I want to stay alive: Amitabh Bachchan

Congratulations on receiving the coveted Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum  (WEF) last week. How was the experience?
This was my very first visit to Davos and the World Economic Forum. One had heard of the prestige and importance attached to this international forum, but being invited there and to be honoured for the prestigious Crystal Award was most humbling. In one week, to have the concentrated brain and thinking power of those that matter in the universe is an extremely well-designed event. At a forum such as this, for them to honour an actor from the Indian film industry speaks volumes on the importance and relevance they give to my fraternity and to my country. I felt great pride in being a part of WEF, in accepting their recognition to me and most importantly, in being an Indian.

You spoke out there about art serving as a medium for better global understanding…
To me, cinema has always been, apart from its entertainment value, a medium of great integration. When we enter a theatre, we never ask whether the person sitting next to us is a Hindu or a Muslim, Sikh or Christian, or the colour of his or her skin. We laugh together at the jokes, sing their songs together, cry together at the same emotions. There are sadly very few institutions left in this world that can propagate the values of such an event. In a world filling rapidly with hate and violence, perhaps this is one medium that prides itself in integrating people rather than dividing them. The popularity of Indian cinema within our shores and now increasingly outside, is not just the stars and their physical attraction, is not just the song and dance, is not just the escapist nature of our stories, but the fact that it brings us poetic justice within three hours.

Did you get to interact with Jet Li, who was also honoured?
Yes, I did, although very briefly. He seemed a very humble and down to earth individual. His passion for his charity foundation is most laudatory. In his talks, he gave the horrifying experience of his family’s moment in the Maldives during the time of the Tsunami, where clutching his child, he had to cling on to a tree to save himself. It was that moment that formed the inspiration of giving back to humanity. For someone who came from very humble and modest beginnings, he has made remarkable achievements.

What are your goals and dreams for this year?
I want to stay alive!