In 1969, a lanky, unassuming young man made his debut in Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’ Saat Hindustani, based on the Goa liberation movement. In the 50 years since then, Amitabh Bachchan has gone from being a talented actor to a revered screen idol to being an inviolable part of the Indian consciousness. On his 77th birthday, let’s look at the superstar’s most distinctive works. These are 50 of Amitabh Bachchan’s best works to date. Do you agree with this list?
1. Saat Hindustani (1969)
As the reserved poet Anwar Ali, who invokes Bismil’s fiery verses and joins the revolution with six other patriots of diverse religious and regional backgrounds, Amitabh Bachchan made a quiet but solid entry into the film world.
2. Anand (1971)
The beginnings of the Angry Young Man image could be seen in Dr Bhaskar Banerjee’s frustration at modern science’s inability to fight poverty, pain, and human suffering.
3. Raaste Kaa Patthar (1972)
Inspired by the Hollywood classic The Apartment (1960), Raaste Kaa Patthar has AB playing an ad agency employee whose bachelor pad is hijacked by his colleagues and bosses to carry out their flings. Despite sharing screen space with Shatrughan Sinha, who was by then a couple of films older and had the meatier lines in the film, Raaste Kaa Patthar remains one of the most forgotten pre-Zanjeer Bachchan films, showcasing the actor’s effortlessness in front of the camera.
4. Bombay To Goa (1972)
Ravi Kumar, the romantic, happy-go-lucky hero of this iconic road trip movie, was poles apart from the serious characters the actor had played till now and had him shimmying to Kishore Kumar’s playful Dekha Na Haaye Re.
5. Bandhe Haath (1973)
OP Ralhan remade his Shammi Kapoor and Ragini-starrer Mujrim (1958) with Mumtaz and Bachchan. In this first double role, Big B plays a thief fighting a guilty conscience for having stolen the identity of a writer who happens to be his lookalike.
6. Zanjeer (1973)
A film legend that never gets old: the role of an intense, brooding cop rejected by the likes of Raaj Kumar, Dev Anand, and Rajesh Khanna was taken up by a struggling actor. The rest, as they say, is history.
7. Abhimaan (1973)
Amitabh lends authenticity and gravitas to his character Subir—a man with a bruised ego who is unable to handle his wife’s professional success over him.
8. Saudagar (1973)
Bachchan stars as Moti, the self-serving, glad-eyed palm jaggery seller, who deceives his widowed business partner into marrying him so that he could use her jaggery-making skills for free and then abandons her for another woman. The actor projects the character’s charm and underlying craftiness with utmost ease.
9. Namak Haraam (1973)
An inspired casting decision by Hrishikesh Mukherjee has Bachchan playing a smug industrialist scion, Vicky, who engineers a plot to quash his factory’s union and defame their leader. Using his friend’s loyalty to carry out his whims, Vicky’s journey from arrogance and apathy to empathy and mutual understanding makes for a compelling watch.
10. Deewaar (1975)
The Angry Young Man phenomenon reached the zenith with Salim-Javed’s incendiary words and Yash Chopra’s masterful direction in Deewaar. Hindi cinema found some of its greatest dialogues and several iconic moments. Amitabh Bachchan got his career-best performance as the angsty, atheist dockworker-turned-gangster who wears the horrifying words “Mera baap chor hai” tattooed forcibly on his forearm like an armour and would never pick up “phenke huye paise.”
11. Chupke Chupke (1975)
The bumbling, Shakespeare-loving literature professor is forced to woo his ladylove with botanical jargon.
12. Mili (1975)
An embittered recluse finds love and companionship with his chirpy next-door neighbour who is terminally ill. Jaya’s exuberance plus Bachchan’s edgy intensity, and we have a winner.
13. Sholay (1975)
The strong, silent Jai playing a melancholic tune on a harmonica was the perfect foil to his rambunctious pal, Veeru, in what is called the greatest Bollywood film ever.
14. Kabhie Kabhie (1976)
The superstar sets aside his Angry Young Man image to play a sensitive poet who talks of beauty, love, and romance. Bachchan’s controlled performance is bolstered by Khayyam’s mesmerizing music and Sahir’s lyrical genius that shine through in Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shaayar and the title song.
