Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan and Me

In search of a one-man industry, a phenomenon, an urban demi-god, and a national icon. "Jessica," he pronounced, "you have known me for seven years. My life has changed seven times. You will never finish this book." There is no reason why Amitabh Bachchan and I should appear in the same sentence. He is India’s most legendary film star—a mixture of Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, and Elvis. In India where film stars are treated as gods, Bachchan is the über-god, the Big B. As for me, I am English, almost 30, and not in the least bit famous. Yet here I am in Bombay about to start writing his story. How did I get here? Why did I get here? Can I pull it off? Bombay is mayhem and Bollywood is maddening. The Big B is strangely aloof, the magazines are full of lies, and no one is talking. I want to write a book that explodes the myths surrounding India’s most famous man. But what will I find?