HT Style ICON 2005

A MITABH BACHCH- AN does everything in style, even if it's checking out of hospital. Sixty-three, convalescing and white-haired, Amitabh looked every inch a super- star as he stood waving to fans outside Lilavati on December 17. There was someone called Abhishek Bachchan next to him, but not many people noticed. That is the sort of presence men 30 years younger would kill for. In 2005, Amitabh did things that proved again and again that he is one of a kind. He did bold experi- ments with his style on KBC2, gave Ram Gopal Var ma his first big hit (Sarkar) in a long, long time, gave the nation its song of the year when he returned Aishwarya Rai's come-hith- er look in Kajra Re, and then did some eye-popping stunts for Ek Ajnabee, his latest release, without a body dou- ble. With his trademark dry wit, Amitabh closed the question of how he man- aged this last feat: "Why did I dare do them? That's a funny question! Why do I act? Why do I breathe?" This year has g reatly enriched Amitabh the actor and Amitabh the endorser. Sitting on top of the heap of stars that take home crores per endorsement, he also gave a performance in Black that won him accolades. At the same time, he made himself accessible to the media, his reserve set aside to reveal a friendlier face than most people have ever seen. It was as though, having been through the worst of times, he was celebrating the best of times. Amitabh Bachchan Anil Ambani Mallika Sherawat Narain Karthikeyan Rahul Dravid Sania Mirza Vijaypat Singhania Vote for your HT Style Icon — send the names of your chosen hero to htstyle@hindustantimes.com. The results will be published on Dec 31.