MUMBAI: Indian movie icon Amitabh Bachchan believes the real pressure on actors kicks in after they’ve become successful and are faced with the prospect of coming up with even bigger hits.

“The high (of success) is actually quite scary because if you do achieve big success, then you have to ensure the next one is big or even bigger,” Bachchan was quoted as saying in Monday’s edition of the Mumbai Mirror newspaper.

“The fear is that now you’ve got something, you don’t want to lose it,” he reportedly said.

“Popularity is not real, it is entirely due to the medium,” Bachchan was quoted as saying. “If you remove the medium, ever-ything will disappear.”

Bachchan, 63, is arguably India’s biggest star. He has appeared in more than 150 movies over three decades and has legions of fans, many of whom prayed for him when he fell ill late last year. He could not be immediately reached for comment.

Despite his fame, Bachchan insisted he tries to live as normal a life as possible, doing things like stopping for snacks at roadside stalls “I drive my own car. I drop my kids to the airport,” he was quoted as saying.