AMITABH BACHCHAN
And His Double

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived! Bollywoods beloved legend, Amitabh Bachchan's wax model was unveiled at Madame Tussaud's on the 20th of December. As he approached the stage upon which his model was standing, he smiled approvingly and posed beside it for the hoard of photographers.

When I first walked in and saw Amitabh Bachchan standing before me, my heart skipped a beat. It took me a moment to realise that I was actually gazing at his replica. As the two Amitabhs stood together, it brought back memories of his great double roles in such classics as Desh Premi and Aakhree Raasta, except this time, the double was sporting the infamous white goatee instead of a thick gray beard.

The effigy itself took six months to create at a cost of approximately 30,000 pounds. His model is wearing a black kurta with a silk embroidered shawl wrapped around. Amitabh chose the outfit himself. When I asked why he chose this particular attire, he explained that he actually wore the costume in the upcoming Karan Johar movie, Kabhi Kushi, Kabhi Gum and because he wanted his replica to project a more traditional image he donated it to the museum. Amitabh also donated the black shoes and socks from his own personal wardrobe.

The angry young man of Bollywood was cool, calm and collected and as down to earth as can be. My nerves were as shaky as jelly when I asked my first questions, but there is something about the way Amitji looks into your eyes that is incredibly reassuring and inspiring. There was no arrogance or pretence about him, unlike many of the other Bollywood actors; he is quite simply very friendly and down-to-earth. Now that's a real star!

Amitabh explained to me that among the younger generation of actors, he would perhaps like to see Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan as future Bollywood representatives at Madame Tussaud's. When I mentioned his own son, Abhishek Bachchan, Amitji laughed modestly and said that Abhishek has to put in a lot of hard work and has a long way to go.

Amitabh was announced as the winner of a public opinion poll at the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) at the Millennium Dome Skyscape Arena in London last June. He was selected over other celebrated stars as Raj Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Ashwariya Rai and Madhuri Dixit to represent Bollywood and be immortalised at world-renowned Madame Tussaud's. "I want to thank the people, my fans, who have continued to be with me for over 30 years now," he told reporters at the press conference. He described it as a very exciting moment for him.

The screen legend is the first Bollywood actor to be presented with this honour. Madame Tussaud's has had numerous requests over the past year to include a South Asian film star in their museum. Only 15 new figures are produced each year and for this reason they decided to let the general public vote for their favourite star to include in their hall of fame. "The reaction has been fantastic. We've had so many people ringing us up saying this is great", said Diane Moon, one of the co-ordinators at the unveiling.

Amitabh flew into London that morning specially for the unveiling and he looked as fresh and as handsome as ever. He only stayed overnight and flew back to India to resume shooting for movies the next morning.

Surprisingly not many fans showed up to see the replica on the day of the unveiling, but Madame Tussaud's officials expect a larger turn out during the Christmas holidays.

Amitabh Bachchan began his career in 1969 in Saat Hindustani and has since starred in over 100 movies, the most recent being Aditya Chopra's blockbuster hit Mohabbatein. He was also voted greatest star of stage and screen in a worldwide Internet poll, beating Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir Alec Guiness in second and third places, respectively.

So, what more can be said about this undisputed Superstar of the Millenium? Well, there are rumours floating around that the Big B is going to do a show sometime next year, so stay tuned for further developments.

WRITTEN BY PUJA VEDI