The magic that is Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan saved yet another day for us in Egypt. Over the week-end, we had gone to Dahab, a laidback beach resort on the Red Sea. And the most oft repeated word that we heard on our drive to and fro to Dahab was “Amitabh Bachchan”. At every check post (and boy! were there many!), when the officials learnt that we were from India, the first thing that they would ask us is whether we knew Amitabh Bachchan. And with a request to pass on their regards to the Big B, we would be waved through. It was as if the words “Amitabh Bachchan” were the magic words that put us above any kind of suspicion. To hear the Big B’s name spoken of with such fondness and adulation in the Sinai desert was a revelation of the reach of cinema and the magic that is Amitabh Bachchan. Moreover, the cafes at the petrol pumps also had their television sets tuned to Hindi movies starring Amitabh Bachchan and sub-titled in Arabic.

To hear the Big B’s famous dialogues from the movie “Hum” while I waited for my turn to go to the washroom at a Mobinil petrol station in the town of Nakhl (middle of the Sinai) felt unreal but at the same time also made my chest puff up with pride. You are a real hero, Big B!

"Kabhi Kabhi" at Samia Allouba's

I am at my Pilates class and trying to get a really difficult stretch right-breathe in and breathe out and stretch out a bit more-when the strains of “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil mein..” waft across and I almost lose my balance! Why am I so amazed at hearing this song?-you may ask. Amazing it is! Since I am not at a gym in Mumbai but at Samia Allouba’s fitness classes in Cairo, Egypt! Now do you find it so unusual too? To hear one of the most romantic Hindi songs forming the backdrop for a fitness class in Cairo? But then maybe it is to be expected –after all we are in the age of globalization.

Hindi movies and the stunts of Hrithik Roshan are popular among my Egyptian friends-am always receiving requests for the DVDs of the latest Hindi movies of Hrithik and Amitabh Bacchhan! On the other hand, I heard that belly dancing is the latest craze to hit Mumbaites , a dance which has its origins in Egypt! And the Egyptian fuul and ta’amiya are tickling the taste buds of people all across the globe and the popularity of the Indian cuisine among the Egyptians is evident from the number of Indian eateries mushrooming all over Cairo.

"You know Amitabh Bachchan?"

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!