The name Amitabh Bachchan needs no introduction in Bollywood. He is the industry’s personification in many ways. The legendary voice, aura and screen presence continues to leave the audience in awe even today. After 55 years on the big screen, the 82-year-old is still going strong and there is more to come.
But believe it or not, Big B’s voice was not always liked by those in the industry. In fact, he was once cast in the role of a mute because the director did not like his voice. Yes, it’s true. Of course this was before his voice became legendary in Bollywood.
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The movie was Reshma Aur Shera that came out in 1971. The director was Sunil Dutt, father of now superstar Sanjay, who was also in the film as the male lead. Sanjay too made his big screen debut in the film as a child actor. The revelation was made by Sheeba Akashdeep Sabir, who was noticed in Jigra and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, as per DNA. Her father-in-law Manmohan Sabir produced Big B's debut film Saat Hindustani. He too thought the same about his voice.
"In fact, Dutt sahab told me, ‘We hated his voice. His voice sounds similar to a radio jockey,’” she told Siddharth Kannan in an interview
"He told me, ‘Ek hero aata tha hamare ghar mein aur aake mere pairon mein baitha tha. Humko lagta tha kaisi se awaaz hai iske, gunjti hui’ (A hero used to come to our house and sit at my feet. I used to find his voice strange, it was booming)," she said about her father-in-law.
In the coming years films like Zanjeer, Deewaar, Don and Trishul raised the legendary status of Big B’s voice. Now that voice is a brand in itself. Big B was last scene in the Tamil film Vettaiyan. He will next be seen in Aankh Micholi 2.
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