The Larger Than Life Figure In Bollywood – Amitabh Bachchan

It is one of those known birthdays, which is probably celebrated in every part of the country by his fan followers. He is one who doesn’t need an introduction because his life is a narrated saga to every Indian. The legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan has made the country proud for the immense contribution he has made to the field of cinema. He is the face of Bollywood today and his voice serves as his identity.

The great actor was born on 11^th October 1942 to Teji Bachchan and to the poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. The time goes back to 1969 where Bachchan made his debut as a voice narrator in the movie Bhuvan Shome but it is multi starrer Saat Hindustani which marks the acting debut of the actor. Next followed was Anand (1971) where he shared the screen with Rajesh Khanna, Parwaana (1971), Bombay to Goa (1972), and made a guest appearance in the movie Guddi (1971).

It was till then the small steps taken by the actor, but it was Prakash Mehra’s Zanjeer (1973) that established Bachchan as the angry young man which became the cult in the country. The list of hits is an never ending but movies for example Abhimaan, Namak Halal, Namak Haraam, Majboor, Chupke Chupke, Mili, Deewar featured varied range of roles of the actor and established him as one of the versatile actors in the industry. Then came the movie which is still considered as the seminal work in Bollywood, Sholay in the year 1975by Ramesh Sippy. It became a movie which broke all the previous records of hits and the time was slowly carving the history of the greatest star born in Bollywood.

Mr. Natwarlal (1979) became the first movie where Bachchan’s voice was used for playback singing which became one of the popular numbers and from there on Bachchan’s voice has been used for playback singing in many of his movies. Giving hits at the box office became like a trend of the actor and era of 80s too saw the shining career of Bachchan. An accident during the shooting the film Coolie in the year 1982 is testimony of the huge fan following and popularity the actor had. People were seen to be praying and the hospital’s entrance was seen to be crowded with his well wishers.

The era of 90s saw a setback in the career of the actor with little up and down in his financial position. But Bachchan smashed the screen with his role of a strict disciplinarian as a Principal in the movie Mohabbatein (2000) directed by Yash Chopra. Since then Bachchan has never taken his foot back from the silver screen. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black (2005) won not only praises of the critics but brought him home National award for best actor category. Bhaghban, Sarkar, Cheeni Kum, Nishabd, Paa featured the actor in varied and unconventional roles adding on to the variety in the list of roles done by him. The Great Gatsby in 2013 marks the Hollywood debut of the actor where he shared the screen with Leonardo DiCaprio.

He is a popular personality in the world of television as well. He has hosted several series of Kaun Banega Crorepati and the show has become one of the favourites of the Indian public again because of the presence of the actor. His style of presentation and his ability to connect with his audience keeps him at the top number in list of the favourite stars in the country. Bachchan’s social life does not stop with movies and his fans. He is a person who is dedicatedly involved in the betterment of society by making useful donations to the country now and then. He was made UNICEF goodwill ambassador for Polio eradication campaign in 2002 and in 2014 World Health Organization declared India a Polio free country.

He has numerous Filmfare and National awards to his credit. Apart from these awards, Bacchan has been recognized and honoured by many countries. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 1984, Padma Bhushan in 2001, Padma Vibhushan in 2015, by the Government of India. He was also privileged with the France’s highest civilian honour, the knight of Legion of Honour by the government of France in 2007. Also he was the first Asian whose statue was modelled into wax at ‘Madame Tussauds’ in London.

Bacchan is married to the actress Jaya Bhadhuri and the couple has two children, Shweta Nanda and, son Abhishek Bachchan who is too an actor in Bollywood. If movies like Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, Mili, Silsila star the husband wife together, then Bunty And Babli, Godfather, Sarkar, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Paa star the duo of the father and son. Abhishek Bachchan is married to Aishwarya Rai with whom too the actor has shared the screen in Mohabbatein, Bunty And Babli, etc.

There is no end to the works done by the actor. His each work holds importance in the history of Indian cinema. His contribution to the world of cinema is immense because of which he is recognised with respect across the world. There is no doubt that he is the pride of the Nation and his stardom and fame is unparallel in the country.

He is a figure of inspiration and role model for all younger artists in the industry. An extremely famous personality and an immense humble public figure Amitabh Bachchan is worshipped for the perfection he has and continues to depict in his work. Though a senior actor now, but he continues to be the favourite of many younger generation audiences as well.

On behalf of all his fans, Songpedia wishes the actor all the good health and lot more success in the coming years. We wish he continues to charm the audience with his extraordinary work in the coming years.