Amitabh Bachchan, one of the superstars of India, is known for his decades-long career in Indian cinema. The actor in his decades of work has chose some of the choiciest scripts and played versatile role that has often left his fans in awe. The actor who marked his debut in the industry with Saat Hindustani in 1969 and later on went on to star in more than 200 movies in his vast career span, has spoken candidly about the importance of failure, learning from mistakes and finding the courage to keep going. The 84-year-old actor, believes that every setback offers an opportunity to take note of what went wrong and then taking precautions for future.

In an interview with Ei Samay’s Satarupa Basu, Amitabh Bachchan was asked whether he had experienced failure in his life and, if so, how he recovered from it. The actor acknowledged that setbacks had been numerous, explaining that he tried to examine each one rather than simply move on without reflection.

“I think that you learn from every failure,” Bachchan said, describing how he asks himself why something happened, how it happened and what he could do to prevent it from happening again. He also emphasised the importance of taking “relevant precautions” after a disappointing experience. The actor acknowledged that some of his efforts had worked while most had not. However, he did not see failure as a reason to stop trying. “Failures are very important in life. I think they are the best teachers,” he said.

Bachchan added that a person could fail and decide to do nothing more about it, thinking, “I tried something and failed. That's it. I'm not going to do anything about it.” His own circumstances, however, required him to continue working. He explained that whenever a setback came his way, he would reflect on “what went wrong, how to repair it, what to learn from it” before trying to move ahead. For him, the process of examining mistakes and learning from them was essential to continuing his journey.

Bachchan has also discussed failure in the context of his film career, acknowledging that even experienced actors cannot expect every project to turn out as planned. During a conference, many years back, he observed that actors across the world have made films that did not become what they had expected. Sometimes, he explained, people agree to a project because they believe in the filmmaker. On other occasions, they do it as a gesture or because their own judgement turns out to be wrong.

“We all make mistakes,” Bachchan said, adding that he would not “deride any film” he had worked on. Rather than distancing himself from projects that underperformed, he said he would stand by every film he had made. "I will say that I had a great time making them, irrespective of what happened at the box office,” the actor said. His remarks suggest that the outcome of a project does not have to erase the experience of creating it or the reasons behind choosing to be part of it.

Another lesson Bachchan highlighted during the conference was that failure is an inevitable part of life, regardless of how successful a person might appear. He cautioned against assuming that setbacks would never arrive, saying, “To think that failure is never ever going to come to you is the first mistake.” According to the actor, things can go wrong even when someone is “riding a huge wave of success”.

Bachchan explained that he tries to remain mindful of the possibility that circumstances could change dramatically. He asks himself what would happen if he were to lose everything and what minimum conditions would still allow him to feel comfortable. Rather than imagining the worst without perspective, he returns to memories of his early life. Recalling how he was brought home after birth in a tonga, wrapped in a guddi, he considers how little he originally had.

“I'll sleep on the floor, I'll sleep on the pavement,” he said, explaining that thinking about this baseline helps him put potential losses into perspective.

For Bachchan, considering the possibility of losing everything is not simply about anticipating failure. It is also about recognising what is truly necessary to get through difficult circumstances. At the conference, he described this as looking at “the bottom line”. By reminding himself that life could become much harder and that he had started with very little, he finds reassurance in knowing that he could adapt if circumstances changed.

“That's, I think, you feel that if you're prepared for the worst,” he said, explaining how this way of thinking makes a setback feel less overwhelming.