When Amitabh Bachchan met Michael Jackson

When Amitabh Bachchan met Michael Jackson

Amitabh Bachchan has recalled his meetings with late King of Pop, Michael Jackson and has also written a tribute of sorts to him.

In around mid-60s Bachchan had heard first about the pop group Jackson 5 and some years later had caught their video on his video player. His first Jackson concert experience was in his US trip in early 80s where he like any other lay man fan of the pop sensation had to watch it sitting at the back most row of a huge football stadium after buying tickets in black.

But however his first face to face meeting with Michael was a very funny one.

"In the early 90's on another private visit to New York, the door bell of my room in the Helmsley Palace Hotel rang, and I sauntered up to open it. There as I stood in the doorway, across me, was Michael Jackson. He looked a little surprised as he turned around to those he was accompanied with and in his now well known soft voice gently spoke up – "Oh Excuse me. I think I have the wrong room ".

I have no recollection of what I said in return, whether I said anything at all, how long I remained in that state and when I closed the door to come back in. But that was him and he had come to the wrong room.

Later the next day, my friend Mohan Murjani, who was perhaps working with MJ on some project and staying in the same hotel, set up a meeting for me with Michael Jackson and we met and laughed at the previous days incident and exchanged pleasant conversation. He was soft spoken, very humble and most polite. Introduced me to his Mother who accompanied him and then I was out of there.

I never saw him again but when he came to perform in Mumbai at the Andheri Sports Complex, Prateeksha, where I live, shook the entire night with the vibrations of all his most popular numbers booming out from the venue.

An exceptional artist has gone. Someone that created an almost outer world experience for all of us with his art." recalls Big B through his latest blog.

Interestingly, Amitabh has further added that when he gets back from abroad he shall be pulling out an old birthday party recording of 7-8 year aged Abhishek, dressed like Michael and dancing to 'Thriller'.