By Subhash K. Jha, IANS

Though Amitabh Bachchan wasn't in a very birthday mood this year, son Abhishek flew down specially from Paris for the occasion and managed to bring a smile to the saddened icon's heart.

The superstar's birthday was marred by his mother's critical health and then came the news of the death of his industrialist friend Lalit Suri.

But the family got together to celebrate a quiet birthday.

"My sister Shweta flew down from Delhi for the day. Dad was really excited about that. The entire family was together. Nothing could've made him happier. It takes very little for us to be happy. We, as a family, are happy as long as we're together. We just spent the entire day quietly together," Abhishek told IANS.

Abhishek went to Chennai immediately after Amitabh's birthday on Oct 11 to complete the last four days of Mani Ratnam's "Guru".

Another birthday gift that made the entire family happy is the Legion Of Honour that the French government announced for the super-icon.

"What a fabulous gift for dad on his birthday! It's fantastic. Earlier, I believe Satyajit Ray got it. Well, great. It just shows that Indian cinema is making inroads into the West. It was high time that the world stood up and recognised Indian cinema. And they are doing precisely that.

"And to have dad spearheading Bollywood's amazing movement onto a global platform, makes me very proud as a son, as I'm sure it makes everyone else proud. We as a family are truly honoured. It's matter of pride for every Indian when a recognition like this comes to dad from a cinema-savvy country like France."

According to Abhishek, "The most wonderful gift that dad got this birthday was the love of his fans that he gets every year... But the Legion Of Honour comes a close second."

Abhishek is enthusiasm personified about his dad's role in Ram Gopal Varma's "Sholay".

"I think it's a wonderful idea to remake 'Sholay'. Every filmmaker has the creative right to carry his vision into whatever area he chooses. Ramu is a wonderful director and a filmmaker I've immense faith in. I was very upset when I couldn't do Ramu's 'Sholay' due to time constraints. But I think Ramu's 'Sholay' will be a brilliant interpretation of Ramesh uncle (Sippy)'s classic."

What about all the voices expressing doubts over the project?

"There'll always be naysayers. All I can say is, knowing Ramu's abilities from close quarters I'm pretty sure even Ramesh uncle will be very proud of the film Ramu makes."