www.hindustantimes.comNew Delhi, Wednesday May 6, 2009, 10 Pages

They say power corrupts…andabsolute power corruptsabsolutely. Well, they haven’theard of a man calledAmitabh Bachchan. Here’s

someone who has seen power at alevel and of a magnitude where theterm ceases to hold any meaning…atleast for him. His significant halfJaya, a legend in her own right, is aneven starker picture of gracefulhumility. So when invited to meet this‘powerful’ couple in their privatespace, any notions I may have carriedof seeing anything other than elegantsimplicity, was entirely my problemand not theirs.

Clad in a crisp white cotton kurtapyjama, Mr Bachchan enters theroom on dot at the appointed time, soexact that even the clock wouldn’thave had time to utter a sigh of reliefafter the hard work of striking eight.(I later discover that his efficientassistant Rosie had duly SMSed,informing that “Mr Bachchan hasstarted for the room you’re waitingin, would reach in two minutes”).Mrs Bachchan follows, wearing agorgeous off-white suit, accessorisedonly with a motherly smile that lightsup her face. “Amit ji, zara sarakiyenah”, she says softly. He obliges bymaking room for her on the large sofain the dimly lit room.

Power? what’s that?I start by telling them why theyindisputably were our obvious choiceto flag off this series on the most pow-erful couples in Bollywood and get asurprised reaction. “We don’t evenunderstand the term ‘power’. This isa media created word. We are justprofessionals doing our job,” snapsMr Bachchan while stealing a glanceat the Blackberries at his side. She isa little more forthcoming, “I toowould like to say something here. Ifeel there is power, but probably notin the sense that you mean. I derivemy power from him, he derives his

power from me, and we togetherderive it from our kids. But thispower is within us, we don’t believein any other kind of power.”

It’s couple-timeOkay, they may be uncomfortablewith the powerful tag but they can’tdeny that, with his heavy acting schedule and her active participationin politics, they are amongst thebusiest of the lot. Do they manageany couple-time? “We don’t get muchtime as we are always travelling… I’mgoing on outdoors, she goes to Delhi…we do feel each other’s absence in ourdaily lives. But whenever we are intown, we make it a point to spend alot of time with each other.”

With son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya in town — anunsual and happy occurrence for thisbusy family — dad has made plansfor the evening. “As soon as we aredone with this interview, I’m going totake everyone out for dinner as we’vegot together after a very long time,”he says. “Also, we appreciate eachother’s professional liabilities andcommitments. That is equally sym-bolic of being together. Anywaytoday’s communication devices aresuch that even if we are in different

parts of the world, we are in touch.Now with this ping Blackberry, (hepoints to his phones), it’s easier.” Dothey ‘ping’ each other during theday? The reply comes with a smile.“Oh yes, sometimes just to say I’mstuck in traffic,” he says. “Sometimesto say, ‘I feel like having chaat.Prepare it for dinner,” she adds,while calling on the domestic help toserve some soup. That gives me a fewmoments to look around the room,tastefully done up in shades of beige,while trying to digest the surrealfeeling of being in the same space assomeone 100 million people in theworld, perhaps more, look up to.

The ‘I don’t’ listI begin to ask about their favouriteconversation topic over a cup of tea,but am interrupted, almostreprimanded, with a startling admis-sion. “I don’t take tea, I don’t take cof-fee, I don’t take chocolates,” he pausesto say “Write it fast or you’ll miss outthe list,” and carries on. “I don't takealcohol, I don’t smoke, I don’t takepaan, I don’t take rice, I don’t takeIndian or western sweets, I don’t takenon-veg, I don’t take Coke or Pepsi.Sab chhod diye.” Phew !! Tempted to

ask if he enjoys anything at all, I curbthe urge while Jaya ji, noticing myjaw drop, laughs, “Well, the rest of usin the family make up for it by eatingeverything that he doesn’t.”

She defends his short and snappyanswers and explains it with a lovinggrudge of her own. “Actually thething is that he doesn’t talk much.His excuse is, “Mere sir mein dardhai, aaj maine bahut zyada baatkiya.” “Bhai kya karein yeh sach hai.I do get a headache if I talk toomuch,” he snaps back and sheimmediately comes to my rescue.“Beta, don’t let him intimidate you.Please ask your questions, he’s likethat only. I’ve lived with him for 35years and am used to it. Now I getworried if he talks a lot,” she laughs,“But when we are alone, we watch the news, or a movie, or talk aboutchildren and grandchildren.”

Thirty-five years of togetherness isa long time. If one of them is upset,does the other come to know withouttelling ? “Yeah, yeah, immediately,”he says while she elaborates, “Yes,but he’s better at keeping a bad moodunder wraps. If I am upset, it imme-diately shows on my face.”

