Bachchan’s great filmy avatars : The Last Lear

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Bachchan’s great filmy avatars

Amitabh Bachchan

Words seem too inadequate when it comes to praising the talent of the man who is like Indian cinema’s Godfather. Sometimes as a flirty New Yorker and the other time as a ‘killer’ dacoit, Amitabh Bachchan has reprised many roles in his 40 years in Bollywood that are very much iconic. As Big B completes turns 70, roll over to see what we think are Big B’s best movie looks till date!

Deewar

It was a time when the nation’s youth was getting hot in its head due to Indira Gandhi’s improper management of National affairs. Taking inspiration from the crisis, Amitabh took form of an angry young man clad in ink blue uniform in ‘Deewar’. And yes, his onscreen persona wonderfully managed to strike a chord with the simmering temper of the youth of the mid 1970’s.

Ajooba

In the year 1991, Amitabh Bachchan donned a mask and became a dark knight in shining armour ala Zorro riding a white horse to save the mystical land of Hind in ‘Ajooba’. He went to on thwart the villains wicked plans, romance Dimple Kapadia and etched the character as one of the most popular fantasy film characters of Bollywood.

Shahenshah

It was Amitabh Bachchan yet again as a no-holds-barred knight in shining armour (minus the white horse) but this time with partially salted hair and beard. He was a coy policeman during the day but consciously turned into Shahenshah at night to punish all the corrupt and bad men in town. The movie was a hit and the dialogue- “Rishte mein to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shahenshah” gained cult status.

Kabhi Alivida Na Kehna

To play a colourful, young, happy-go-lucky and flirty Sexy Sam in ‘KANK’, Amitabh wore things that he never did on big screen like a red trench coat, furry over coats, pink and red pullover and all kinds of clothing that could make him look every bit of a philander.

Paa

“OMG! Is that Amitabh Bachchan?” Yes, that was the kind of reaction that Big B evoked among the audience when he metamorphosed himself into an ageing 12 year old boy suffering from Progeria. The critics fell short of words to praise the actor for his flawless acting combined with the prosthetics used on him to make his character look real. Needless to say, this was one Bachchan movie that kept the Box Office cash registers ringing for days after years.

Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag

The ‘Aag’ died down in no time, thanks to the poor direction and execution by Ram Gopal Varma but Amitabh Bachchan’s kohl lined eyes and fiery looks were well-noted amongst an otherwise forgettable dud that rather seemed to be a spoof of the original than a remake.

The Last Lear

While the critics went about comparing Amitabh with Hollywood legends like Toshiro Mifune and Richard Burton for his role in the non-commercial movie, the long haired look he flaunted in the film is what puts him in the list of actors who dare to be different.