Amitabh Srivastava or Amitabh Bachchan as we know him has been a very successful actor.The BBC ranked him higher than any other world actor.But,for all his greatness Amitabh started off poorly in 'Saat Hindustani'.His face appeared pale and his expressions lifeless.In other words between 1969-1973 he was a failed actor.And should have remained so.Because with his success came Bollywood's darkest phase.Creativity and movie magic were at their nadir.His films,his hits to wit were all variations of the 'angry young man' theme.When he was no longer young,all his films flopped.And Bollywood is much better for his exit from hero roles.
Contrast this with Rajesh Khanna.From 'Aakhri Khat',Aradhana to say his last big hit 'Roti' Rajesh was a phenomenon.Here was a man with pretty boy looks and truckloads of charm.Every woman in India wanted to be his wife.He had the charisma,the magic to be the cynosure of all eyes,the life of any gathering.Whereas Bachchan only had his voice and frankly that man is ugly.Why Rajesh Khanna stopped being successful I do not know.But he was a dream merchant,a peddler of make-believe.Just like all super-mega-moviestars worldwide.I really grieve for Khanna when I see him acting in B-grade skinflicks these days.It only confirms my believe that life intrinsically is unfair.
