Amitabh Bachchan has several films in the pipeline. (Photo: Amitabh/Instagram)Arguably one of Hindi cinema’s biggest superstar, Amitabh Bachchan turns 80 on Tuesday.
Bachchan has been working for over five decades in showbiz and has not only worked in different film industries, but has successfully dabbled in nearly all mediums, including but not limited to television. Many stars have over the years cited him as an influence, including Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. Big B has constantly managed to reinvent himself over the years and keep himself relevant in a business which is all about change.
Amitabh Bachchan, who made his Bollywood debut in 1969 with Saat Hindustani, was last seen in the movie Goodbye.
To celebrate his birthday, wife Jaya Bachchan and son Abhishek Bachchan will join him on Kaun Banega Crorepati 14 for a special episode. Apart from talking about each other, the episode will also see Jaya and Abhishek making some revelations about Big B.
Goodbye actor Sunil Grover shared a cute video while wishing Big B a happy birthday.
Here's how birthday boy Amitabh Bachchan responded to Rajnikanth's birthday wishes.
On Amitabh Bachchan’s 80th birthday today, his fans in Kolkata are celebrating their idol's big day in the temple dedicated to the star.
Know more about the temple and the birthday celebration here.
Shah Rukh Khan posted a video of him singing "Ek dusre se karte hai pyaar hum" with Amitabh Bachchan. Wishing the latter on his birthday, SRK further wrote, "One thing to learn from this great man, actor, superstar, father and superhuman is to never back away….instead learn….level up and launch again and again….forever. May you always be healthy and entertain our grand children also. Love you sir @SrBachchan."
Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is turning 80 on October 11. 'Age is just a number' for the super energetic Big B who keeps himself busy with projects even after all these years. Click here to see unseen photos of the megastar from the sets over the years
Nakuul Mehta's birthday wish for Amitabh Bachchan.
The many milestones of Amitabh Bachchan's career over five decades make him the man who has fans across all generations. On his 80th birthday, looking back at the best of Bachchan down the six decades that he has straddled the Hindi film industry like a behemoth.
Read here
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Vicky Kaushal shared photos of Amitabh Bachchan, and wrote, "A legend. An icon. A true inspiration. Happy 80th Birthday Sir! @amitabhbachchan."
Fans perform aarti at the Amitabh Bachchan temple in Kolkata.
As he rang in his birthday, Amitabh Bachchan met people gathered outside his home, Jalsa, at midnight. He was accompanied by daughter Shweta Nanda. Big B also took to his blog and expressed gratitude towards his fans for always being by his side
Take a look at the video of the superstar meeting his fans:
From one superstar to another. Rajnikanth took to Twitter to wish Amitabh Bachchan on his birthday. He wrote, "The legend.. someone who has inspired me always… the one true sensation and superhero of our glorious Indian film fraternity enters 80 .. happy birthday my dearest and most respected @SrBachchan Amitabh ji .. with lots of love and best regards always ????"
Actor Jaya Prada in an interview spoke about Amitabh Bachchan and his magnificent career as an actor. While wishing him, she also called him a 'blessing' to the film industry.
“The person who has contributed for more than four decades to Indian cinema, and has been a superstar all this while. Amit ji is a blessing to the film industry. When someone becomes successful we feel great about that person, but I believe it is a matter of pride for success itself to be associated with a person like him," she told Pinkvilla.
Comedian Kapil Sharma posted a photo with Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter Anaayra from the Kaun Banega Crorepati set. While wishing him a healthy and long life, Kapil also wished that Big B keeps entertaining fans through his films.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Amitabh Bachchan on the latter's 80th birthday. Taking to Twitter, Big B replied to him writing in Hindi, "Most respected, Shri Narendra Modi ji, I thank you for your good wishes. Your words of blessings will always be a source of inspiration for me."
On Amitabh Bachchan's birthday, Goodbye team released the song "Happy Birthday". Watch it here:
Actor Ahana Kumra has shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in TV show Yudh. In an interview, the actor shared how the senior actor pranked her once on set.
She shared how it was the last day of shoot and she was to fly to Paris. Having already rescheduled the ticket earlier, she wanted to finish work soon, as the tickets were quite expensive.
