Amitabh Bachchan turns 75 today, and the veteran actor is clearly excited about it.
T 2574 – The affection of greeting for the 75th, displayed over several mediums, overwhelms me .. a thank you shall never be enough pic.twitter.com/BH6d9JgsHW
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) October 10, 2017
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Having debuted in cinema with Saath Hindustani in 1969, the actor has come a long way and continues to be regarded as one of the best artistes in Bollywood. Many contemporary actors too, have admitted to emulating him in films they’ve chosen to do. From being called the ‘Angry Young Man of Bollywood’ to now excelling at roles closer to his age – is there anything Amitabh can’t do?
Here’s our pick of Amitabh being at his versatile best:
5. Goga in Jaadugar (1989)
A magician who manages to trick people even though he is just another mortal like the others. Amitabh Bachchan’s last film with Prakash Mehra didn’t do well at the box-office, but his performance in the film is something to talk about – constantly switching between a sly, jazzy-dressed trickmaster and a vulnerable human being trying to outsmart the villain, a ponytail-wagging Amrish Puri. Also, his gravity-defying stunts.
4. Dr Rastogi in Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin (2002)
Recommended
An unofficial remake of a hilarious Hollywood film, Analyze This, Amitabh Bachchan played the bumbling psychiatrist Dr Rastogi, who is forced to diagnose a don’s mental status. Between playing a terrified doctor and a protective brother (of Aishwarya Rai), Amitabh’s comic timing is severely underrated considering he still managed to evoke more laughs than the funnymen in the film – Sanjay Dutt, Satish Kaushik, and Paresh Rawal. His dance, too, cannot be missed.
3. Samarjit ‘Sam’ Talvar in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
In KANK, a family drama, Amitabh plays an old man best known as Sexy Sam to young women. His promiscuity is used as a running gag throughout the film, the trope being – an old man who enjoys sex with much younger women. However, he also gets to dish out some good old advice about the sanctity of marriage and family life, revealing that underneath all the sexcapades and lust, is a very lonely, old man.
2. Auro in Paa (2009)
Amitabh Bachchan, after a long time, got to play a young character. As Auro in R Balki’s film, he played a 12-year-old boy suffering from Progeria, a genetic disorder in which symptoms resembling aspects of aging will manifest at a very early age. He was 67 at the time but still had to undergo hours of prosthetic make-up to get the look right. His real life son, Abhishek Bachchan, played his father. While the film did average business at the box-office, Amitabh’s performance was much appreciated.
1. Buddhadev Gupta in Cheeni Kum (2007)
Another Balki film but probably his best. Amitabh plays a 64-year-old chef and restaurant owner who has everything going in his life except romance. Things change for the better when he meets Nina, a woman who is half her age but yet, somehow, the two sync and fall in love. Different from his other films, Amitabh manages to look his age and yet charming enough to sympathise with Nina. He’s vulnerable, sassy, and even romantic. Underrated at best, since he has never really gotten to play roles like this later. Also, he really works those Versace glasses he purchases in the film.
*****