This
is not the first time someone has turned 70. This is not the first time a
celebrity has turned 70. But it is definitely one of the rare occasions where a
celebrity has turned 70 and has the same charisma if not more. There is not a
dent in his popularity despite the entry of so many new, talented and
successful competitors in his industry.
It’s
not long back that we witnessed the demise of another super star Rajesh Khanna.
May his soul rest in peace but this Rajesh Khanna who passed away, had no
resemblance with the erstwhile super star. There was no spark left in his life,
no fans, and no films, not even his family.
These
two personalities have portrayed two aspects of life- One of being attached to
the glory of a phase and perceiving image worship as personal worship. The fans
who wrote letters in blood to the ‘super star’ were looking at an image, not a
person.
When
we are confused between the two, we perceive our ‘image’ as our ‘self’. When the
image is hit by a change in trend or is overshadowed by another upcoming more
attractive image, our self gets lost in the background. Our belief, in that
image or ‘Maya’ and accepting it as truth or ‘Satya,’ leads us to the dark
alleys of frustration and depression, often disguised as arrogance or
indifference. Believing in that image bloats our ego and we assume ourselves as
masters of our universe, only to be disillusioned and find ourselves deserted
and forgotten.
It
makes us ignore and undermine the not-so-glamourous aspects of our life like –
Family. Because of the proximity, family may not look all that awestruck like
the fans outside the house but family is the anchor of our life. If we throw
away the anchors then life tosses us around as the storms hit.
There
are two reasons for Amitabh’s success. One of them is- being grounded. Strong family
values give you emotional strength. It’s not that he has not made any mistakes
but he could realize them and had the courage to retrace his steps and also
learnt from them.
Second
reason why he is still a super star is because he kept on rediscovering himself
and kept on adapting to the present moment. If we are stuck at a particular
moment in our life and keep hanging on to that moment, we will be left behind
as time will flow on. There was a time to be the angry young man, there was a time
to be the romantic lead but that time has passed away now. Now it requires
something else. Let’s accept it and accept it with pride and grace.
We
all are super stars of our lives. Whether we will keep shining or will fade
away soon will depend on whether we keep on changing and adapting or we are
stuck at one phase. Life is change. Either we can change or we will be changed.
Nupur Jaiswal