"On the last day, my EP came and said you would have to reschedule your tickets as Mr Bachchan had to go somewhere. He said we would have to continue the remaining scenes the next day. And I started crying in a corner. Then, suddenly Mr Bachchan came and he said, there's an animal, uske sir pe sing hote hai, use kehte hai bakra. He took a big case of mine. I was crying in a corner and looking very funny. And everybody was laughing," she told IndiaToday.in.
Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda took to Instagram to wish him on his birthday. She wrote a few words of Harivansh Rai Bachchan in Hindi, adding, "There never has, and never will be anyone like you ?? happy birthday nana."
Speaking exclusively to indianexpress.com, Rupali Ganguly remembered the time she told her father, filmmaker Anil Ganguly that she wanted to become an actor. To test her, he asked her to prepare the drunk scene of Amitabh Bachchan from Amar Akbar Anthony.
"In a way, Amit ji was my Dronacharya and I was Ekalavya. Whatever I have learned as an actor is because of him,” the Anupamaa actor said.
Read full interview here
Checkout some photos of Amitabh Bachchan from the Express Archive.
Abhishek Bachchan and mother Jaya Bachchan will surprise Amitabh Bachchan on Kaun Banega Crorepati 14 shoot. While the team is yet to reveal what will transpire, junior Bachchan shared a BTS video of his time on the set. He also thanked the team for putting up this grand show and requested fans to watch the episode.
"It took a lot of secrecy, a lot of planning, a lot of hard-work and a lot of rehearsals to get it right. But then again, he deserves no less!
It was very emotional to be able to surprise dad and celebrate his 80th Birthday at the place he loves the most, his workplace.
My gratitude to the entire team of Sony and Kaun Banega Crorepati for helping me do this and making tonight’s episode so special for my father. Do try and see it if possible. KBC on 11th October at 9pm IST only on Sony TV," he wrote.
Here's a look at the video:
Jaya Bachchan will grace Kaun Banega Crorepati 14 tonight, to celebrate Amitabh Bachchan's birthday. As she will quiz him on what he loves the most, the megastar will reply coming on KBC, listening to music, and spending time with his family.
As a surprise, she will get his favourite band, consisting of an 80-piece orchestra, to play a special tune. They will play the actor's most iconic theme songs from his films, starting from Sholay and ending with the theme music of KBC.
The promo of the same sees Amitabh Bachchan getting emotional and saying how he will never forget this day.
Renuka Shahane's wish for Amitabh Bachchan.
Wishing Amitabh Bachchan on his birthday, Karan Johar wrote a heartfelt note on Instagram. From expressing the excitement of watching his films as a kid, he also added how there cannot be another Amitabh Bachchan in Indian cinema.
KJo wrote "AMITABH BACHCHAN is not just an institution, a Legend , a Masterclass in acting… he is a feeling! A feeling that takes us back to the first time we whistled and clapped on a superstar entry, applauded a punchline, danced in the isles of a cinema… A feeling that trained our minds to what a HERO in cinema is and must always be … A feeling that defines cinema memories etched in our minds forever …. I feel blessed to have my name as director in his voluminous and stunning filmography… blessed to have grown up in front of him and even at age 5 have felt the thump of his stardom when he walked into a room… There will be artists and megastars and celluloid masters in Indian Cinema but there will never be another AMITABH BACHCHAN…. Happy birthday Amit Uncle… this decade like every other will be yours….???"
Speaking to The Indian Express, Actor Amitabh Bachchan talks about why theatre is a frightening proposition. He was speaking at Adda in 2012. Here's a throwback to a snippet where he reveals why he is frightened of theatre.
Actor Gajraj Rao took to Twitter to wish Amitabh Bachchan on his 80th birthday.
On his 80th birthday, Amitabh Bachchan's elder daughter Shweta Bachchan took to Instagram to share multiple photos with him. She also penned a sweet note for her father.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Amitabh Bachchan via his Twitter, "A very happy 80th birthday to Amitabh Bachchan Ji. He is one of India’s most remarkable film personalities who has enthralled and entertained audiences across generations. May he lead a long and healthy life. @SrBachchan"
Ajay Devgn has a special video message for Amitabh Bachchan.
Abhishek Bachchan shared photos of his visit to the cinema halls to watch Don. As part of a special Amitabh Bachchan film festival, a few big hits of Big B is been screened at a theatre in Mumbai.
