A special report by Nagpur Today to celebrate 79th birthday of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan

Nagpur: “Tum Jiyo Hazaaron Saal, Saal Ke Din Hon Pachaas Hazaar.” Humming the beautiful words from a lilting song, millions of fans of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan or Big B greeted him on his 79th birthday which falls on October 11.

There is absolutely no denying the fact that Amitabh Bachchan is one of the most revered actors in Bollywood and the many birthday wishes on social media and other different platforms are a mere example. As the actor celebrates his 79th birthday, fans have bombarded social media with greetings for the Bollywood veteran.

Taking an opportunity of the occasion, Nagpur Today has ventured out with a special report on the Bollywood Shehanshah’s birthday gala. With his charismatic role as a retired lawyer in the recently released flick “Chehre,” the star has proved his unchallenged dominance in the filmdom.

That the superstar has millions of fan followers is not new. But Nagpur Today is trekking to a far flung town, Bhivapur, 90 km away from Nagpur to meet a die-hard fan. The town has a population of around 10,000. In this very place, a child named Naru was born in a poor family 40 years ago. Naru, when he was just seven-year old, got attracted towards the aura of Amitabh Bachchan. As there was no TV at every home at that time, Naru did not miss a chance to storm neighbour’s house to watch a movie starring Big B being shown on national television. Later, when the era of video parlours hit many places, Naru made it a point to visit any parlour to enjoy the Amitabh film by resorting to any means.

With growing age, the Big Bi attraction of Naru also grew towards the star by leaps and bounds. He was so possessed with the charisma of the Bollywood star, Naru wore a hairstyle like his hero while studying in government-run schools in the town. This Big B style hair put him in trouble many times as his parents berated and even thrashed him over the fad. But even then and even today, Naru maintains a hairstyle like his idol.

The die-hard fan never lags behind when it comes to stylish clothes. He copies exactly what his superstar adorns. Looking at the unabashed love for Amitabh Bachchan and his style, his family, school colleagues, teachers and others also started calling him ‘Naru Bachchan.’ And within no time, Naru got famous with his new name ‘Naru Bachchan.’

With the passing of time and age, Naru’s love for his iconic star also grew on a passionate scale. Because of his unflinching love for Big B, Naru, a youthful Naru, could not concentrate on studies and ultimately backed out from studies midway. But he got determined and vowed to meet his idol one day. People laughed at him when he expressed his desire.

With coming of age and on the advice of his family, Naru opened a tea-snack stall in Bhiwapur. The tea stall has been named aptly “Naru Bachchan Tea-Snacks Centre” and to flaunt his Bhakti to the Filmy God, the shop has been adorned with big posters of Big B. Later when he got married, Naru rechristened his wife’s name as Jaya. And when he was blessed with a son, no need to guess, he was named Abhishek and later daughter as Shweta. In sum, an entire ‘Amitabh Bachchan family’ stays in Bhiwapur. To celebrate the birthday of his iconic idol, Naru cuts a big cake and celebrates the occasion with pomp. And on the day, customers are treated with tea and snacks free of cost as a grand gesture.

The Big B Bhakt Naru soon became the focus of local media and also grabbed headlines in national media within no time. A BJP leader Janab Jamal Siddiqui also played a big role in turning Naru toast of the media. With his popularity and stony determination, Naru’s meeting with Amitabh became a possibility. On a day, Naru boarded a train and reached Mumbai. After disembarking the train, this Big B die-hard fan directly reached ‘Jalsa,’ the sprawling bungalow of the superstar. He spent 4-5 days on the footpath in front of the bungalow without any food but a desire to meet his Filmy God did not deter him. He pleaded with people at the gate of the bungalow and finally the star was told about his Bhakt standing at his door. Curious to have a ‘Darshan’ of his Bhakt, Amitabh called Naru inside his abode and scanned minutely an album made by Naru. Patting Naru lovingly, the superstar had a chat with his fan and blessed him in his venture. Met with his iconic idol, Naru was overwhelmed with blissful emotions and returned to Bhiwapur triumphantly.

Today, October 11, is Amitabh Bachchan’s 79th birthday. Naru made preparations in gram scale to celebrate the day and cut a big cake. Like every year, the Big B Bhakt treated all the customers with free tea, snacks and juice. Apart from hundreds of residents, MLA Raju Parve, ex-MLA Sudhir Parve and other political and social activists graced the occasion by their presence. Bureau Chief of India News Rajesh Tiwari and senior scribe of Mahasagar Samachar turned the occasion special by attending the celebrations.

Today, Naru is no less a celebrity for local people of Bhiwapur town. Another Boolywood star Shakti Kapur also visited Naru’s shop and tasted a special tea prepared by Naru himself. In the entire Bhiwapur, the Bhakt of Big B is lovingly called ‘Naru Bachchan.’ Talking to Nagpur Today, Naru said he was born only to be Bhakt of Amitabh Bachchan, the Mahanayak. He has watched all the films of the superstar and could learn many things. He prayed for a long and healthy life for Amitabh Bachchan. Naru said he would continue to love and worship Big B like a God.

Nagpur Today concludes this magnificent piece with the words: “Your birthday is the beginning of your own personal new year. Your first birthday was a beginning, and each new birthday is a chance to begin again, to start over, to take a new grip on life. Today is the oldest you have been, and the youngest you will ever be.”

…Ravikant Kamble