Amitabh Bachchan was once on the verge of bankruptcy in 1999 as his venture Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL) had faced major losses. Due to the result in the failure of production, distribution and event management companies made him fall into debt. During an interview in 2013, the megastar recalled the tough times.
In a conversation with Mail Today in 2013, the actor informed that he owed more than Rs 90 crore to different people. He said, “I paid back one and all, including Doordarshan. When they asked for the interest component, I did commercials in lieu for them. I can never forget how creditors used to land at our door, be abusive, threatening and demanding, and worse still, when they came for ‘kudkee’ at Prateeksha, our residence.”
Eventually, the success of ‘Mohabbatein’ and his 21-year-long running show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, which was also his television debut helped him bounce back.
He added, “Without a doubt that was one of the darkest moments in my 44-year professional career. It made me sit and think, I looked at the options before me and evaluated different scenarios. The answer came pat – I know how to act. I got up and walked to Yashji (Chopra, filmmaker), who stayed behind my house. I implored him to give me work. That is when the worm turned, he gave me Mohabbatein.”
The 78-year-old actor today, is undoubtedly one the busiest actors in the film industry. He made his digital debut with ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ last year, alongside Ayushmann Khurrana. Meanwhile, he has ‘Chehre’, ‘Jhund’, ‘Brahmastra’, ‘MayDay’ and ‘Goodbye’ in the pipeline.
