Amitabh Bachchan speaks to Subhash K Jha in praise of poet and playwright Vijay Tendulkar, whose Death Anniversary we observe today.
Vijay Tendulkar was not only a powerful playwright with a political perspective, he also exerted a strong influence on Hindi cinema in screen adaptations particularly Govind Nihalani’s Aakrosh and Ardh Satya, Shyam Benegal’s Manthan and Jagmohan Mundhra’ Kamla.
Amitabh Bachchan recalls the doyen of Marathi literature with reverence. “Vijay Tendulkarji was a strong and fearless writer and a great mind. I never had the opportunity of spending any quality time with him, but on occasion I did meet him during common social events. Barring the exchange of courtesies and acknowledging each other’s creative contribution, such moments were rushed and hurried. But one reads a lot about him in the media and through his interviews.”
Mr Bachchan is full of admiration for the man who rewrote many rules of stage-writing. “In today’s world, it is difficult and tough to take a committed stand and pursue it. Vijay Tendulkar ji did. And that was his strength. At times, this stand is the solitary voice of reason, often misunderstood but seldom wrong.”
There’s regret for not having known Tendulkar more closely. “The greatness about words and writers is that, much after they are gone, their thoughts remain with us. In fact, the sad irony of life is that in most cases, it is only when they are gone that we realise their potential and their great contribution.”
Coincidentally, Tendulkar died of myasthenia gravis, a disease that has also afflicted the Big B.
