When Ameen Sayani did not meet Amitabh Bachchan
"I was impressed by Amitabh Bachchan’s performance and voice in Anand (1971). I decided to go all out to promote the young actor’s films. But I reminded myself, ‘Don’t be stupid, this man is going to be a hit anyway’. Those days Amitabh, Jaya Bhaduri (he was dating her then) and Gulzar saab formed a lovely trio. Once they even came to record a programme on Hrishikesh Mukerjee with me.
"Then some 15 years after Anand, I invited Amitabh as a chief guest for the Radio and Television Advertising Practitioners’ Association (RAPA) awards. In his speech, he mentioned that during his early days he had gone to a commercial broadcasting firm a few times for an audition but they were too busy to attend to him. And that’s why he didn’t become a broadcaster and became an actor.
"After the show I asked my wife Rama (she worked with me at Radio Ceylon) who Amitabh was referring to. Because ours was the only such company and I didn’t remember meeting him. She revealed there was this man who had come to meet me. I then recalled that my secretary had come saying someone called ‘Amita Bachchan’ had come. I was perplexed by the name but nevertheless asked him to take an appointment and come. He returned but again without an appointment. I apologised saying I didn’t have the time to meet him. In retrospect, whatever happened was for the best. Had I auditioned him, I’d have loved his voice and given him work. And soon my clients would have asked for him while I’d have been on the streets. But most importantly, the world would have missed the superstar of the millennium."
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