'Off with his legs!' screamed the pashas of phillumi paranoia when a gawky newcomer with the most intelligent, intense eyes ever, stepped into the Blunderland called Bollywood to try out his luck. They found him 'too tall!' if there's any such thing. And sniggered at him as he waited for the 'shot to get over' even as he tried to hide his legs under him. It was the first stride of probably India's last movie legend into the hall of the lame. A beginning to his struggle then his step to fame, as never seen before.

One would think that the past of a star would be just as glamorous and tinsel coloured as his starry future. But Amitabh Bachchan came onto the screen enveloped in the mist of anonymity. He was scoffed at because of his tall-gawky stature, and laughed at as lamboo. After a series of rejects, both in the film world and outside of it, Amitabh refused to give up hope, and the entire industry should be grateful for that today. He was even turned down by All India Radio as an announcer because -- believe it or not -- his voice was 'not right'. He was further refused the job of a junior executive in a soap and consumer goods firm in Delhi. Following this, he joined the crowd of young hopefuls in trams, clutching testimonials and wearing the 'same type of suits of anonymous executives' in Calcutta. He also worked as a shipping agent for a while. This involved, in his own words," …drinking a lot of beer and doing really nothing much." Having done the rounds of all possible avenues of employment, Amitabh even spent one night on Marine Drive, sleeping on the bench, with nowhere to go. Things didn't ease up immediately after his joining films, either. Rajesh Khanna was the rage of the time then and Amitabh was treated as a paltry fresher. He was made to wait on the sets for unreasonable amounts of time and never given any encouragement. While this is not meant to be a rags-to-riches story -- (AB comes from a good family background.) -- it offers some insight into the struggle that goes into the making of a legend. It should serve as both, an inspiration and warning to new aspirants in the industry who naively wish for fame and instant success to fall into their lap. The gawky newcomer with the extra long legs soon became the yardstick that would out measure all the rest of the star gang.