Big B wishes to play Harivansh Rai Bachchan onscreen

Amitabh Bachchan who was present at the Penguin Annual Lecture 2013 in the capital Friday night, was asked by a fan from the audience to pick a beloved characters that he’d like to play onscreen. He gave it a thought, and said, “Maybe I’d like to play the role that my father played in his autobiography “In the Afternoon of Time: An Autobiography.” “You mean you want to play Harivansh Rai Bachchan, asked the startled host, Rajdeep Sardesai. To that, Big B smiled and said, “It’s a tough call, but I want to try.”

Big B also talked about some of his conversations with his father in his childhood, youth and his last days. Amitabh said his father once told him he was his “greatest poetry”. But “I do not know whether I am a free verse or a couplet, a chaupai or a shloka.” “I wish I had asked. Now it is too late,” he said.

He even proudly recited some verses from his father’s “Madhushala” in his distinct baritone at the behest of the audience.