I knew the event would not start before 8 pm but, I relented and walked to the venue. I reached the venue at 7.15, and as expected, the place was still being set up by the event crew, with a few carpenters still nailing the film’s art work on the stage. There were dozens of white chairs in front of the stage and not a single soul to occupy them. I took the corner chair on the row farthest from the stage. I looked around to spot a public relations representative but, even they’d not arrived yet. It was, by all means, too early. A few minutes passed; I checked my wristwatch, which showed the time as 7.25 pm, and someone wearing all black walked past my chair through the aisle at a brisk pace. I could hardly look up and spot who it was. But a few seconds later, I saw Amitabh Bachchan taking a seat in the front row. The carpenters were still hammering; the sound technician was still installing his equipment and microphones. The cartons with mineral water bottles for the guests were yet being opened. The PR, the journalists, the event managers, the cast and crew of the movie were not there, but Mr. Bachchan was. He sat in his chair, patiently and gracefully.
For the uninitiated, Mr. Bachchan has a flawless track record of always arriving a few minutes before the time that you assign to him for a movie-do, film shoot, or just about any event possible. Many years later, I had to interview him for the movie Aarakshan (2011) for Filmfare magazine. Our collective call time was 12.30 pm; I reached at 12.40 and got a schooling from Mr. Bachchan’s manager that he’d been waiting for me for 15 minutes. On another occasion, I was coordinating at the Filmfare Awards for a segment where Mr. Bachchan had to present an award on stage. His call time was 10.30 pm. On a night when every single guest, even the award nominees, were all at least 30 minutes late, because of a massive traffic jam near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Mr. Bachchan arrived at the venue 5 minutes before time. Coming back to 2007, at the Thodi Life Thoda Magic event, at somewhere around 7.40, I saw a bevy of people running into the event venue. I spotted Saahil sir in that group, too. He dashed straight to the front row, and what I could read from the body language, he looked like he apologized profusely to Mr. Bachchan. On his part, Big B assured Saahil sir that everything was fine and that they should start the event ASAP. That’s precisely what happened, and about 20 minutes later, Bachchan sir had left the building.
In the last decade and a half, the film industry and its ways have changed drastically. Most modern stars are punctual, and even when there are delays, it’s hardly ever the star’s doing. But, even at its most professional, the film industry is still not nearly close enough to the precedents of Mr. Bachchan. The big takeaway from his punctuality is the fact that to be successful in any field in life, one must be disciplined. And when you see a legend like Amitabh Bachchan consistently respect time, both his own and that of his peers and colleagues, you understand how important professionalism can be when it comes to success. I strongly believe that no one can achieve the superstardom and respect that Amitabh Bachchan commands in the annals of Indian culture and history. But if we mortals aspire to be like him, the first thing we must learn to respect and honor is time. It is the ultimate quality of gentlemen and entrepreneurs alike. Because when you respect time, it gives you back tenfold.