Sep 16, 2010 12:30 PM
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(Updated Sep 16, 2010 11:37 PM)
Amitabh Bachchan walked off with his fourth National Film Award yesterday for Paa… This inspires me to compile the following review that concentrates on the best performances of, arguably, the greatest superstar of the nation. The trademark deep baritone voice, the tall, brooding persona, and intense eyes, made Amitabh Bachchan the ideal "Angry Young Man" in the 1970s, thereby changing the face of Hindi cinema.
To say that he is a great actor will be an understatement- he’s the most versatile actor of the silver screen- romance, action, mystery, horror, parallel cinema… you name it and he has done it. He is simply the best. Here goes my list of the best from the best: -
1) Kaala Patthar** (1979)- As penance for an act of cowardice as the captain of a sinking ship, Vijay (Amitabh) eagerly faces every sign of danger and adversity in an attempt to combat his inner demons. Ravi (Shashi Kapoor), the chief engineer of the doomed mining project, tries to alert the management and the workers of impending disaster, but they choose not to listen. Ravi joins forces with Vijay and the other workers in order to save lives.
Along the way, Mangal (Shatrughan Sinha), a runaway convict hiding out in the coal mine, finds the compassion within himself joins the fight for justice. Inspired by a real-life tragedy at the Chasnala Mines in Bihar, Kaala Patthar (Black Stone), tells the powerful tale of three men who stand up to fight something larger than themselves. Marvellous acting from Amitabh!!
2) Black** (2005)- This movie revolves around the relation of a deaf and dumb girl (Rani Mukherjee) with her teacher (Amitabh). It is a flawless movie, very well directed by Sanjay Leeela Bhansali and also won Amit Ji a National Award. Brilliant performance by the big man…
3) Deewar** (1975) - Two sons are brought up by their mother, when their father abandons them. One son (Amitabh) becomes a successful underworld figure so he can provide his mother with the luxuries she never had while she raised them. But the other son (Shashi Kapoor) decides to become a policeman, splitting the family apart. Again a superlative act by the Shehenshah of Bollywood...
4) Zanjeer** (1973)- A suspended police inspector hunts down the murderer of his family. The angry young man truly enacted here...
5) Agneepath** (1990)- It is based around India's Underworld bosses, who go to war against each other on a regular basis. In this case Vijay Chauhan (Amitabh) gains power and goes to war with the highest ranked underworld boss who is in control of coveted land and many major smuggling rings. He is also the cause of Vijay’s father's death... He was a one man army in the film- superb...
6) Paa** (2009)- It deals with the struggle of an estranged couple who have a child suffering from a unique disease, Progeria. A National Award for Amit Ji as I mentioned earlier for playing the child- a classic!!
7) Trishul** (1978)- The illegitimate son of a businessman seeks revenge on his father for abandoning his mother and instead marrying for riches. Resilient, sombre acting…
8) Saudagar** (1973)- Here, Amit Ji plays a negative role, that of a vendor who betrays his first wife (Nutan) for a richer lady (Padma Khanna). Amit Ji’s portrayal is so natural that it creates disgust amongst viewers for the kind of a person he is (as shown in the film).
9) Sharabi** (1984)- Loosely based on Dudley Moore's 'Arthur', Amithabh plays a spoilt but generous hearted drunk son of an extremely rich and uncaring father. Om Prakash plays the surrogate father and Jaya Pradha provides the romantic liason. Even a seasoned alcoholic couldn’t have played a better part than Amit Ji did…
10) Saat Hindustani** (1969)- Amitabh’s first Movie after being denied because of his voice. He had a small role to play in the movie which dealt with the Freedom Struggle; but he did prove his mettle in his first outing with a strong performance.
11) Shakti** (1982)- A scrupulously honest cop (Dilip Kumar) refuses kidnappers' demands at grave risk to the life of his son(Amitabh). The son is rescued but lives forever scarred by his father's willingness to sacrifice his own son for the sake of his principles. Excellent acting from the Big B…
12) Abhimaan** (1973)-A popular singer (Amitabh) marries the daughter (Jaya) of a retired teacher, but when her singing becomes more admired than his, he is filled with anger, envy and jealousy that spiral out of control. Good plot and even better acting…
13) Aakhree Rasta** (1986)- David (Amitabh Bachchan) is a party worker –he has blind faith and devotion towards his party leader Chaturvedi (Sadashiv Amrapurkar). But the leader is an unscrupulous opportunist. The story is a classic revenge one but with an added twist where father and son end up on opposite sides of the law. Amit Ji performed both the roles with precision and perfection…
14) Sholay** (1975)- Sholay tells the tale of Jai (Amitabh) and Veeru (Dharmendra), two small time crooks called in by Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar) to fight the tyranny of Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan). It tells of a village that realises that non-violence does not mean cowardice as it stands up to terror. The best Indian film could hardly afford to miss the services of the best Indian actor… Sholay is a saga in itself…
15) Sarkaar** (2004)- It narrates the story of Subhash Naagre (Amitabh), who is caught in the tension between caring for the needs of his family and taking part in political power games. Controlled and mature acting by the Amit Ji…
Some other great performances by the Big B: -
16) Manzil*
17) Don*
18) Laawaris*
19) Baghban*
20) Main Azaad Hoon*
21) Amar Akbar Anthony*
22) Satte Pe Satta*
23) Namak Halal*
24) Khakee*
25) Majboor*
26) Silsila*
27) Muqaddar Ka Sikandar*
28) Anand*
29) Kaalia/ Faraar*
30) Kabhie Kabhie*
KEEP GOING AMIT JI…*
