Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has seen highs and lows in his journey from being Bollywood's "angry young man" to its "Shahenshah". The actor says his determination and focus helped him emerge from the brink of bankruptcy.

For the actor, things didn't turn out as expected with his Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd. (ABCL) landing him into financial mess.

"It was a difficult time. ABCL went into debt. I was bankrupt. The people who expressed desire to work with me at the peak of my career came and hurled abuses at me," Amitabh said at a session of Agenda Aaj Tak here Saturday.

The 72-year-old, who has consistently proved his mettle with films like "Agneepath", "Don", "Black", "Paa" and "Cheeni Kum", says his focus and passion for acting helped him overcome that phase.

"When you are in such a problem, you don't sleep at night. On one such night, I asked myself 'Who I am' and realised that I came here to act and should stick to it," he said.

"Next morning, I went to (late filmmaker) Yash Chopra and explained my problem and told him that I neither have money nor work. It was then he gave me a role in 'Mohabbatein' and then I started again from that point," he added.

Amitabh played the role of a strict father and professor, who doesn't believe in love, in the musical romantic drama, which released in 2000.


At the session, he also recited his late father Harivanshrai Bachchan's poem "Madhushala" and reminisced about his father. The actor says his lessons are his driving force.

"My father was in a government job and he went for another job at night due to which he came home late. When I opened the door for him, I often asked him 'Why is he so late?' and to which he replied 'Paisa badi mushkil se milta hai' (You don't get money easily)."

"So, when I entered show business, I used to do two to three shifts and reached home late. Then my father asked me the same question and complained about my late arrival. My answer was the same: 'Paisa badi mushkil se milta hai, babuji'. This is one of the many teachings that helps me in my life," he said.

Meanwhile, the actor has wrapped up shooting for "Piku" and is currently busy with "Wazir".