Amitabh Bachchan says he’s spending sleepless nights at 83: ‘Work is more important than sleep’

“As I work, I am glued to the EB Blog but in the silence of the night that gentle music on slide guitar – sitar rendering some of the most soulful classical meditation solos… aaah!! There is no better cure for the soul than this. It is the chord that ties the soul to the Almighty… that invisible thread unseen, yet felt despite its absence… I feel… so it strums the strings within… put it on and softly it shall give you the peace of slumber… the seven notes that have invaded all music in whichever part of the world, are the universal commonness of mankind… respect it and it shall respect you (sic),” the megastar added, claiming that instrumental music is what helps catch hold of the elusive sleep for a workaholic like him.

Bachchan’s past advocacy for working

Earlier this month, Amitabh Bachchan quoted Apple founder Steve Jobs that while work qualifies for “focus”, other endeavours like “social relevance, spending time scrolling media, spending more time with family” only add to the “noise” that distracts one from their focus. “When you focus, the only matter that gets you going is what needs to be done. Not in a few days, not tomorrow, not any specific time … ITS DO IT NOW!,” wrote Bachchan.

Last month, the veteran actor also opened up on the conundrum he faces while dealing with work at his age. He wrote on his blog that “non-creative individuals” like him find it an ordeal to devote undistracted time to work in the wee hours of morning, widely considered the most productive time of the day for creative endeavours.

“I was able to observe from a dear working colleague, that the early morning hours are the best time for creative thinking. Great. Works for creative individuals! What of those non-creative ones like me, moi, मैं, मला, mich (errmm a bit of the French, Marathi, German ) (sic)?,” he wrote. But then he went on to underline his indomitable spirit to work in any hour, in any capacity, and on anything deemed important for growth.

“Work be the essence of life. Have work will travel… not to some adventurous destination… travel forward in life… so work… work to get a living – work on your body – whatever, but work…Work on the body is prime at this age, so I was thinking what an incredible manufacturer it was, of the making of the human body. It is impossible to even begin imagining (sic),” Bachchan added.

Bachchan’s history with work drying up

Amitabh Bachchan’s relentless working streak in his 80s stems from the dry spell that he encountered in the late 1990s. Once a box office and cultural juggernaut in the 1970s, the ‘Angry Young Man’ began losing his sheen in the 1990s. He even declared bankruptcy after his wife Jaya Bachchan’s failed attempts to sustain his new production house ABCL.

It was only in 2000 that against his well-wishers’ advice, including Jaya’s, that he gave his nod to hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati, the official Indian adaptation of popular British show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. That catapulted him into pan-India popularity yet again. His film career also got a new lease of life with his role of the antagonist in Aditya Chopra’s 2000 blockbuster romantic drama Mohabbatein.

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Amitabh Bachchan has since worked consistently, both in films and on television. He’s hosted 16 seasons of KBC so far. The only season he gave a miss was the third instalment, which was hosted by his Mohabbatein co-star Shah Rukh Khan instead. He’ll host season 18 yet again this year. On the film front, Bachchan will reprise his role of Ashwatthama in the sequel to Nag Ashwin’s 2024 blockbuster sci-fi dystopian thriller Kalki 2898 AD.