“Jumma chumma de de…” Amitabh Bachchan was pleading as Kimi Katkar was gyrating. Whether the very “chumma” was delivered or not was not revealed to me because of certain “disruption”. Mrityunjoy babu invaded the thetre hall where Hum was screening to capacity crowd. He might have gone there on a tip-off message that his students bunked the classes to watch a film. As Bachchan did his trademark hip jerk placing his right hand over the waist, I found my friends from Science stream vanished from seats next to me quite inexplicably. People were whistling madly as Bachchan took a hose pipe and aimed jets of water at curvy Kimi while he lipped Jumma chumma de de… . Suddenly a dhoti- Punjabi clad portly man was entering the row I was sitting wielding a cane. ‘Sutanu…run … run fast,’ Indroneel shouted from behind. I did not know I was so good at gymnastics! How come I vaulted backwards and ran away pushing open the Anita Cinema Hall’s exit door and flung my body to safety behind an array of cycles at cycle stand? I escaped Mrityunjoy babu’s unforgiving cane in Maths class in class nine. In class twelve I had a close shave as his marauding cane missed the target narrowly while we were off to theatre hall during our “off periods”.
‘ I’ve a strong hunch that Guru will make a stunning comeback in this film,’ Indroneel, who migrated from Narendropur Ramakrishno Mission to Burdwan Municipal School recently and so was held high by us, said as Hum posters were pasted on a bricks-baring wall around school on a dull Thursday afternoon when we chatted at the school cycle stand. ‘People of this God-forsaken country can’t understand how Guru acted in “Main Azad Hun” with a clinical finesse and how intellectually acclaimed the film was,’ Indroneel said with a perceptible frown on his forehead. ‘For them Hum is the right kind of film.’ Indroneel concluded. So we went to Anita Cinema Hall to see if Indroneel was right in his assessment making our school simply “off” after the recess! But student proposes and Mrityunjoy babu disposes. So we had to cut our Hum view to get back to school in time for sixth period. After the seventh period as it was the curtains for the day at school, we went to neighbouring Anita Cinema Hall to find out if Hum clicked.
‘It’s a smashing hit,’ Raja da, the owner of cycle stand, assured as his long locks of hair danced gaily when he uttered his words excitedly. ‘Three cheers for Guru,’ Indroneel shouted from the top of his thrilled voice as he threw his plump body in the air and landed at the poster where he kissed the stiff-jawed cheeks of Bachchan with a huge contentment. We found out his just so-so performance in Half-Yearly exam mattered very little to him or was more than made up by his “Guru’s” success in Hum. Meanwhile other fans started garlanding Bachhan and poster after poster were all covered by marigold garlands. They all, including Indroneel, started dancing around the garlanded posters deliriously.
‘I don’t like dancing in films. Strumming guitar in one direction and moving body or body parts in another is quite funny and I hate it.’ Bachchan said in one interview broadcast by a TV channel on the day he turned eighty. His eyes were weak. His cheeks sagged. It was no more an angry young man I saw but an old emotional man who sat on a chair opposite his son at KBC set. ‘You went through rough and tumble of life and you’re an inspiration to us,’ a proud Jaya said at the set. Bachhan was listening with tears in eyes to what his wife said. He might be remembering: Main aur meri tanhai aksar yeh batein karte hai tum hoti toh kaisa hota/ Tum yeh kehti tum woh kehti tum is baat pe hairaan hoti tum us baat pe kitni hansti…. as Rekha sang out divinely: Yeh kahan aa gaye hum yun hi saath saath chalte…. . I remembered the lines Bachhan donned, “Are tumne jo, dekha hai, socha hai, samjha hai, jaana hai,/ Woh main nahin… Woh main nahin…
At eighty, Bachchan still remains an enigma to India and its sub-continent and the Indians at large in other parts of globe. Keep on living with good health Mr. Bachchan. You still have much more to offer to entertainment industry with your baritone voice and delectable acting. While you are busy in spreading your timeline from Hema Malini to Tapasi Pannu, from Shatrughna Sinha to Ranveer Singh, your rivals have either quit the screen or left the world. Live a long life; not for you and your family only, but for those millions whose happiness on earth depends on your success.