Indian cinema history. After all, who can ever forget his portrayals in classic films such as Muqadder ka Sikander, Sholay, Don, Agneepath, Deewar, Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham, Laawaris and many other screen greats? The list is endless.

During our cosy tete a tete on the sofa, I asked Mr Bachchan what his one piece of advice would be to anyone, regardless of whether they wanted to be a lawyer, doctor or an actor. Despite appearing bashful at first, he said that the most important piece of advice he would give to anyone would be to know their craft well so that they can convince others and inspire confidence.

As our conversation drew to a close, I thought to myself what a loss it would have been to millions of other fans like myself around the world if Big B had gone into the Asian “family business” and become a lawyer instead of an actor. I know that my childhood growing up watching his films wouldn’t have been the same and I don’t think Bollywood would have been the same without the inimitable and genuinely charming Amitabh Bachchan!

My final verdict is that even at the age of 70, Mr Bachchan still has a twinkle in his eye and he definitely still has the X-Factor!

A video of Hasina Momtaz’s interview with Amitabh Bachchan is in the video section of our home page.
For more information about Caveat Solicitors, go to www.caveatsolicitors.com.