Bachchans FC 7!-DOTW-p.119-Big B as Pres. - Page 94

THAT she had to abort writing the biography on Amitabh Bachchan due to an alleged legal threat by the superstar, doesn't seem to have perturbed British writer Jessica Hines. Rather she says, "My book 'Looking for the Big B-Bollywood, Bachchan & Me' is more revealing than a biography Creatively I had more . , fun with it. And it's a warning for biographers who become friends with their subject." Friends and foes: Quiz her on what went wrong between her and the Big B and Jessica confesses, "In friendships, there's sometimes misunderstanding, tension and anger. We just got cross with each other and fell out. When you analyse, the reasons seem silly today She adds, ." "Today I'm friends with him. He finds the book 'cool'." Extraordinarily ordinary: Nevertheless, what inspired Jessica to hem in Bachchan in a book? "He's larger-than-life. I wanted to know what makes him tick. You're used to finding celebrities disappoint you. But he didn't. I want ed to know why?" she thinks aloud. The book mentions Bachchan saying that he's an ordinary man, to whom extraordinary things have happened. Jessica recalls, "I asked him why he said that and he replied, 'I just read that and thought it was a nice thing to say It . sounded unpretentious'." Sane superstar: Jessica continues, "Every human being is ordinary But extraordinary is . the way he handles it!" The author adds, "I was watching a documentary on the Big B, in which Salman Rushdie says, 'I don't know how he remains sane'." But Jessica cautions, "Putting people on a pedestal shows a sloppy mental state. It also implies that we have the power to knock them off." Myths and more: So what are the myths that she'd like to bust about the Big B? "He's not all that tall. He's no giant. Also he surfs the channels, which I find very irritating." But that has not stopped women of all ages from drooling over him. "Most stars are boys. But he has played a man-an adult sexual male always," Jessica says of his on-screen sex-appeal. What annoys Jessica is when sensible women gape as 'goldfish' in his company How-.

ever, she admits, "He smells good. He uses several scents at a time. My friend said, 'He's the most fragrant man on the continent!' The Wizard of Oz: Jessica continues with a 'friendly myth busting' exercise, "In the last scene of the film 'The Wizard of Oz', Dorothy's dog pulls aside the curtain to show that behind the shimmering image of the wizard is a little man working on a machine. The wizard then shouts, 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain'!" Jessica's Jaan: When Jessica, the woman is quizzed about whether she's still friends with Aamir Khan (alleged father of her son), she states sternly "I don't want to talk about Aamir , Khan." Compliment her on the poetic Indian name Jaan given to her toddler and the mother gushes, "He's my love, my life! k_farhana@dnaindia.net