The Big B is moving to Hong Kong. Not the real Amitabh of course, but his wax figure from Madame Tussaud’s in London. It will be shifted to the Hong Kong branch of the organisation for five months – the first Bollywood star to appear there. “We anticipate that Bachchan’s wax figure will be incredibly popular with the Indian community both in Hong Kong and abroad,” said Brett Pigeon of the organisation, “So, we’ll definitely explore a more permanent tribute to the Indian film industry at Madame Tussauds, Hong Kong, in future.” The only other Indian figure in Hong Kong at the moment is Mahatma Gandhi.
Meanwhile, the real Amitabh will be sharing some screen space with American actor Richard Gere in the upcoming gambling movie Teen Patti. “The makers wanted an international name for the cameo,” says a source, “Though other names were also in consideration, they decided on the Pretty Woman actor who is well known to the Indian audience not only as a Hollywood star but also as an AIDS activist who frequently travels to India.” The movie also stars R Madhavan and Shraddha Kapoor.
Celeb Track Study recently announced Amitabh as India’s Most Powerful Celebrity from a poll of 6000 experts. “We find that Amitabh Bachchan scores highly in most attributes, including likeability, popularity and persuasion power,” said a spokesman for the researchers. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan topped the female rankings.
Big B is looking forward to the release of Zamaanat in which he plays a blind lawyer defending Arshad Warsi and his role as the genie in Aladin, which stars Riteish Deshmukh and Sri Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandes. In addition to his current work on Teen Patti, activity is also progressing on the fascinating Kunal Avadana about the relationship between Asoka the Great and his blind son Kunal, played by Arjun Rampal. The film also stars Tabu and Amrita Rao.