15. Adalat (1976)
As the guileless peasant who is forced to become a shrewd, retribution-seeking crime lord, Amitabh’s blazes his way through this Narendra Bedi drama. Playing the double role of father and son, the actor perfectly switches between his dialogues in Hindi, Awadhi, and English, proving why the role bagged him a Best Actor nomination at the Filmfare Awards.
16. Alaap (1977)
While several filmmakers are to be recognised for creating Amitabh Bachchan, the superstar, it is Hrishikesh Mukherjee who brings out the best in the actor. Hrishi Da’s Alaap failed at the box office, but it gave the most underrated Bachchan performance: an idealistic musician who refuses to conform to his overbearing father’s world view.
17. Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)
In Manmohan Desai’s world of jaw-dropping craziness, Amitabh Bachchan becomes a different beast. As Anthony, the lovable rogue with the wittiest comebacks, AB serves up his most fun performance and gives Hindi cinema one of its greatest drunken scenes.
18. Trishul (1978)
The illegitimate son of a successful businessman with a singular goal in life: to destroy his father. Big B essays the cynical and unforgiving Vijay with a scathing smirk and steely demeanour. And his explosive (pun intended) entry against a dynamite blast is pure 70 mm swag.
19. Don (1978)
Just how uniformly excellent is Bachchan as the mysterious underworld boss and his paan-chewing, simpleton lookalike? Bet even gyraah mulkon ki police will agree.
20. Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)
Often alluded to as Bachchan’s Devdas playing out in a mainstream setup, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’s tragic hero was a role tailor-made for the superstar.
21. Kaala Patthar (1979)
“Pain is my destiny, and I can’t avoid it,” remarks Bachchan’s Vijay Pal Singh, and that’s pretty much all that we need to understand about our troubled protagonist.
22. Manzil (1979)
Manzil might miss the Basu Chatterjee’s midas touch, but it gives Amitabh the opportunity to deliver an honest and relatable depiction of an entrepreneur’s motivations and struggles.
23. Naseeb (1981)
Manmohan Desai’s multi-starrer checks all the boxes of a masala entertainer and is led by its dogged “teen naam waala waiter” hero, John Jani Janardhan (Bachchan). Naseeb is an AB showreel where the actor emotes, fights, sings, and dances his way into the audience’s hearts. Bonus: Bachchan hosts a bevy of film stars in the film’s glorious title track.
24. Laawaris (1981)
A young man’s struggle to fight the stamp of illegitimacy and establish his identity in society. Bachchan plays Heera, the illegitimate son of a wealthy man, who unknowingly starts working for his biological father, and the two develop a bond.
25. Kaalia (1981)
The transformation of the meek Kallu to the daredevil Kaalia and the singular joy of listening to the Bachchan baritone declare, “Jahaan khade ho jaate hain, line wahin se shuru hoti hai.”
26. Satte Pe Satta (1982)
The master of essaying double roles, Big B plays Ravi, the eldest of the boorish, boisterous brothers living on a farm, and the icy, light-eyed assassin Babu, whose icy stare is enough to kill.
27. Namak Halaal (1982)
“I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English,” boasts Arjun Singh and gives the country English learning goals.
28. Bemisal (1982)
Bemisal’s Dr Sudhir Roy is perhaps the most complex character played by the actor. The film revolves around Roy’s checkered past, his loyalty to his childhood friend Prashant, and an endearing, platonic relationship he shares with Prashant’s wife, Kavita. Bachchan embodies Roy’s rage towards his disturbing past and his wholesome commitment towards his friends and delivers a performance that’s both intriguing and identifiable.
29. Shakti (1982)
In a clash of titans, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan play father-son on the opposite sides of law in this searing Ramesh Sippy drama. AB’s Vijay, the hurt son at loggerheads with his upright cop dad, is phenomenal and holds on his own against the thespian.
30. Coolie (1983)
More than his histrionics, the mishap on the sets of Coolie is the biggest testament to the phenomenon Amitabh Bachchan, as the whole country prayed for its critically ill screen icon. Big B cheated death and returned to the screens to play the representative of the masses, leading the Manmohan Desai flick to stupendous success.
31. Sharaabi (1984)
Anguished by his workaholic father’s neglect, Vicky grows up to be an alcoholic. AB does a phenomenal job at internalizing the lost young man’s quest for love and belonging.
