Amit, Amitji aur Supremo

People in the West use the term ‘fixer’ to describe what we call production. ‘Fixing’ for international crews has taken me to some strange and wondrous places. Starting with Dharavi, to a mass marriage for the famillies of cotton farmers in Vidarbha, all the way to the sets of Ram Gopal Verma’s Sholay (or Aag or Matchstick or whatever it is called now). I was working with a BBC crew for a programme called Imagine, where Alan Yentob interviews Amitabh Bachchan.

I was thrilled to be meeting the great man, but we were introduced briefly, and then he got busy grooving to a butchered version of ‘Mehbooba’. I stood back and watched the 65-year-old Jai - Gabbar shoot for the song.
Months later, this Saturday, the same crew was back for a long interview scheduled with him. I had carried our copy of the Supremo comic with me. After three-and-a-half hours of a great interview (and some equally good snacks from the chef at AB’s office), I snuck up to Mr. B and gingerly took out the comic from behind me. He held it close to his eyes, peered, and exclaimed, “Ah, Supremo!”

Then he excitedly flipped through the pages and saw the letter written by him to his fans after his critical illness. He then looked me straight in the eye and said, “Bhai you have to give me this!”

Being a fanatic book collector, I refused to part with it. But Mr. B very sportingly autographed the comic. I promised to give him a photocopy instead.

Our valuable comic has just turned priceless – bids are hereby closed!

Amit