On a bright morning on January 28, 2005, as an Executive Producer for FILMFARE Awards, Bharat India’s most coveted Entertainment Industry Award, had been bestowed the responsibility to bring Mr. Amitabh Bachchan to INOX Nariman Point. The ceremony scheduled for 9:30 hrs Indian Standard Time (‘IST’) at INOX was to unveil the Golden Statue for the first time since it marked Fifty Years of the FILMFARE AWARDS.
The Ceremony brought together Legends to light the lamp prior to unveiling the Golden Statue. The dignitaries included: Mrs. Indu Jain; Mr. Dilip Kumar; Ms. Lata Mangeshwar; Mr. Yash Chopra, and Mr. Javed Akhtar, amongst many others.
Upon reaching Mr. Bachchan’s house at 8:30 hrs IST in Juhu, was cordially welcomed by Mrs. Jaya Bachchan over a cup of tea since Mr. Bachchan was on his way to the house and he would take a few more minutes to arrive. The night before had ended in the wee hours of the morning because of celebrating a close family friend’s birthday (let’s keep the name anonymous).
Upon arriving at approx. 8:45 hrs IST, Mr. Bachchan extended a gracious and warm welcome. He then walked across to the temple in the front of his house and said a small prayer. After this, he fed birds and then walked over to share that he was slightly tired and would like to get some rest on route to Inox. He recommended my car follow his SUV, which was being headed by a Pilot (Police) Vehicle.
As we departed from the house, Mr. Bachchan asked me to inform Mr. Vineet Jain about a probability of running slightly behind our scheduled time. I could visibly notice Mr. Bachchan was concerned and hence shared that it was absolutely fine if we reached a few minutes later.
Within a few minutes of our journey to Inox, I received a call from Mr. Bachchan. Of course, hearing his mesmerising voice was most welcoming. He had called to ask whether I had informed Mr. Jain about the possibility of the expected (slight) delay. I responded by confirming the same. As we disconnected the line, I began to think about the manner in which Mr. Bachchan values time and in particular, commitments made.
About 15-20 mins later, once again Mr. Bachchan called and he said it was very likely that we would be approximately 5 mins behind scheduled time. We had been fortunate that mostly all the traffic signals had been Green and the person driving his car had been also diligent about the need to reach as soon as possible.
As we reached Inox (think you’re watching Mr. Bachchan on-screen and in-action), he flung open his door and while wearing his jacket, ran into the Multiplex. Being a runner, I closely followed him. Albeit, he remained super fast. Ran up the metallic escalators and then into the Screen where the Golden Statue was being unveiled, and we arrived on-stage by 9:31 hrs IST! To the best of my memory, Mr. Bachchan was the first to be on-stage!
The mark that Mr. Bachchan left cannot be defined in words.
Today, being within the Asset & Wealth Management Business, one realises the most precious attributes to achieving stupendous success is only through sharp focus, unwavering commitments, and consistent discipline.
Life offers no short-cuts for high achievers.
Even after twenty years, having traveled the globe and having met with a number of global leaders, the interaction with Mr. Bachchan stands out because his virtues remain boundless!
