Amitabh Bachchan | despardes.com

DEC 5, 2005: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who is recuperating after intestinal surgery on November 30 at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, is improving but still under observation in the intensive care unit (ICU), hospital sources said.

Big B hospitalized

The sources, however, declined to confirm when the megastar would be shifted out of the ICU.

He has been advised rest for a month, one news report says.

''Mr Bachchan is responding well to the treatment and all parameters of his health are normal, and he is on the road to recovery,'' one source said.

Meanwhile, tight vigil continued in and around the hospital as security was breached on December 3 when a TV reporter sneaked into the ICU to check up on the star.

The 63-year-old actor has been on intravenous fluids, vitamins and antibiotics since he was operated successfully for perforations to the small intestine, known as diverticulitis in medical parlance.

After preliminary investigation and treatment for abdominal pain in New Delhi's Escorts Heart Institute, Bachchan was flown to Mumbai last Monday and hospitalized here. After a series of tests for two days, he was operated upon by a team of three surgeons.

Amitabh`s close friends, industrialist Anil Ambani and chairman of Sahara group Subrato Roy have been visiting the star.

Brand `Amitabh� worth millions of rupees

Dec. 5, 2005, Mumbai: He might be hero-worshipped by millions of fans across the nation and abroad, he might be the beat of millions of hearts, but, there is another side of the coin too. A side which is rude but practical�.yes we are talking about the commercial aspect of the Brand Amitabh. As some film analysts put it- If Bachchan sneezes, it sends a chill down the film industry's spine as so much is invested on the megastar in filmdom.

Big B

This might sound a little offensive to his millions of admirers who are praying for his speedy recovery, but Big B�s illness has certainly put the Bollywood film industry on the edge.

Though he underwent a successful operation for perforated diverticula and jejunal perforation and his condition is stated to be stable, Bollywood will not be able to heave a sigh of relief till he is back in action as a whopping Rs 270 crore is at stake�.not a small amount indeed.

The Superstar of the millennium, who turned 63 in November, is the most saleable and bankable actor of Bollywood right now, irrespective of his age.

Brand Amitabh sells like hot cakes in the box office. The mega superstar has already delivered one super hit (Bunty Aur Babli), two hits (Black and Sarkar) and two semi-hits (Waqt and Viruddh) this year. Some of the other hits of Big B in 2005 have also done decent business in certain quarters.

While `Bunty Aur Babli` earned around Rs 60 crore, �Sarkar� generated a business of Rs 40 crore. Both `Black` and `Waqt` also did some rip-roaring business of Rs 38 crore each in comparison to the amount spent on their making.

His two new releases are to hit the marquee this month. His fans and the industry are waiting with a bated breath to see how these two ventures fare at the turnstiles.

The worth of the Shehanshah of �Hindi film industry� certainly can�t be valued in terms of money only. As some big banners of the industry put it---His popularity is more than the charm of three Khans�Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Amir Khan --put together at the box office.

On December 9, Bachchan�s film Ek Ajnabee is to hit the silver screen in which Arjun Rampal and Perizaad Zorabian are also co-starring.

Bachchan�s other movie Family - Ties Of Blood will be released on December 21 in which Akshay Kumar , Aryan Vaid and Bhumika Chawla will be rubbing shoulders with him.

Bachchan is also starring in ten other big films right now, which will see the light of the day next year. Besides films, he is busy doing several commercials.

Bachchan is also acting in Karan Johar`s `Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna`, currently shooting in New York. He has fortuitously completed his part in the film. His son Abhishek Bachchan, SRK, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta are also in the film, expected to be released in April next year.

In Ravi Chopra`s Babul, his co-stars are Hema Malini, Rani and Salman.

Bachchan will also be seen in Eklavya with Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan and Vidya Balan.

Maverick director Ram Gopal Verma is also making two flicks--`Darna Zaroori Hai` and remake of �Sholay� - with the Shahenshah of Bollywood in which he is essaying the role of Gabbar Singh.

Plans are also afoot to make KBC-III if Amitabh could spare some time for it.

But all this has come to a grinding halt with his surgery and doctors advising Bachchan to stay in hospital at least for a week.

The situation is similar to that of his hospitalization after a mishap on the sets of `Coolie` in 1982.

Filmmakers are keeping their fingers crossed for his speedy return to health. However, the more worrying factor for them now is that even when the star returns to work, he will have to slow down his frenetic pace, doctors say.

This has meant that filmmakers now are busy looking at new production dates for the prolific star.

"His health is the important thing at the moment," said film-maker Ravi Chopra who was in the midst of making "Baabul," a family drama in which Bachchan plays the lead when the star fell ill.

"I will start shooting only after he completely recovers. Our film is 45 percent complete. The rest will be done after he returns in good condition," said Chopra, who was planning to start shooting next week to finish the film.

Bollywood film analysts say the star's absence would have a domino effect on projects in which he was involved.

His illness also means a disruption in others` livelihoods. Veteran Bollywood lighting man Dinesh Chanderkar said the star was a one-man industry. "When he stops shooting, at least hundreds of others like us stop getting our daily wages. It`s important he keeps working. He`s an industry in himself."

Now if you think that it is only the film industry which is waiting anxiously for Big B�s return, think again. What about the ad-world? The ad world too is worried for the same cause- the cash.

Adman, Sumanto Chattopadhyay, said in an interview to a newspaper� Amitabh has acquired the status of an elderly statesman. Parents listen to him and so does kids. He has a pan Indian presence. There are very few celebrities who can command such respect, may be a Sachin Tendulkar or a Shahrukh Khan.�

No wonder, the �Golden Goose� endorses infinite number of products such as Cadbury Chocolates, Parker Pens, Dabur etc.

So, to the ad world also, he is a man worth millions of rupees.

Now, who says that only the hopes, aspirations and emotions of fans are at stake on Big B�s health? (Source: Zee News)