Anand Pandit at 60 is a firm believer in the adage that age is just a number and follows the example of living legend Amitabh Bachchan who at the age of 81, continues to command love, respect and awe for his enduring success and unwavering starpower. The superstar is currently garnering accolades for playing Ashwatthama in the blockbuster Kalki 2898 AD and an awestruck Pandit has penned a note to say, “Reinvent yourself like this man and never retire!”
So inspired was he by the megastar’s performance, that he wrote a note about him to several peers and colleagues grappling with career transitions and adjustment issues pertaining to their next innings. Sharing how Mr Bachchan has remained relevant to even the generation of his 24-year-old -son who watched Kalki 2898 AD in a theatre, Pandit wrote, “A quick check of his filmography reveals that the man has done more films in his current innings (post age 60) than in his previous innings. And he is still at it. I’m not even counting the ads and the television work he has done. His name tops the A Category list of brand endorsers and he has come this far by constantly reinventing himself.”
Pandit also referred to the career slump experienced by the star when his films like Jaadugar and Sooryavamsham didn’t work because of formulaic storytelling and characters that didn’t correspond to his age. “He then discarded his old persona, tried new formats (television shows, ads) and made friends with a younger, newer crop of makers (Ramgopal Varma, Balki, Sanjay Gupta, Karan Johar, Shoojit Sarkar etc ). He was secure enough to step out of the spotlight. Once the Alpha male, he added his gravitas to ensembles, familiarised himself with new processes, schedules and production techniques. And continues to adapt to new challenges even at the age of 81!,” raved Pandit.
He added, “His old self dissolved and a new one artist, more relevant to the current times, emerged!” Addressing his 60-year-old friends who are confused about the way forward, Pandit concluded, “Evolve. Reinvent. Simply Be like Mr.BigB!!”
