'I don't keep goals in mind' says Big B

Bollywood's undisputed leader, Amitabh Bachchan, may have started his long-enduring career with a string of feisty "angry young man" roles, but up close at 67 he is charming, distinguished and painfully polite.

How else would you explain the patient and consistent manner in which he tackles the tedious media marathon sessions lined up for him? Any other star in his league would have taken at least a couple of coffee breaks, but not this Dubai International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Case in point: Even before reaching for a plate of butter cookies, he graciously offers it to me first. The prefix "Ma'am, will you care to have one?" is enough to prove his old school credentials.

Clad in a bespoke striped Gabbana suit "Not Dolce & Gabbana, Ma'am, the Gabbana of India made by Aki and Akbar" the matinee idol who has ruled Bollywood for more than four decades and has more than 180 films to his credit says he is yet to find the pulse of what makes his audience tick.

Maturing audience

"I wish we knew what the audience really wants, then all our films can turn into big hits," he says in his rich baritone.

"But the truth is I still don't know what our audience wants. All I know is that the Indian viewers are maturing and are far more discerning now. They are not willing to accept the regular song and dance routine, girl-meets-boy, father-does-not-like-boy, escapist stories.

"If you give them inferior stuff, they will reject it outright."

Bachchan's career is testimony to his beliefs. While his fantasy film Aladin, released in October, failed to impress, Paa his latest release, which sees him play a 13-year-old afflicted by an ageing disorder has been embraced by the public.

However, just like his suave exterior, Bachchan clearly does not let his hits and misses shake his unflappable persona.

"As an actor, I don't keep goals in mind. I enjoy acting and that's why I am here. All I hope is that there will be filmmakers who will challenge me as an actor. It would be terrible if I were to sit back and feel complacent or satisfied. No creative person should feel satisfied with their craft.

"We should have that fire in the belly, the nervousness and the feeling of our legs shaking before a scene."

Bachchan then goes on to reveal that even during this interview he is revelling in the nervous energy gripping him.

"Right now, I am nervous at seeing all these photographers or about whether I will be able to adequately answer your next question," he says.

Connecting with his fans

But if there is one terrain that can put him at ease instantly, it is his personal blog. This Bollywood patriarch who kick-started the trend of celebrity blogging in Bollywood — has since kicked up interest and controversy with his unplugged personal blog.

"It is a wonderful medium to connect with your fans. They ask questions and I can immediately respond to them. It is like chatting.

"I get around 500 to 600 responses every day, around 30,000 visits each day, and I get 2.5 million people visiting me per month. We discuss a lot of things thoughts, debates and my own experience. Blogs have given me a voice that can be heard without going through the regular medium say the media," he says animatedly.

Bachchan may whip up the fact-sheet about blogging in a split second, but surprisingly he does not appear on such a strong footing when it comes to naming the defining movie in his 40-year-career.

"Gosh, frankly I haven't had the time to look back. They have been extremely active years. I started off in 1969 with my first job, Saat Hindustani, and went on to work with some of the most dynamic directors in the industry, like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Manmohan Desai, Ramesh Sippy, Yash Chopra… a huge lot of wonderful people.

"It's difficult to pick movies that have been the closest to my heart. All my films are special and valuable to me."

Attributing a part of his success to the unstinting support of his wife, actress Jaya Bachchan, he says it is wonderful to belong to a family filled with actors. If his son Abhishek is one of the Bollywood A-listers, his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai is one of the most recognised faces in the world.

"My wife, Jaya, has been in this profession and understands the stresses and how complicated an actor's life is. She has been a wonderful support. In fact, it is lovely to have four people connected to the world of films, it is lovely to do the same job and to come back and discuss how our day went.

"She [Jaya] is a wonderful asset. She even stopped working because she wanted to see the children grow up. It's great to have a wife who will support your cause or profession."

He is equally diplomatic when it comes to championing the youth. One of the few 60-plus actors who is ardently courted by young A-list directors such as Karan Johar and Aaditya Chopra, Bachchan has immense faith in the youth.

"They have incredible potential. With each generation, ideas change and the settings in which they work change. It's time to give way to the youth and I am confident that the youth shall prevail."

"Film festivals are the perfect place to unearth hidden talent. I have read up quite a bit about Cedar Boys, a film about Australia's working-class Lebanese community. It is important for movie buffs to watch films made by debutante directors."

So maybe Gregory Corso wasn't the greatest Beat poet, but he was part of the inner circle. Their themes pushed the envelope back then and Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac continue to inspire. An insider's view can only be enlightening.

As Amitabh Bachchan fills his ever-burgeoning trophy cabinet with the DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award, tabloid! finds finds out what his celebrity colleagues have to say:

Big B says:

Amitabh Bachchan takes a diplomatic stand when asked about...The most promising star in Bollywood: "I think all of them have incredible talent and potential. Everybody is good — Salman Khan, Shah Rukh [Khan], Ranbir Kapoor… everybody."

The Slumdog Millionaire controversy (an entry in his blog on whether the movie would have received so much attention had it been made by an Indian created a furore): "I was misquoted and the issue has been cleared. I think Slumdog Millionaire is a well-made film."

Amitabh Bachchan is reluctant to say which of his movies mean the most to him, but here are a few close to his heart:'60s: Saat Hindustani, his debut film, and Anand'70s: Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, Sholay and Amar Akbar Antony'80s: Shahenshah'90s: Agneepath2009: Paa

On women

Big B has seen the changes in Bollywood over the last few decades. His comment on the most remarkable change Women in the entertainment industry: "It's incredible that my film Teen Patti [releasing in February, 2010] is helmed by two women  producer Ambika Hinduja and director Leena Yadav. They are now manning departments which were previously headed by men. It's great to see them on the sets."