Amitabh Bachchan presents himself as the “son-in-law of Bengal”

Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan at the Kolkata International Film Festival.

Strong Bollywood presence led by superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan and humour marked the opening of the 18th edition of the Kolkata International Film Festival at the Netaji Indoor Stadium on Saturday night.
The smatterings of Bengali spoken by 70-year-old Amitabh Bachchan, who began his career as an executive of a British managing agency in Kolkata decades ago, his introduction of himself as the “son-in-law of Bengal” and rendition of the Rabindra Sangeet “Banglar Maati, Banglar Jol” charmed the nearly 20,000-strong audience.
“Aami Bangla-e bolchi, asha kori buchhte parben (I hope you will understand my Bangla),” Bachchan began speaking slowly.
“Aami Banglar Jamaibabu toh (I am the son-in-law of Bengal),” Bachchan who is married to Jaya Bhaduri from the city, said in his typical baritone.
“Adarniyo Mamtaji, Kolkata-e amar shob attiyo (respected Mamata Banerjee, all in Kolkata are my relatives),” he said.
With a smile and a shrug, Bachchan added, “... aar parchi na (I am finding it difficult to continue in Bengali). Besides, there are many guests who are from outside ....” and switched over to English for the remainder of his speech.
Acknowledging the role of Bengal in Indian cinema, Bachchan said the contribution of Bengal, which remained the cultural capital of India, to Indian cinema was enormous.
“The contribution made by Bengal to Indian cinema has been absolutely enormous. Eminent directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Bimal Roy, Nitin Bose started their careers from Kolkata before moving to Mumbai,” the thespian said.
The actor said Bengali cinema produced some of the finest artistes in India and continued to influence generations of filmmakers, recalling how cinematic giants like Pramathesh Barua, Prithviraj Kapoor and KL Saigal received prominence working with the New Theatres studio of Kolkata.
“The 1930s and '40s were the heydays for films made as much in Mumbai as in Kolkata. The contributions made from this region has been immense,” said the superstar.
Bachchan said novels like Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's “Devdas” and Bengali literature provided a rich and fertile ground for many screenplays.
He also gave credit to Hiralal Sen, who made short film clips, much before Dadasaheb Phalke made “Raja Harischandra”, the first Indian film in 1913. “So our love for cinema goes beyond 100 years,” he said.
Seated next to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bachchan recalled how he had got his first job in Kolkata decades ago.
“This is also the city where I first dreamt of becoming an actor. Kolkata will always have a special place in my heart,” he said.
And when Bachchan ended his speech by reciting a stanza from Tagore's “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol”, the entire stadium broke into lusty cheers.
Shahrukh Khan, 47, the Brand Ambassador of the state, said, “What brings me every time to Kolkata is the energy and enthusiasm of Mamata Banerjee.”
The glamour quotient of the Kolkata International Film Festival went up by quite a few notches with Khan's latest film “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” co-actors Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, besides another veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, and the who's who of the Bengali film industry being present at the inauguration.
Bengali music composer Debajyoti Mishra led an orchestra which presented a melodious medley of evergreen Hindi and Bengali songs including Rabindra Sangeet.
Organised by the West Bengal government, the eight-day festival will screen 189 films from 60 countries in 40 languages at 12 venues across the metropolis.