Grace and Elegance
By Rajesh Setty on Sat 06 Feb 2010, 12:01 AM – 4 Comments
Photo Courtesy: Amitabh Bacchan’s blog
Criticism is part of life. If you are doing anything significant, there will always be some criticism from someone
Why?
Simply because you can’t please everyone.
A simple thing to do is to handle criticism with grace.
Here is an example of how Amitabh Bacchan (who needs no introduction for anyone who has heard of Bollywood) handled criticism from another superb Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah.
Here it is, in his own words (on his blog)
[ Note: I made VERY minor edits for the sake of readability. Emphasis is mine ]
A question came my way during the reading of the latest Filmfare. When told to comment on Naseeruddin Shah’s remark on how I had become a victim of my star hood and forgotten how to act (That he had preferred me in my earlier ventures due to the simplicity of playing characters who were closer to the earth)
I replied that when an actor of Naseeruddin’s stature speaks, you just listen head down and quietly with your hands behind your back.
We can all learn a lot from just the above incident.
Have a great day.
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Posted in the Leadership, Main Page category.
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4 Comments so far, Add Yours
Tanmay Vora on February 6th, 2010
Rajesh, Brilliant observation.
Bachchan is humility exemplified. All his media appearances and his conduct there just teaches me one thing – the branch of a tree that bears fruit leans down. As we achieve greater heights, grace and humility become even more important.
Rajesh Setty on February 6th, 2010
@Lisa, Yes, it is amazing to see a legend taking the time to share and engage.
@Tanmay, that’s a great metaphor. Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Rajesh
Steven Diamond on February 6th, 2010
Trying to please everyone is quite possibly the biggest waste of time I know of. It’s impossible. I use to attempt to please everyone around me and it nearly drove me insane. However, criticism is something that I have actually come to enjoy over the years. Not only does it fuel my passion to be the best at what I do, but it helps me to develop better ideas. It’s all a matter of the right perspective.
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lisa haneberg on February 6th, 2010
Raj: Nice post and a great example of graceful coachability. What struck me, too, was how many comments he has on his blog posts. I know there are a lot of people who love Bollywood, but it is nice to see such a legend attracting this level of participation. I wonder if Tony Bennett would do the same if he shared his thoughts and wisdom?