In an industry where stars shine bright only to fade away into obscurity after a few years of dazzle and fame, Amitabh Bachchan is that rare supernova who continues to sparkle in tinsel town galaxy decade after decade.
Bachchan, 76, was on Tuesday named for the Dadasaheb Phalke award, an honour that comes in a year he completes 50 glorious years in cinema.
The actor, who gave us command performances in films as diverse as Zanjeer, Abhimaan and Chupke Chupke before going on to meaty father-grandfather roles, continues to command respect and popularity both, a unique combination in the fickle world of showbiz.
Born to Hindi poet Harisvanshrai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan on October 11, 1942, Bachchan began as a voiceover artiste for Mrinal Sen's film "Bhuvan Shome". His famous baritone was also a part of Satyajit Ray's only Hindi film "Shatranj Ke Khiladi".
The actor, who has taken on the mantle of a statesman of sorts for Bollywood, made his screen debut with Khwaja Ahmad Abbas' "Saat Hindustani"in 1969 as one of the seven protagonists. It was followed by roles in "Anand", "Parwana" and "Reshma Aur Shera".
Not conventionally good looking and a tad too tall, Bachchan's early success was followed by a low phase where the actor faced a dozen flops. Luck, however, favoured him when scriptwriters Salim-Javed (Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar) noticed the lanky actor and thought he was perfect for their revenge drama "Zanjeer".
Directed by Prakash Mehra, it was the beginning of the 'Angry Young Man' persona that became Bachchan's screen identity and a lifelong adjective.
The language of cinema was changing with the rise of Bachchan as romantic stories gave way for movies that projected the anxieties of a generation struggling for jobs and a place in the class-ridden society.
Bachchan channelled this voice in his various iterations of Vijay, a man perpetually at odds with the society in films such as "Deewar", "Trishul", "Kaala Pathar" and as Jai in "Sholay".
"Namak Haram", "Mr Natwarlal", "Lawaaris", "Parvarish", "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar" and "Amar Akbar Anthony" were the other major hits in his career.
Though popular for his 'Angry Young Man' persona, the actor showed versatility by venturing out for sensitive, middle-of-the-road and sometimes romantic films such as "Abhimaan", "Millie", "Yaarana", "Kabhie Kabhie" and "Silsila".
He suffered a near-fatal accident on the sets of "Coolie" on August 2 in 1982. The actor suffers health complications from it even today and calls his recovery a "second birth".
In 1990, Bachchan played the iconic role of gangster Vijay Deenanath Chauhan in Mukul S Anand's "Agneepath". The film was not a success but earned the actor his first National Film Award.
He soon ventured into filmmaking with his production company Amitabh Bachchan Corporation whose first release "Tere Mere Sapne" (1996) was a box-office failure. Bachchan ended up suffering huge financial losses and went through a career slowdown.
He broke out of the bad phase with Yash Chopra's "Mohabbatein" in 2001, where he featured alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai as a stern father and principal of a gurukul style teaching institute.
He followed it up with his television debut as the host of the game show "Kaun Banega Crorepati". The show paved the way for other Bollywood stars to follow Bachchan on TV, which is still considered a poor cousin of cinema. "KBC", like its host, is still running on TV.
Many of his successful films were with his wife, Jaya. The couple has two children, Abhishek, also an actor, and Shweta.
As leading men roles started drying up in the '90s, the ever perceptive star changed gears by taking up roles that suit his age and persona of a trusted elder in films such as "Aankhen", "Baghban", "Khakee", "Sarkar", "Sarkar Raj".
"Black", "Paa" and "Piku" earned the veteran star three more Best Actor National Film Award and they remain a highlight in his storied filmography.
Bachchan is one of the few stars who is on the wishlist of popular directors as most of them grew up on a steady diet of his films. He is also a favourite co-star of young actors and is not hesitant to ask for work if he likes a filmmaker or actor's work.
The government honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 for his contributions to the arts.
Bachchan briefly ventured in politics in Rajiv Gandhi's era but vowed to stay away from it after his name was dragged into controversies related to Bofors scandal.
He has stayed relevant through his campaigns for polio, the girl child and other programmes.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
