When Amitabh Bachchan’s debts brought abusive, threatening loan sharks at his doorstep

After his venture, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL), failed, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s finances hit all time low when he had racked up a debt record of over 900 crores. He launched his venture in 1999 and soon after, loan sharks and creditors of all kinds started to show up at his doorstep, demanding he returned the money he owed them. The language was ‘abusive and threatening’, revealed Bachchan in an explosive interview back in 2013 with a magazine.

Talking about what must have possibly been the toughest phase of his life, Bachchan shared, “Without a doubt that was one of the darkest moments in my 44-year professional career. It made me sit and think, I looked at the options before me and evaluated different scenarios… I paid back one and all, including Doordarshan. When they asked for the interest component, I did commercials in lieu for them. I can never forget how creditors used to land at our door, be abusive, threatening and demanding, and worse still, when they came for ‘kudkee’ at Prateeksha, our residence (sic).”

However, Big B—as he is fondly called in India—bounced back with his much-loved early 2000s cult classic ‘Mohabbatein’ and then the hit television show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’. “…The answer came (after introspection) that— I know how to act. I got up and walked to Yashji (Chopra, filmmaker), who stayed behind my house. I implored him to give me work. That is when the worm turned, he gave me ‘Mohabbatein’ (sic).”

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Bachchan is now 78 years of age and continues to be one of the finest actors this country has ever produced. Just last year, he made his digital debut with ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ co-starring Ayushmann Khurrana. His upcoming movies include ‘Chehre’, ‘Jhund’, ‘Brahmastra’, ‘MayDay’ and ‘Goodbye’.