Amitabh Bachchan's first film was Saat Hindustani (1969). He became well known as a movie star in 1973 following the success of Abhimaan and Zanjeer. Bachchan's most loved films and characters date from this period. Fans remember him from box office hits like Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony, Trishul, Don, Deewar and more recently in Baghban.
Amitabh often played an angry young man fighting a corrupt establishment -- a theme that had immense appeal in India during that time. The screen-writing duo of Salim-Javed [1] have often been credited with creating this persona. In a sense, the relationship was symbiotic. Neither Salim-Javed nor Amitabh have since attained the level of success they achieved with their collaborations.
Bachchan is famous for playing a person who is angry with the whole system, doesn't believe in God and replies back to evils of society, a person who believes in right and does right, a person who doesn't bow before anyone else except his mother. As a result of portraying these kind of images in the films he worked, the people and media called him ''an Angry young man''.
In an era where producers looked to cast a handsome full-bodied man as the hero, Bachchan was written off, due to his unconventional looks and tall, lanky frame. His baritone (since regarded as his biggest asset) once failed to get him a job as a news presenter at All India Radio. The success of Zanjeer and Sholay turned that around. Audiences adored his on-screen presence and a flair for comedy.
He continued making films all through the 1980s and 1990s, but his appeal seemed to have waned. Though a few of his movies were successful (Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan and Mohabbatein), critics said that they succeeded due to Amitabh's co-stars, Govinda and Shahrukh Khan. Industry gossip said that Amitabh was finished as an actor.
Then he proved the critics wrong. First came the fan accolades. In 1999, in a BBC Online Poll, he was named the Superstar of the Millennium. In June 2000 he became the first living Asian to have a wax statue erected in his honor at Madame Tussaud's.
In 2000, he was chosen as the host for Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show became an enormous hit. While the show was on, street traffic dropped dramatically; restaurants and movie theaters complained of diminishing clientèle. Critics were forced to admit that Amitabh could still pull big crowds. The show was aired again as Kaun Banega Crorepati 2, with a prize money double the first version.
The reason for the popularity of Bachchan has probably been the uncanny portrayal of the Indian consciousness in his roles. We can see the development of 70's India to the corporate setup of the present era. In this transformation the identity of ''Indian-ness'' is not lost.
Since his game show success, he has appeared in several hit movies. He has also appeared in many ads for commercial products and for various non-profit organizations. He has supported campaigns for eye donations and against polio and AIDS.
There is no doubt & I mean there is no doubt that Big B is the greatest Bollywood actor. Dilip Kumar was a great superstar and a great emotional actor, but Amitabh has grown bigger then him. He has reached a status that I think no other actor can reach. Shahrukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Aamir Khan & the others could never reach even close to his status.
His personality has entertained us 4 the past 35 years and still is. Nowadays he is venturing into many different versatile roles. His demand is still more than other younger actors. He should be crowned the Shehenshah of Bollywood. Last week I watched BAGHBAN and I found film based on truth.
Sir Amitabh with his legendary performances has once again proved that he is the star of all the times and the legend of the new millennium. What should I say about Madam Hema Mailini, she really knows the magic how to hold time in her hand and as time has passed she has really become more beautiful.
Madam Hema Malini’s performances were also fabulous. And about Salman Khan, this is the first film where I have liked performances given by Salman Khan otherwise he is a joker other than actor.
Amitabh Bachchan is undoubtly the best actor in Bollywood. It doesn't get bigger...!!! He is simply the best at everything what concerns. Being an ardent fan of the man I let me see if I can objectively answer any questions. To begin with he is not the first superstar of Bombay film industry.
That epithet goes to Rajesh Khanna. However, the reason Amitabh has outshone each and every one of his contemporaries is because he has this universal appeal. He is adored across generations. There were romantic heroes before him, people that he could never match up to.
But his character in 'Zanjeer' was something that people had never seen. The pent up fury that people were feeling during the 'emergency era' was reflected on the big screen by his persona. The justice that the common man was yearning for in real life was found in reel life. That helped his make a mark.
How he has really sustained is because he understood he needed to change with time. With the coming of the '90s came globalization. We were being exposed more and more to foreign films. The age-old formula was not selling. Amitabh realized that himself when his much touted return from sabbatical 'Mrityudaata' where he reprised his angry image turned out to be a box office dud.
So he changed himself. He started taking up more and more challenging roles - Mohabbatein, K3G, Aks, Aankhen, Black, Kaante, Baghban, Bunty aur Babli, Sarkar followed. People started seeing different facets of the man. What gave his career a real boost was this TV game show called 'Kaun Banega Crorepati'.
For the first time the common man had the chance to interact with him in real life. He came across to be a warm, friendly and witty person. This persona of Amitabh was seen by millions - remember, TV has a much higher viewership than films and yes,
I go watch any film he has acted in. Even if he is there for a 'blink and you miss' role. This is a hard question for me to answer because I love them both so much. Their acting so different, yet the same at he time. I love Amitji the most in Sholay because he's so cool, calm and collected.
While, I thought Sanjeevji was brilliant in his small role in Silsila. He was innocent, gentle and understanding about his wife's adulterous affair. They did have a great on screen chemistry. I wonder if they were friends. Anyways, poor Sanjeevji had an f u c k e d up life while on earth.
I hope he's happy whenever he is. Amitabh is at the top of a skyscraper, and he can fly up any time. Sanjeev Kumar, is burning inside the core of this earth.. I regard him, as a FORGOTTEN ACTOR. HE and Amitabh. Amitabh is a magican. Sanjeev is a rabbit though.
