Exclusive: R. Balki writes a heartfelt birthday letter to Amitabh Bachchan as the Bollywood’s ‘Shehenshah’ turns 83 |

As megastar Amitabh Bachchan celebrates his birthday today, filmmaker R. Balki, the writer-director behind iconic collaborations like ‘Cheeni Kum’, ‘Paa’, and ‘Shamitabh’ has penned a heartfelt letter to his longtime muse and inspiration. In this exclusive note shared with ETimes, Balki reflects on the phenomenon called Amitabh Bachchan, tracing how the superstar redefined heroism in Indian cinema and continues to inspire generations. With his trademark wit and affection, Balki writes to Amitji about the man who, even in 24 frames per second, became larger than life.Happy birthday, Amitji.Why am I writing this instead of talking to you?Because it’s safer to talk to you in public than in private, where you will call me a delusional fool or, depending on your generosity, something a little more dismissive.I saw the most delicious Downton Abbey…The grand finale today’. There is a dialogue in it… ‘Sometimes I feel the past is a more comfortable place than the future.’ I know you hate to look back; you are all about looking forward to the new the next day. You are as competitive today, you shun armchair nostalgic philosophy, and ‘doing’ is your life force, blah blah blah…but you are responsible for the state of cinema today, so I have to make you squirm a bit.You were responsible for the birth of the ultra-slow-motion 90-frames-per-second hero…though you hardly entered or walked in slow motion in your films. In fact, I can’t even remember a 48-frame shot of yours, except maybe one glorious run here or there, in all your golden and platinum jubilee hits. (Maybe that’s why I shot you walking towards Tabu in Cheeni Kum in 48 frames for fun). You didn’t need it. You were just born with a personality, a voice, and a gift for doing the most outlandish things with a straight face. The villains hear your voice and ‘cut to”…they see you! Voilà… The biggest star of Hindi cinema in 24 frames per second! Now how do you expect the next generation or the younger ones in your generation, who aspired to be you, to be as thunderous as you? Welcome to slow-motion heroes. With every year the frame rate has increased… Today the average is 90 frames per second, cut to deafening music. Can’t blame them. Blame you. You set the bar for a hero. You had some good lines, yes, but because such lines are only half as effective from another mouth, a slow-mo entry and turn before and after delivery are a must to add punch to reach the heroism bar.Now please come back from KBC. We need some 24-frame action on screen for a change. Your past is not just a comfortable place for us all to be in. It’s an aspiration for the future. Funny how a tech-savvy industry is trying every stunt in the book to match the power of a zoom, a track, and some ridiculous bell bottoms on a lanky, poker-faced cool man.Happy birthday to the eternal hope of all Indian mega heroes. “One day beyond box office figures we will be… Bigger Than Bachchan.”