Amitabh Bachchan recently injured himself while shooting his upcoming film Project K. The actor plans to go back on the sets very soon as he's recovering quite well. In the meantime, Amitabh Bachchan recalled his journey of quitting alcohol and smoking along with his thoughts on these habits.
Taking to his blog, Amitabh Bachchan wrote, “When in job in the City of Joy, the natural curriculum seemed to be in line with that phrase ‘social drinking’ .. I shall not deny the consumption of it, but its reason or resolve in leaving for years and years now, I shall not deliberate ..is a personal choice and demeanour .. yes I do not .. but why the announce of it."
Shelling out tips to quit smoking, Amitabh Bachchan added, “As is the case with the cigarette ..in abundance in the years of free, and the sudden and immediate resolve to leave it .. and the way to leave is really quite simple .. chuck that glass of the intoxicant , while in the middle of it and crush the ‘ciggi’ on your lips at the same time and .. sayonara .. the very best way to be in riddance .. not some part time exigencies to stop the use .. its the removal of the cancer at once .. done at the rush of a stroke .. the more the dwindling , the greater the undesired habit of remaining.”
His blog can be read here.
The Angry Young Man of Bollywood, now a legend, Amitabh Bachchan gave many blockbusters in his early years of acting. He was seen as a young working-class hero, or anti-hero at times, that thousands of youth in India could relate to - his emotions, his anger, and his actions. He became a star, an influencer, in truest of its sense. And people started to copy him and his persona in order to become 'as cool as he is.' This arguably led to a surge of more youngsters being involved in vices, such as smoking, drinking, and in some instances, gambling.
Here's an excerpt from a report published by World Health Organisation - titled - ‘Bollywood’: Victim or Ally? A WHO study on the portrayal of tobacco in Indian Cinema
In Bollywood, with the arrival of Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, the anti-hero came into his own. Traditionally, the anti-hero is characterized by the two acknowledged vices – smoking and drinking. This helps identify him as the anti-hero and lends him an aura of rebellion which has its own appeal with youngsters. While villains drink and smoke as part of well-established signifying codes, they are not always appealing or worthy of emulation – Amitabh Bachchan’s characters are. Bachchan’s characters in countless movies represented the marginalized and the oppressed. He was a man on a mission of justice. He wore his angst on his sleeve and smoking was an act of rebellion. Through blockbuster films such as Deewaar, Coolie and Sholay, Bachchan turned into a “working class” hero and the bidi became a part of the Bachchan persona.