Shekhar Suman

I know I am called the Big B of small screen. I would say that it is flattering and at the same time not so flattering. I came to the small screen in search of an identity, because I was not able to establish myself on the big screen.

I would have been happier being just called Shekhar Suman. I have not achieved an iota of what he has .

Yes, I'm pleased and honoured. But one cannot reach up that status. It dwarfs you, engulfs you completely. He is a universe and I am just a small planet.

I have been influenced by Amitabh Bachchan tremendously. Not just histrionics but more his sense of modesty. He never takes credit for his achievements, always praising his producers or directors.

Many accuse him of putting on false front, but I don't think any actor can continue doing that for so many years. Actors are too narcissistic for that!

I think his modesty comes as a result of his upbringing. I admire his sense of discipline and punctuality. He always honours his words. That I want to emulate.

He is the only man in the industry who is a true professional. You can actually time your clock with his arrival and departure.

I have chatted with him on several occasions, but he has never praised my work. Unfortunately, he doesn't consider me up to the mark! I must be lacking somewhere.

I last met him at a concert in Calcutta where I was the host. He asked me "Shekhar, what are you going to say?"

I said that I don't know. I have always talked on the spot.

After the show, he told me that he would never be able to match up to my words. He was being his usual humble self.

I would love to have him on Movers & Shakers. On the condition that he does not give me monosyllabic replies. Many times when I chatted with him, I felt I was piling on, that I was unwanted. He can be very terse, reticent and concise.

THE first time I met Amitabh Bachchan was on the sets of a film called Professor Ki Padosan or something like that -- I don't remember the name, but Sanjeev Kumar and Padmini Kolhapure were starring in it. He had a guest appearance. I still have a photograph of me sitting next to him at the Sumeet theatre.

I would call his entry into television as the final triumph of his art. It is an event to celebrate. I think it is the final stamp of credibility for television. It will set high standards for this medium, which is presently cocooned in its complacency. Now, you see producers and directors on television coming up with all kinds of innovations. That is really good.

HE has unleashed a massive competition.

I have barely managed to catch half an episode of KBC. From what I did see, I thought he was brilliant. I think he has finally come to a genre where he truly belongs.

People like to see him in pastel suits and a grey beard doing sober things. And that is exactly what he is doing now. He has reached the masses.

Shekhar Suman spoke to Kanchana Suggu