Although Amitabh Bachchan has ruled Bollywood as the undisputed ‘Shahenshah’ for the last five decades, his life story also exemplifies that not everything one touches turns to gold. While he has produced several blockbusters as an actor, he faced a major setback when he launched the entertainment company Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL) in the mid-90s, with many of his goals failing one after another. At the same time, his acting career also witnessed major ups and downs during this period, leading many to speculate that his era was over. However, Bachchan made a thunderous comeback.
However, his biggest misstep in life came when tried his luck in politics. Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, Bachchan joined the Indian National Congress in support of his close friend and Indira’s son, Rajiv Gandhi. At his peak, Big B contested from Allahabad constituency and won with a landslide. However, his political career was short-lived as his name emerged in the Bofors scandal, leading to his resignation in 1987.
Recently, Congress Rajya Sabha Veteran MP and journalist Rajeev Shukla spoke about Bachchan’s political stint and stated that the actor would have shone if he had not resigned pre-emptively. “He was attacked like any politician would have been. And VP Singh specifically attacked him. He (Big B) was very disturbed by this, especially after the Bofors case. He was very sad during that time. I wrote quite a few articles in support of him back then, and used to meet him often,” Shukla recalled during a conversation with the news agency. ANI.
He further maintained that if Amitabh had not quit politics, he would have emerged as a formidable force. “He was filming Main Azaad Hoon, Shahenshah and Toofan at that time. Since it was quite a harrowing period, he finally decided to quit politics. But I still believe that he had not resigned then and continued in politics…if he had contested against VP Singh after his resignation, he would have still won,” Shukla said.
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He further emphasized that Jaya Bachchan, on the other hand, commands respect with an iron fist as she is a very strict and disciplined person. Jaya, who belongs to the Samajwadi Party, is also a member of the Rajya Sabha. “If he feels that someone is being a little undisciplined, he won’t tolerate it. And he will say whatever he wants to their face. In Parliament, he will stand up and scold ministers or even the president. If he feels something is wrong, he will fearlessly speak out against it.”
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‘Rekha used to come to Parliament only once a session’
Mentioning that Jaya regularly attends Parliament sessions, Shukla claimed that she is one of the few film stars with impeccable attendance. “Rekha hee I used to come only once a session. Jaya Prada, on the other hand, has become a complete politician. He just hasn’t gotten many opportunities yet. But she’s doing the hard work. Meanwhile, Rekha was not political. I used to come once every session and once the term was over, that was it.”
He added, “While Rekha and Sachin Tendulkar did not even rent a house after becoming MPs, Lata Mangeshkar did not accept any facility (meant for an MP). She also did not accept MPLADS funds, nor did she accept currency notes or a house,” she added.