'A remarkably outstanding personality'

Ramesh Sippy

I would attribute his longevity to his voice, his persona, his commitment, his attitude to his work.

The way Amitabh used his voice and his speech has always been remarkably effective and attractive. It makes you want to listen. With age I think his pauses have gotten longer. That is my perception as a director.

His graceful ageing along with his positive facets make him even more attractive. If today Mughal-e-Azam were to be made, who else would you choose but Amitabh?

If I were to make Shakti again, I would love to have him and his son do the two roles played by Dilip Kumar and Amitabh. He has matured like vintage wine, completely positively. All those positive qualities that he had developed earlier along with age make him a remarkably outstanding personality.

Ramesh Sippy spoke to Lata Khubchandani