The lion in summer, Amitabh Bachchan

His punctuality is legendary…and on a day which is one of personal triumph, on which a few minutes here and there would readily be overlooked (witness camera crews, hungrily in wait) his arrival, on the clock, to the minute, is a revelatory surprise.

Those at the very top, are often the humblest people, shorn of pretence, artifice and Amitabh Bachchan, superstar, confirms this for me. Meanwhile, his joy today is palpable and why not? A few hours before, the National Awards have been announced and Bachchan has won the Best Actor award (for Paa) for the fourth time… Paa, too, has done well.

Around us the machinery-that-accompanies-a-megastar has spun into overdrive — the flurry of crew, cameras-in-wait-for-sound bytes, bystanders that come with the territory, and the frenzy is palpable.

Bachchan himself is an oasis of calm.  He chronicles his winning roles: “The first one was for Saat Hindustani, that was as Promising Newcomer, then there was Agneepath, then Black, and now Paa.”

“Any kind of appreciation is always most welcome for creative people,” he elaborates. “We do our creativity for the masses. Audience appreciation is like an endorsement of your creativity, that’s very essential for us. When it gets rewarded then it’s almost like a seal of acceptance by the people.”

68-year-old Bachchan won this award for playing a progeria affected 13-year-old, a demanding role that required a rigorous makeover, stretching into four hours at a time.

He’s expressing gratitude towards the government, awards jury, director R Balki, the make-up team, and as he continues, the proud papa comes through both in his voice, and his words: “I’m happy for Abhishek — because Paa has won 4 awards. He said we should produce the film and he actually pushed me (and his company) into producing it.”

And fittingly, it was Abhishek who first broke the news of the win to him. “Abhishek is shooting (at a destination) beyond Marve. I was taking a little catnap in the afternoon when he called. He was screaming his lungs out.” And then, fondly, Bachchan quips: “I said okay, as soon as you stop, I can get back to sleep!”

It is easy to see how much Abhishek is top-of-the-mind for Amitabh. “There’s an additional joy because Dilli 6 has won the national integration award…” then, laughing, “So Abhishek being in that is kind of reflected glory, but it’s there!”

So what role next is left to conquer — any dream role Bachchan had in mind, perhaps, as a raw newcomer years ago? Even after 4 awards, Bachchan is quick to dispel notions of grandiosity. “As a young man who was wanting to work in movies I always wanted to get an opportunity to be in front of the camera. I'm very grateful I got that opportunity."