Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 84 this month, has said he has no plans to retire from acting, telling interviewer Subhash K Jha that he is grateful his body is still able to keep pace with his spirit.
"Why are people so keen to retire me?"
The actor questioned why retirement keeps coming up. "Why should I think of giving up?" he asked, adding, "Why are people so keen to retire me from my work?" Reflecting on a career spanning nearly six decades, he said he had come to "the jaws of death" and been pulled back. "Someone somewhere has protected me all these years," he said.
The remarks echo a familiar episode from his life: the near-fatal accident on the sets of Coolie in 1982, after which, he said, a family tradition of his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan reciting a birthday poem took on a new meaning. Bachchan also recalled briefly joining politics in 1984 and taking a sabbatical from films, saying that once he left politics, retirement never crossed his mind again.
No directing plans, no market playbook
Despite six decades in cinema, Bachchan said direction has never been on his radar. "I can't even dream of it, because I don't even know the craft well enough," he said, adding that while he offers inputs to his directors, the final call is always theirs.
The veteran actor, currently hosting the 18th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, also brushed aside questions about commercial instincts. "I have no idea about what sells and what doesn't. I'm bad with economics and finance. I've never known how to market myself," he said, while his net worth is valued at Rs 4,000 crore on the Hurun India Rich List 2026.
Sources: Amitabh Bachchan on retirement plans, recalls returning from 'jaws of death': 'Why give up?'
"Why are people so keen to retire me?"
The actor questioned why retirement keeps coming up. "Why should I think of giving up?" he asked, adding, "Why are people so keen to retire me from my work?" Reflecting on a career spanning nearly six decades, he said he had come to "the jaws of death" and been pulled back. "Someone somewhere has protected me all these years," he said.
The remarks echo a familiar episode from his life: the near-fatal accident on the sets of Coolie in 1982, after which, he said, a family tradition of his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan reciting a birthday poem took on a new meaning. Bachchan also recalled briefly joining politics in 1984 and taking a sabbatical from films, saying that once he left politics, retirement never crossed his mind again.
No directing plans, no market playbook
Despite six decades in cinema, Bachchan said direction has never been on his radar. "I can't even dream of it, because I don't even know the craft well enough," he said, adding that while he offers inputs to his directors, the final call is always theirs.
The veteran actor, currently hosting the 18th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, also brushed aside questions about commercial instincts. "I have no idea about what sells and what doesn't. I'm bad with economics and finance. I've never known how to market myself," he said, while his net worth is valued at Rs 4,000 crore on the Hurun India Rich List 2026.
Sources: Amitabh Bachchan on retirement plans, recalls returning from 'jaws of death': 'Why give up?'
