One day in 1968, a tall, slim, handsome, suited and well groomed young man walked into my studio and said he wanted to model as he needed to earn some extra money. He was employed by one of the biggest British Companies in India at the time, ambitious young men needed to spend a lot on clothes and socializing. At that period in time, the demand by advertisers was for attractive women as most products were home oriented .
While taking his photographs I told the young Amitabh Bachchan, that I saw great potential in him but the chances of his earning much in Calcutta were doubtful. I explained that Bombay manufactured and sold goods such as suitings, textiles and a host of other items needed by men. Should he happen to go to Bombay, I could put him on to some advertising agents who used male models for press and magazine advertising plus short ad-films that were shown in cinemas before the main feature. He told me his leave was due in a couple of months and he would then go to Bombay and try his luck. When he finally went to Bombay, there was no looking back – he found his lifetime’s vocation on the silver screen.
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