In popular Indian culture, there
are only two heroes: Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar. Their appeal goes
beyond borders; they are, in fact, India’s best soft power ambassadors. They
also have a surprisingly lot in common.
Both are unconventional. In
sports, height is an advantage, but Tendulkar is not tall; in Hindi
movies, being lanky was not accepted, yet Bachchan made it big. Both men are
intense, almost possessed, as if they know nothing but that deep-driven desire.
Years after they were well past the ‘legend’ status, both could be seen on the
sets or at the nets, up early practising their respective arts. For them, every
day is a new start to play, and to act.
Focus is
the other thing. Both epitomise the Mahabharat hero Arjun. In their skills, they are
twins. For that one eye is cross-haired on the inverted fishbowl. Perfection,
nothing less, will do.
In Bachchan, you see it in his
delivery that lends a certain seamlessness between the script, the act and onto
even the man himself. In Tendulkar, you witness this in his classic strokes —
be it the punch off the back foot or just a leave outside the offstump, telling
the bowler he is wasting his time.
Some of the
things that they do quite obviously are gifts given by god. But to make use of
those gifts is a hard grind. You can be this real talent but perfection is a
lonely pursuit. It needs you to draw deep. You have to go above and
beyond whatever gifts you may have been given. This is impossibly difficult.
It’s yogic. There is a reason why we have so many good actors and cricketers and so few — so
very few —great ones.
That reason is sweat — and sweat
is what you do not see.
Upbringing, what we conventionally
call ‘values’, also matters. Both Bachchan and Tendulkar had academics as parents.
You will be surprised by how much this counts. When one’s parents are in the
thinking business, one is ‘secure’ in a way that is difficult to explain. It
allows you to to imagine that you too can think big — and if it does not
happen, you have the choice of doing other things. Campus life offers a
sheltered, almost cocooned, existence. It lets you believe that dreams can be
fitfully dreamt and things impossible pursued with your skills.
Also, both have had — in fact,
Bachchan continues to have — a long inning. That takes persistence. One cannot
let go off the hunger to do more, to do better. The passion can all wane and
become a routine; one may forget that this is all they wanted to do in
their lives. A deadly lull has finished many a career. Yet, for both
Bachchan and Tendulkar, it is a debut shot every time.
It is almost certain that in the
two personalities we have the last pair that straddles three generations in
terms of popular culture. The formats are changing in cricket, specialisation
is in, and it will cut careers. In films, technology is bringing about dramatic
change. So, in that sense, both these people are precious to a legion of
people.
The health
and physical aspect is also imperative. At the top, fitness becomes an issue
even for super heroes. Bachchan has had his share of bad health — his
life once famously hung in the balance. An accident during the shoot of Coolie,
left him clinically dead for two minutes.
As for Tendulkar, he hardly has a
body part that has not been hurt during his marathon innings. He has endured
pain in the back and the ankle, a tennis elbow which required him to go under
the knife, and later, a bad shoulder. There was also a broken knee, a groin
injury and innumerable instances of pulled hamstrings. Almost anything that can
be hurt has been hurt. Yet, both have displayed an iron will and ensured that
the show was on, regardless of everything.
Another striking similarity
between the two legends is that both are apolitical. It is true that Bachchan
did enter the political arena, but he withdrew as soon as he got hot under the
collar. Both men have also shied away from taking a stand on controversial
issues. They believe that they are not here to change the world.
This is sad, especially for the
country. It reflects on our our democracy and its limitations. It also leaves
the public discourse empty and robs it of its vibrancy. Neither men will throw
away that hard-won award for a cause. It’s just not them — it’s not us either.
Both superstars have handled their
fame with dignity and a grace that is uncommon. Both are constantly in the
public eye. Normal life, as we know it, is not an option for them. You cannot
suddenly go for a dinner or walk in the rain — there will be fans swarming.
Still, both have done an excellent job of being in the lime-light.
As Tendulkar’s innings come to an
end and Bachchan enjoys the last phase of his career, let us be happy that,
like our grandparents, we too will have the opportunity to tell tales about Big
B and Jersey#10 to our grandchildren. These are tales to hang on to in this
ephemeral world.
