Superstar Amitabh Bachhan

Amitabh Bachchan. The name itself conjures up a larger-than-life image, which has become immortalized with the passage of time. An anonymous dark, lanky young man who had come all the way from Allahabad with stars in his eyes, went on to be acclaimed as the actor of the Millennium in a poll with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Sir Lawrence Olivier, and Marlon Brando in contest.


Son of the well-known writer & poet Harivanshrai Bachchan, Amitabh, after completing his schooling in Nainital and graduation in Delhi, went back to Calcutta where he worked as a stage actor, radio announcer and a freight company executive in Shaw Wallace. But his growing interest in movies over the years made him come to Bombay in 1968 with an ambition to make it big in films.


But success was not an overnight phenomenon. After a couple of insignificant movies like Saat Hindustani (1969) and Reshma Aur Shera (1971), he grabbed the super hit Zanjeer (1973) that was to shape his future to come. In an era of romantic films of the superstar Rajesh Khanna, his image of an "Angry Young Man' went down extremely well with the masses. Amitabh became a phenomenon.


What followed were box office hits like Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony, Trishul, Don and Deewar. In 1983 when Amitabh was shooting for Coolie, he was injured on an on-set accident. Millions of fans prayed for him and kept track of the news that featured daily bulletins on his health. A miraculous recovery was the mark of a second coming for Amitabh, and movies like Sharaabi, Mard, Hum followed. Though he was getting roles, none were making a significant impact. After a six-year sabbatical, Mritudata came to Amitabh at the age of 55. Though the movie was seen as a comeback, it bombed at the box-office and the critics wrote off this superstar, bringing his career to tatters.


But the new Millennium had a new beginning. In 2000, he was chosen as the host for a new game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Amitabh was a suave, assured host and the show became an enormous hit. Critics finally admitted that Amitabh still had box-office magic.


If the recovery after the accident during the filming of Coolie came as a second life, Kaun Banega Crorepati was a second coming as far as his career was concerned. What followed was a plethora of brand endorsements and movie offers. Amitabh was seen again in movies like Aks, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kaante, Boom, Dev, Armaan, Lakshy and Deewar. Bachchan again struck gold with Baghban, where he played Raj Malhotra, the loving father who sacrificed everything to nurture his four children, but was left abondened by them in the end.

But one of his most meorable performances during this period has been as Rani Mukherjee's tutor in the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, Black. The man simply created magic with his role in the movie.


Then came Bunty Aur Bubli, where Amitabh came together for the first time with his son, Abhishek Bachchan. The two were again seen together in RGV'S Sarkar, where he played a messianic saviour-of-the-masses hero, Subhash Nagare.