Thinking big, thanks to Big B

Amitabh Bachchan with Anand Pandit

Anand Pandit, producer of Chehre (2021) and The Big Bull (2021), was initially hesitant about his biography being published. But he was certain about one thing - should there be a biography, he would like Amitabh Bachchan to pen the foreword. Last week, on Pandit's birthday, the megastar launched the book, Almost Perfect, which chronicles the producer's early years in Ahmedabad, his shift to Mumbai and how he rose to become one of the country's biggest property developers before branching out in the movies.

In the foreword, Bachchan reflected on his two-decade association with Pandit, as he wrote, "Philosophically, it is believed that we only meet those whom we have met before - an incomplete debt, karma or fate - relationships that attach themselves to us, limited but moving together. Meeting Anand Pandit has been, I believe, a manifestation of such a karma and fate, one that has brought admiration and respect between the two of us."

Pandit tells us that writer Kaajal Oza convinced him to go ahead with the biography. "I had told her that there is nothing significant about my life. But she said that my hard work and struggle should reach the next generation and inspire them. The book reflects my life's journey, and [sheds light on] my relationships with Bachchan saab, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan." In the book, he has explained how Bachchan was the inspiration behind his journey. "Bachchan saab's character in Trishul [1978], complete with his Shanti Constructions, inspired me to establish my real-estate business."