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"It is inspirational and amazing to see how he has carved a niche for himself despite the fact that the film industry was reluctant to accept him initially. In the film industry, success is not necessarily proportionate to the talent and hard work. But, Amitabh Bachchan is an exception," Khan said.
The actor was speaking after releasing Bachchanalia: The films and Memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan, co-authored by Bhawana Somaaya, to mark the 40 years of the legend's illustrious career at the Tata theatre in NCPA here on Saturday.
"Since I come from a film family, we had copies of Filmfare magazine which carried pictures of young actors struggling to make a mark in the industry. As a kid, I recall laughing with disdain at some pictures of young people who were aspiring to become actors. As I grew up, I hung my head in shame that one of the picture which I laughed at was that of Amitabh Bachchan," Khan said.
Stressing the need for archiving film memorabilia, he said 'Bachchanalia' was a visual delight.
"It is image heavy and not word heavy and takes you through the journey of an amazing actor through images," he added.
Bachchan said he would complete 40 years in the film industry on February 15, 2009 and thanked fans who have stood by him throughout all trials and tribulations, ups and downs in his personal and professional life.
Stating that documenting and archiving film memorabilia was not a custom in India, Bachchan said that there should be a system that keeps records about the developments in the Indian film industry.
"In other countries, culture and tradition of arts and entertainment fields are preserved with meticulous precision. Our films have not lived up to the aesthetic taste of many people but it is because the knowledge and study of cinema is poor. Our cinema has brought people together," he added.
He disagreed with the view that films encourage violence in the society.
"We imbibe what we see in the society. The beauty of mainstream cinema is that you get poetic justice in three hours which you dont get in a lifetime in reality," he said.
Speaking about aesthetics of cinema, he said his personal aesthetics may be different from that of the filmmaker.
"As an actor, I am committed to the person in charge of a film project. Aesthetics of the film was the job of the producer and director," he said.
Citing an example, he said in 'Baghbaan' when the children of the protagonist ask for forgiveness, the father does not do so and carries on with his own life independently.
"Given the success of the film at the box office, it shows that audience endorsed the stand which is the aesthetic sense of the director. But In real life, if I faced a similar situation, I will forgive," he said.
The function was also attended by Jaya Bachchan, daughter Shweta, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Music composers Anandji, Pyarelal, Sonali and Roopkumar Rathod, Ravi Chopra, Zeenat Aman, Kalpana Lajmi, Seema Biswas, Amar Singh were prominent among other the invitees.
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