‘Firsts’ are generally unforgettable and Amitabh Bachchan reminded his fans of a landmark day in his life – when he signed his first film. The actor tweeted: “49 years ago I came to the city of dreams and signed my first film .. “Saat Hindustani’ on Feb 15, 1969 ..”

Ever wondered how Bachchan came to sign the film? The Bread Beauty Revolution anthology, which includes writings from director Khwaja Ahmed Abbas’s memoirs, gives us the details...

RECOMMENDED READ: I’M WELL: AMITABH SAYS IN POETIC STYLE

As Abbas tells it, the story of Saat Hindustani came out of the Goa struggle reminiscences of his assistant, Madhukar. Once the screenplay was ready, he wanted to prove by his casting that there was no particular Hindu or Muslim, Tamilian, Maharashtrian or Bengali ethnic type. All the roles were cast, but one vacancy existed for a tall, thin and handsome man who corresponded to the thin image of his friend, the late Asrarul Haque “Majaz”.

As Abbas narrated it, “One day someone brought a snapshot of a tall young man and I thought that the boy was in Bombay. I said, “Let me see him in person.” “He will be here day after tomorrow evening.” Again, presuming he was in Bombay, I thought he must be working somewhere and wouldn’t be free till the evening. On the third day, punctually at 6 pm, a tall young man arrived who looked taller because of the churidar pajama and Jawahar jacket that he was wearing. This young man would one day be known as Amitabh Bachchan, the heart-throb of millions. But I did not know his name. Roughly, the following dialogue took place between us:

“Sit down, please. Your name.”
“Amitabh.” (Not Bachchan.)
It was an unusual name — so I asked, “What does it mean?”
“The sun. It’s also one of the synonyms for the Gautama Buddha.”
“Education?”
“B.A. from Delhi University.”
“Have you worked in films before?”
“No one has taken me so far.”
“Who were they?”
He mentioned very prominent names.
“What did they find wrong with you?” The boy spoke with frankness. “They all said I was too tall for their heroines.”
“Well, we have no such trouble. In a way, we have no heroine in our film. Even if we had, that wouldn’t prevent me from taking you.”
“Taking me? Are you really going to take me? Without even a test?”
“That depends. First I must tell you the story. Then I must tell you your role and see if you will be enthusiastic about playing it. Then I shall tell you what we can afford to pay you. Only then, if you agree, shall we sign the contract.”

Abbas read out the complete story to him and Amitabh’s face came alive with interest. They discussed the role he would have liked to play. It also emerged that Amitabh had resigned his well-paying job before coming over to meet Abbas! Reason: “One has to take such chances”.

He was signed on, but only after a shocked Abbas, on learning, he was the son of Dr. H R Bachchan, sent a telegraph to get his father’s consent!
And thus are legends made…