Decades before Vijay, Amitabh Bachchan won over voters; scandals made him resign in 2 years

The popular sentiment for Amitabh Bachchan in the post-Coolie world

Amitabh Bachchan was one of the most loved stars in the country when he faced a near-fatal punch on the sets of the 1983 film Coolie. The accident on set got the nation together as fans across the country conducted mass prayers in his honour while Bachchan was fighting for his life in the hospital. Months later, when he was discharged, fans thronged the streets of Mumbai to catch a glimpse of the ‘angry young man’ who defeated death. The incident proved that no one in the country was as loved as him so when the tragic assassination of Indira Gandhi happened in 1984, Bachchan’s childhood friend Rajiv Gandhi, who was sworn in as the Prime Minister, called him for help.

Shortly after, Bachchan jumped in to help the Gandhi family and soon enough, he was in Allahabad canvassing for the next Lok Sabha elections. Fans of the star rallied for him and he won by a record margin against HN Bahuguna, the former CM of Uttar Pradesh. This was a solid start for a political newbie, but even a star like him, who had faced many controversies in his life, was unprepared for the kind of controversies that were going to attack his political career.

‘Missing’ posters for Amitabh Bachchan in Allahabad

Bachchan took a sabbatical from the movies and made it a point to get involved in his constituency. But, senior party leaders of Congress saw him as a novice, so when they saw his rising popularity in the constituency, he became a target for them. As per Vir Sanghvi’s memoir A Rude Life, the then Finance Minister VP Singh, who later became the Prime Minister of the country, was “troubled by Bachchan’s obsession with Allahabad, which he regarded as part of his own backyard.” Sanghvi wrote that the senior party members “arranged stunt after stunt to shake his hold on the city.” If he failed to visit the constituency even for two weeks, they would put up ‘missing’ posters with his face all over the city.

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Amitabh, however, was committed to doing his best as a Member of Parliament so much so that he even moved to New Delhi in his official residence. Bachchan, in a chat with India Today, expressed that he felt like he was handling “two constituencies” – Allahabad and the film industry, as he was yet to finish all his existing commitments in Mumbai.

Because of his friendship with Rajiv Gandhi, Bachchan had the PM’s ear, and this closeness was not received well by the senior party leaders, who felt that Bachchan had jumped ranks, and they were being pushed aside. His popularity because of his film career, also created an impression that if he continued to stay in the good books of the masses, he could emerge as the next star leader of the party. Since Sanghvi was closely following Bachchan’s political journey at the time, he pointed out in his memoir that none of Bachchan’s initiatives in the city took off, and it was evident that roadblocks were intentionally being created by his opponents. The large population of the city, from which Bachchan hailed, was his fan, so it was difficult to turn them against him at once, but repeated allegations by his rivals, from within and outside his party, started to make a dent.

Amitabh Bachchan canvassing in Allahabad as a Lok Sabha candidate. (Photo: Express Archives)

Bofors scandal drowned his political career

The big blow came in 1987 when Bachchan was embroiled in the Bofors scandal. It was implied that his brother Ajitabh was handling his money and had deposited them in a Swiss account. There was nothing to prove Bachchan’s involvement in the matter, but his political opponents got the ammunition they had been desperately looking for, and they refused to let the matter die down. Within months, with the mounting pressure, Bachchan resigned from his Lok Sabha constituency. Decades later, in 2012, his name was finally cleared of all charges. At the time, he held a press conference and said, “I am happy that at least now I have been declared innocent. However, it is sad that it came out so late. I wish my parents were alive today to hear about my innocence.”

Even after he handed in his resignation, the slander against him did not stop, and it took him years to recover from the damage that he had suffered. In a chat with Simi Garewal in 1998, Bachchan referred to this period of his life as “hell” and admitted that he had been warned by other politicians that he had a target painted on his back. But, being the star that he was, he felt that he was ready to face the negative stories that might be planted against him, as he had faced similar things in his film career, too. In the end, he failed to understand the “nature of the attack” and what transpired in those years.

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He confessed that entering politics was never a part of his career plan, but when he was called upon by Rajiv Gandhi for support, his intentions to serve were absolutely noble. Decades later, he took to his blog and recalled those years in the parliament when he realised that the state had limited resources and to actually help people, he would have to start his own charity. When he did so, “politics took over and attacks on its veracity and intent were made questionable. Hurt and disgusted with the attitude of those who opposed this harmless social service, I gave it up and stopped.”

Bachchan stepped away from politics after this episode. But his wife, Jaya Bachchan, has been a member of Rajya Sabha since 2004, and is currently serving her fifth term.