32. Mard (1985)
Mard is as banal as Manomohan Desai’s filmdom can be, and Amitabh dives right in to play a bold tonga driver who fights evil colonialists with a song on his lips and a pet dog and horse for company.
33. Aakhree Raasta (1986)
Once again, AB features in the dual roles of father and son in this revenge saga. Bachchan is particularly exciting to watch in the older role as he eliminates the perps responsible for his wife’s death and his wrongful conviction. “Dushmanon ko maaf karna insaaniyat hai magar makkaron ko maaf karna bewakoofi hai,” he warns. Meanwhile, his cop son—unaware of his father’s identity—is determined to bring the killer to justice.
34. Shahenshah (1988)
The superstar’s vigilante avatar is often considered among his lesser roles but Shahenshah’s recall value and significance in pop culture makes it among Bachchan’s most popular roles. Because few things are as satisfying as mimicking Bachchan’s style and going, “Rishte mein toh hum tumhare baap lagte hai, naam hai Shahenshah.”
35. Main Azaad Hoon (1989)
AB becomes the face of the revolution in this desi adaptation of Frank Capra’s Meet John Doe (1941). While the film was a BO failure, the actor’s inspiring performance and the film’s anthem, Itne Baazu Itne Sar, also sung by him, have endured.
36. Agneepath (1990)
Agneepath’s Vijay Dinanath Chavan brings back the fiery Bachchan of the Angry Young Man days and creates a riveting drama of revenge and redemption.
37. Hum (1991)
Behind the mild-mannered Shekhar’s aversion to violence is his dark and bloody past. And who better than Big B to portray this chasm?
38. Khuda Gawah (1992)
In the Nineties, as the megastar’s first innings as the leading man was nearing an end, Khuda Gawah’s dashing Pathan Badshah Khan became Bachchan’s last mighty roar.
39. Mohabbatein (2000)
The actor’s second innings resulted in a series of forgettable films like Mrityudaata (1997) and Lal Baadshah (1999). Bachchan’s renaissance happened with Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein where the actor embraced his seniority in full glory and delivered a distinguished performance as the strict, impassive headmaster of an illustrious educational institute.
40. Aks (2001)
AB’s experimental outing with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was a box office dud, but it ranks among the boldest career choices by the actor.
41. Baghban (2003)
With his schmaltzy family drama’s success, Amitabh Bachchan proved that he could still carry a film on shoulders.
42. Khakee (2004)
A far cry from his usual heroic avatars, Khakee’s Bachchan is a washed-up cop used as a pawn by nefarious political masters.
43. Lakshya (2004)
In what could have been a small, inconsequential part in the hands of a lesser actor, Bachchan’s Col. Sunil Damle becomes a fine, nuanced take on leadership position. Be it making a new joinee feel comfortable in his new environs, standing up for his boys, or offering this lasting lesson in gentlemanship: “Hum dushmani mein bhi ek sharaafat rakhte hain.”
44. Black (2005)
As the unorthodox teacher who steers a deaf-blind girl’s life towards education and empowerment.
45. Sarkar (2005)
Ram Gopal Varma’s adaptation of The Godfather in a Marathi milieu with Bachchan as the charismatic, laconic leader whose piercing gaze does the talking for him.
46. Viruddh (2005)
As the bereaved father committed to bring justice to his dead son, Bachchan renders a poignant performance in this unsung Mahesh Manjrekar film.
47. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
Behind the flirty, flamboyant ‘Sexy Sam’ is Samarjit Talwar, a patient patriarch who understands the complexities of relationships and urges his daughter-in-law to walk out of a loveless marriage. Bachchan brings out his A game and plays the part with the required zing and grace.
48. Cheeni Kum (2007)
As the sardonic sexagenarian chef falls in love with a woman 30 years younger than him.
49. Piku (2015)
From the young and cynical Bhaskar Bannerjee of Anand to his fussy, garrulous, and potty-obsessed septuagenarian namesake, Bachchan’s Bollywood career comes a full circle with Shoojit Sircar’s Piku.
50. Pink (2016)
As the veteran lawyer who comes out of retirement to defend three young women accused of a crime, Bachchan thunders away in this gripping courtroom drama that stirs up discussions around sexism, misogyny, and consent and holds a mirror to society’s hypocrisy towards women.
The post was first published on Yahoo India on October 11, 2019.
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