Word: bachchans
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Bachchan's Triumph Alex Perry's article on Indian film superstar Amitabh Bachchan was a treat for all his fans [Oct. 3]. Although he is the face of Indian cinema to millions of people, Bachchan's entry into filmdom was not spectacular, as he made a series of flops before his first hit, Zanjeer. His perseverance and persistence paid off finally once his professionalism came to the fore. Even when the media were hell-bent on finishing off his career each time a movie bombed, he resurfaced and confounded his detractors. Most Indians admire Bachchan not just for his talent...
...bigger Bachchan got, the less people knew him. For decades he played essentially the same part: the outsider. India adored him for it, but Bachchan, trapped in two-dimensional roles and some truly corny plots?"You get the girl, fight the villain, and get the girl again," he sighs?was able to show little of himself on screen. Off screen, wary of a near-religious level of adulation?hundreds of shrines were built to him across India?he revealed even less. "Everything you do is noticed," he tells TIME. "You need to be always on your best behavior." As India...
...Bachchan owes his comeback to two decisions. In debt and with his film projects stagnating, Bachchan agreed to host Kaun Banega Crorepati beginning in 2000. It was a masterstroke. On television Bachchan appeared older and wiser, with a natty beard and banker's suit. And to its delight, India found that the brooding action man of the 1970s was now sophisticated, self-deprecating and witty, exuding comfortable prosperity rather than rebellion?just what was needed at a time when India was dreaming about getting rich. Industrialist Ambani calls Bachchan's new incarnation "the avuncular older citizen who embodies the materialist...
...Bachchan's second decision was to start breaking a few Bollywood molds. With the industry leaning towards buff young tyros like Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan for its male leads, Bachchan was an unlikely choice to play conventional romantic roles. Yet for a new generation of filmmakers keen to break new ground but in need of a star to pull in funding, he was the perfect choice. Bachchan was only too happy to find work. And so he accepted a series of roles in some of the most experimental films Bollywood has ever produced. There was 2003's Boom...
...Bachchan is delighted to find himself at a whole new peak in his career. The opportunities are quite remarkable," he says. "The chance to play different characters, read different scripts, work with different directors. I look forward to every morning. What else can I do?" As Bachchan and India are discovering, more than either once thought...