Saturday, May 9, 2009

Big B: a Matter of faith

Amitabh Bachchan, the epitome of good culture, is one of the most secular Bollywood superstars.He never talks about his faith because he believes that it is a very private subject; and yet when people in the Hindi film industry observe him closely, they can’t help but speak about the subject.

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When Bachchan with wife Jaya, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya made a quiet entry at the prayer meeting organised by Fardeen Khan and sister Laila for their father Feroz Khan, the recital of the Holy Quran was on. The room was already full with the exception of a few chairs at the back, but Raj Kumar Tiwari, Fardeen’s business manager, invited the Bachchans upfront where additional chairs sprang up when the celebrity mourners arrived.

But as a mark of respect to the Holy Quran, Bachchan refused to walk further into the room. Said Tiwari, “Instead, he chose to remain at the back.” As a result, Bachchan had to stand in queue for 45 minutes to meet Fardeen, Laila and their mother and convey his condolences.

Zayed Khan tried his best to get Bachchan to break the line and come forward, but the Big B flatly refused. “Sanjay Khan, Zayed and Fardeen are greatly indebted to Amitji and his family for not only attending the prayer meeting, but giving Feroz saab, the entire Khan family and their faith such great respect,” said a family member on behalf of the Khan khandaan.

Isn’t it said that in life, the line actually begins where great men stand; in this case Big B showed the way.