When Amitabh had London audiences on their feet

By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai, Aug 28 : Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan says he was overwhelmed by the 'unprecedented' response of the crowds in London when he performed there with son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai.

History was made at the 02 Arena in London Sunday when the Bachchans performed along with stars like Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta and Riteish Deshmukh as part of their 'Unforgettable' world tour - the 20,000-strong audience was on their feet most of the time!

"What you've heard is absolutely right. This is unprecedented and overwhelming. I've never gone through this experience before. Throughout my performance at the 02 Arena, the audience didn't sit at all. All 20,000 of them stood on their feet while I performed," Amitabh told IANS on phone from London.

"It was a deeply moving and humbling experience. I've never been in a performance like this ever. And perhaps the audience too had never felt like this before. The entire venue was sold out. We all got standing ovations. The audience just freaked out," he added.

In every city that the Bachchans performed in the US, the West Indies and Britain, the Big B was by far the main attraction with Abhishek and Aishwarya forming the sidelights.

Said Preity Zinta: "Let's admit it, the crowds came in such huge numbers mainly to see the Big B. We were the side attractions. The way the audiences everywhere reacted to him had to be seen to be believed."

Even Shilpa, who joined the Bachchans in London, agreed, saying: "The Big B is such a rock star. Performing with him was an eye-opener."