Family firstThe Bachchans are known to be aclose knit family. I mention Abhi-Ashand daughter Shweta and their facesbrighten. “We are fortunate to havechildren who respect our needs andwe in turn respect theirs,” he sayswith obvious pride. She mentions thegrandchildren and says, “Eventhough I was a strict mother myself,now that I’m a grandmother, I can’tever see Shweta’s kids cry. Merihaalat kharaab ho jati hai.”

So what’s the one thing in him thatendears him to her and what annoysher. “Now that’s a tough one,” shesays, “I’ve lived with him longer thanI’ve lived with anyone else. My lovefor him makes me forget anythingthat irritates me. What I like is thathe’s a very kind and gentle person.Maybe what annoys me a little is histendency of not sharing his thoughts.I wish I could help him out everytime he’s going through an emotion-ally rough time.”

Just before we sign off, I ask them ifthere’s any couple they both havelooked upto and pat comes the replyfrom him in a second, “my parents”.She nods, smilingly. The love shows.

SUPERSTAR AKSHAY KUMAR WITH WIFE TWINKLE KHANNA IN THEIR

FIRST EVER INTERVIEW TOGETHER

TOMORROW

A SPECIAL SERIES FEATURING THE FIVEMOST POWERFUL BOLLYWOOD COUPLES, IN THEIR HOMES, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

Catch more on www. hindustantimes.com

SONALKALRA

As a couple who many in thecountry idolise, their marriageadvice is, “No two people are thesame but the idea of marriage isto come together and understandeach other. It’s aboutcompassion and harmony. Also,respect is very important. Youhave to give each other space.They strongly believe in some-thing deep that poet HarivanshRai Bachchan wrote, ‘Man ka hoto achhcha, na ho toh zyadaachcha’ (if you get something toyour heart’s desire, it’s good, ifyou don’t, it’s even better).’

marriageMANTRA

Amitabh Bachchan, with his trademark baritone voice andtowering personality, is unarguably the most successful Indianfilm star ever. Padma Bhushan Mr Bachchan is the only actor togive at least one super hit movie every year for 15 consecutiveyears. The first Asian actor to have a wax statue at MadamTussauds museum in London, he is a recipient of a record threeNational Awards and 12 Filmfare awards, besides France’shighest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour.Jaya Bachchan is an actor par excellence and a Member of theIndian Parliament as well as a senior member of the SamajwadiParty. Padma Shri Mrs Bachchan is a recipient of seven Filmfareawards and numerous national and international accolades forher memorable acting career.

◆ Amitabh and Jaya married onJune 3, 1973, according toBengali rituals

◆ The couple first met at the Filmand Television Institute of Indiaat Pune

◆ When Amitabh met with thenear-fatal Coolie accident, Jayawould walk 6 km barefoot dailyfrom Breach Candy Hospital tothe famed Siddhi VinayakTemple, praying for him.

◆ For his 60th birthday, Jayacompiled a 400-page coffeetable book with 800 photoscalled To Be or Not To Be

did youKNOW?

I’ve grown up in front ofAmit uncle and Jaya aunty.as they were very close to

my parents. For me, it was amatter to show off to myschool mates that I knewAmitabh Bachchan. WhenAmit uncle was admitted tothe hospital after the Coolieaccident, I wrote a letter tohim, praying for his recovery.Two days later I received a

personalised reply letter…signed as Amitabh Bachchan,Breach Candy Hospital. It wasunbelievable and was theturning point for mypopularity levels in school.The world sees them as this

legendary celebrated powercouple, but to me they’vealways been an extension ofmy family. Every Diwali,every Holi, it’s a part of ourlives to be a part of theircelebration. With Jaya aunty,I have a special one-on-oneconnect... a maternal feeling.Not many know that Amituncle has every bit ofmemorabilia from his first

film, till today. He’s also verymethodical and has the bestcollection of stylish clothes inthe entire industry. I can con-fidently say he’s the most fash-ionable 65-yr-old that I know.

To me, Amit uncle and Jayaaunty seem like the Presidentand the First Lady of the filmfraternity. They have a regalaura, an iconic dignity thatyou can’t help but succumb to.

For me, Amit uncle and Jaya aunty are the President and First Lady of the Indian film industry

Karan JoharSPEAKS

powerPROFILE

sonal.kalra@hindustantimes.com

Regal aura and iconic dignity

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DO YOUHAVE AMESSAGEFORAMITABH& JAYA?

A day with theBACHCHANSBACHCHANS

AMITABH AND JAYA BACHCHAN IN A RARE AND CANDID CHAT WITH HT CITY