Amitabh Bachchan

Whenever Hindi cinema is spoken about there will always be a few names taken and whenever the genre of action films is spoken about, one cannot start the list unless it is with Amitabh Bachchan, who defined the role of the angry young man.

He was offered bits and pieces roles in Reshma and Shera, and I think it was Woh Saat Hindustani where he did a good job, but that was not his forte. When he finally discovered what it was, this All India Radio reject, this person who was told that he is too tall and lanky for being a hero, ruled the silver screen for the next two decades.

His pairing with numerous superstars were made of fantasies and people thronged to theatres then, and they continue to relish those cinemas now. He was incredibly self-aware of his dialogue delivery. He knew that he could not emote as well to begin with, but he mastered the craft as he went along. People queued up to work along with him. Into the 90s, he reinvented himself having known that his best days were behind him of playing the main lead, and he took upon other roles which were equally challenging and even to this day it is no surprise that roles are written for him.

Self-awareness, yes, the way he has managed his whole career even after a not so successful venture into film production, and again rising from it like the phoenix only speaks volumes about the kind of discipline and self-management that he has espoused. A very social media friendly person, he takes up the cause of the weak and the downtrodden time and again only to remind us that stars are only human and are willing to do their bit. Yes, he loves his luxuries, he is known for having a good fleet of cars, a luxury bungalow or two, things which are no different from any other star, but nevertheless when a person of his stature calls out for some action people listen because that is the kind of emotional connect, the relationship connect he has with real and virtual fans even now.

Does he tick all the emotional quotient angles from anyone’s point of view? very much.  Even to this day, when people remember some movies, we just cannot imagine them without him being in that whether it is a comic role; an action role, or a role of pathos, or a very dramatic role. it might be anand, hum, or ajooba for the matter of fact or even deewar, Kaala Patthar, Zanjeer, or sholay. He has been there, done it all, seen it all, shown us such a variety of roles similar to all his ups and downs in his life, and the kind of emotional quotient that he has carried through on screen reflects off screen as well. Amitabh Bachchan, a very true practitioner of emotional quotient in the truest sense.

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

The missile man of India Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam is someone who Indians love, simply love. We love him unconditionally from the bottom of our heart. It has been five years since his passing. It had been almost 8 years since he demitted office as the people’s president of India, but his popularity failed to go down. He was the missile man of India and had reached the zenith of his career; the president’s job was just another task for him. Nevertheless, he brought the largely ceremonial job so much closer to people.

This shows the value he attached to relationships. He opened up the presidential garden for children; he loved children. He loved interacting with students. He was a teacher all through his life. It is said that he only had a suitcase as his earthly possession, a couple of shirts and trousers, and that’s it. He left all his earnings throughout his illustrious career to universities, schools, and colleges.