Checkout Abhishek's post:
Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta in her special Amitabh Bachchan feature wrote about why the icon is still a powerhouse. A part of the article read, "As someone who’s watched almost every film that he’s done, I sometimes feel that his anger got so much press that his comedic chops got lost in broad-stroke burlesque. And I can safely say that not one of the younger directors in the last decade or so have managed to create a role that breaks out of the latter-day Bachchan persona."
Read the full copy here.
A new promo from Kaun Banega Crorepati 14 sees host Amitabh Bachchan tearing up, as he remembers his past. Wife Jaya Bachchan quizzes him about the time in life that he wants to travel back. While not much is revealed, the video sees Big B hinting at his past. As he remembered the memories, it leaves him Jaya and Abhishek Bachchan emotional.
Amitabh Bachchan recently shared a poster from his upcoming film Uunchai. Directed by Sooraj Barjatya, the film will hit cinema halls on November 11.
Creator Siddhartha Basu in an earlier interview with indianexpress.com spoke about how Big B was roped in to host Kaun Banega Crorepati. He shared, "That suggestion came from Sameer Nair, VP, Star Plus Programming at that time. No megastar had hosted a TV show in India, or anywhere else for that matter. The intention was to make the biggest bang possible. Amitabh Bachchan took some time to make up his mind about doing TV and was generally being counselled not to do so. However, he decided to see the recording of the original show in London before making up his mind. Once he saw it, he decided to do KBC with one rider that we replicate the conditions and discipline of that show. There was no looking back, and the scale and scope of shows on Indian TV expanded exponentially.
Read full interview here.
On Amitabh Bachchan's birthday, the makers of Goodbye have announced a happy surprise for fans. The film will now screen at just Rs 80 in cinemas.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Actor Amitabh Bachchan recalled his time in Afghanistan when there were Mujahideens. He talked about what the then President's daughter said when she was informed Bachchan was on his way to Afghanistan for the shoot. He also shared in detail about a sweet gesture by Afghans.
Here's a snippet from the 2012 Express Adda program:
Not many know that Amitabh Bachchan's now iconic hairstyle was given to him by Hakim Kairanvi. The middle parting look with heavy sideburns became quite a rage among young men. As readers would know, Hakim's son Alim Hakim is today a popular hair stylist.
In an old tweet, Big B remembered Hakim, sharing some precious photos.
Even today, his movies don’t appear dated in spite of him wearing bell-bottoms and acting on sets that look old-fashioned. That’s because his performances have always been cool and modern. What has stood out every time is his distinct personality, understated acting and sarcasm. The way he performs is measured yet powerful; the way he speaks is never too dramatic. It is his personality that fascinated all. Men wanted to be like him, women desired men like him. He became the quintessential man.
Read full story here.
To celebrate Amitabh Bachchan's 80th birthday, PVR Juhu is screening some of the star's iconic films. Not just that, there is also an exhibition of his rare photographs, artworks and memorabilia.
In an interview with Ranveer Allahbadi, Abhishek Bachchan opened up about how he had the front row seats to his father's tough financial times. The actor. The actor shared how he had to leave his education and come back home. While he knew he wasn't qualified to help him, he felt it was his responsibility as a son to be home.
Abhishek also revealed how he turned a production manager with Major Saab and was a 'glorified tea maker' on the set. He shared how one day his father summoned him and said that it was time he takes the reins back into his hands, and gets back to acting.
To celebrate Amitabh Bachchan's birthday, wife Jaya Bachchan and son Abhishek Bachchan will join him on the set of Kaun Banega Crorepati 14. While the promos have given a glimpse of the emotional family time, take a look at some of their happy pictures from the KBC 14 set.
Ahead of his 80th birthday, Shweta Bachchan shared a sweet throwback photo with father Amitabh Bachchan. In the picture, the Bollywood icon is seen holding her lovingly in his arm. She captioned the post, "As the song goes … “but you love me daddy” & I you ??."
We all know Amitabh Bachchan as the superstar he is today, but do you know he got his first film Saat Hindustani thanks to his friend Tinnu Anand? The actor-director was set to play the part originally. However, Tinnu Anand got an opportunity to assist Satyajit Ray and he took off to Kolkata. On the behest of their common friend, he put in a word to director KA Abbas to cast Big B, who wanted to get into acting. The rest, as they say, is history.