As we walked through the Khan-el-Khalili, we were assailed by inquiries of “India?”; “India?”. I was quite used to such questions and also knew what would follow next. But my friends visiting from India were quite surprised when they heard the name of "Amitabh Bachchan"- an extremely popular film star in India; iconic in stature-mentioned next. To hear his name from the merchants of Khan-el-Khalili, so far away from home, was a revelation.
I remember being pleasantly surprised the first time I heard the name of this Indian legend mentioned so casually on the streets of Cairo. By now, his name has been thrown at me so many times - while shopping at the Attaba market, while visiting the pyramids at Saqquara and Dahsur, while buying vegetables from the roadside vendor! He seems to be the favourite actor of the Egyptians. According to an article that I read on the Net, some years back when Amitabh Bachchan visited Cairo, he was mobbed by a horde of Egyptian women! Movies can really make magic:)
But where are the theatres in Cairo screening Hindi movies? We, Indians living in Egypt have to rely on the DVDs carried by visiting friends for our regular fix of movies from back home. The Amitabh Bachchan magic should at least be able to get us “screen” space in Cairo.
The next time I hear the words “Amitabh Bachchan” thrown at me, I am tempted to let them know that the superstar is now on the wrong side of 60 and his son is on his way to becoming a superstar in his own right! But then again, maybe I should let the magic continue…let the illusion of a young, tall, dark, handsome and angry Amitabh Bachchan stay alive!
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