| daddy's girl: Amitabh Bachchan and Shweta Nanda |
Debuting as an anchor for a youth-based show called NextGen on NDTV Profit, Bachchan is upholding her family's legacy.
We catch up with daddy Amitabh Bachchan to quiz him on what he thinks of his daughter's first appearance on national television.
Shweta's foray into television is so unexpected.
Well, NDTV Profit called her and offered her the chance to host this show, so it wasn't something she planned or even initiated.
Now that she's taking it on, we've given her all our blessings and suggestions. We even did a dummy show in my office. I watched her first episode and she was very good.
Shweta is the most photogenic Bachchan.
You're right. And Shweta is also the most intelligent and balanced Bachchan. She's very objective in assessment of situations.
Whenever we reach a dead-end during a family discussion, we call her and put her on a conference call.
We always keep going back to her for her wise opinion. Her intelligence comes through on her show.
Shweta is a voracious reader. All that she speaks on the show has been written by her.
Why did Shweta never act?
The choice was entirely hers. In fact, she was never interested in even accompanying me to shootings and film events.
On the other hand, Abhishek would always accompany me wherever I went. I think Shweta was a little shy and scared of public events.
Some of that shyness comes through on her show. But she's also very perceptive. I loved the way she questioned Aman and Ayaan Khan in the first episode.
This week, she's coming back to Mumbai to interview Karan Johar. I think she's finally found her vocation.
She is presenting herself well on the show, and that's because she has always been very presentable. And she's able to speak her mind brilliantly. And that too on a show which isn't frivolous in nature.
She's written the script herself?
She has. Anchoring is generally divided into mind and face. Someone writes, another person comes on camera. It's rare to have someone bring both the qualities in her personality.
Amitabh on Nishabd... Nishabd has triggered a lot of debate. You've stunned audiences in Nishabd. Is Nishabd your finest film in recent times?
I did Nishabd because it was challenging, so I'm happy that I've been appreciated and that the audience has understood what the film is really about.
Ram Gopal Varma feels the projection of the film's publicity was wrong, but not a single person has disliked it.
The point of the film is, what does a man in that situation (falling for a much younger girl) do? I think the ethical speculation is a hypocritical excuse for puerile thoughts.
Some people challenged the wisdom of the character, as though wisdom and age are linked together. Wisdom doesn't automatically come with age.
One reason for that is because we went to a remote place to shoot at a stretch. There were no crowds, no phones, and no connection with the rest of the world.
It was the silence that stimulated creativity. The moment the camera goes on, the actor craves solitude.
Most of the time, we're so crowded we don't do our best work. Everything came together in Nishabd.
I just love the time Ramu gave to my close-up after my character asks the girl to leave. Ramu just lets the moments linger.
I'm fortunate. Black and Nishabd are two films that gave me the opportunity to delve into the darker areas of my personality.
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