Special show reel on Big B’s life and epic films to be shown before KBC 4

By Subhash K. Jha -

October 11, 2010 - 12:00 AM IST

Special show reel on Big B’s life and epic films to be shown before KBC 4

At a celebration party at the Marriott on Monday evening, the Big B would be cutting a 68-kilo cake, 1 kilo for each year of his life.

While the world sings 'Happy Birthday' to the Big B, Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan sing together for the first time in a song composed by the Big B himself! Find that hard to believe? But it's the truth.

Special show reel on Big B’s life and epic films to be shown before KBC 4

The Big B is a huge aficionado of music and singing. He in fact intends to learn to play the piano soon. But for now he has turned composer for a song that has been sung by the Big B and Abhishek Bachchan.

The song would be part of a comprehensive bio-documentary showcasing the 68-year life-span of Amitabh Bachchan which will be telecast on his birthday on Monday. The Big B has not only taken active and complete interest in the material going into the audio-visual show reel--going so far as to provide never-before pictures, advising on the footage to be used and making suggestions on chronological data relating to his life story-- the mega-star has also taken time off from his cluttered schedule to compose the theme song.

While the Big B himself is characteristically dismissive of what could be seen as his first decisive step into direction and filmmaking, Ajit Thakur CEO of Sony Entertainment, the channel which will be telecasting the historic bio-documentary sheds startling light on the project. "Mr. Bachchan has indeed composed a song for the show reel and also sung for it along with Abhishek and composers Vishal-Shekhar."

The show reel introducing the new season of Kaun Banega Crorepati has virgin footage and rare pictures of the Big B beginning with his birth in 1942 to present-day.

Informs a source from the channel, "The show reel contains never-before pictures episodes, incidents, scenes and dialogues from Mr. Bachchan's life and films. For instance he will be reciting a poem by his father poet Harivanshrai Bachchan that he has never recited publicly before. There will be pictures of the Big B and his family that have been brought out into the open for the first time."

In fact the Big B has personally supervised every aspect of the showreel, lent pictures and footage from his own private library, selected the footage that has grown into the show reel, and zeroed-in on the relevant sequences from his films which he has re-enacted for the first time.

Says the source, "Some of the most famous sequences and dialogues such as the temple scene in Yash Chopra's Deewaar from Mr. Bachchan's films have been handpicked by him and re-enacted specially for this show reel on specially erected sets representing the original."

And in the inaugural episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the first contestant from a small village will be told that the optimum prize money is not Rs. 1 crore but 5 crores.

The surprise on the contestant's face is the Big B's biggest birthday gift.