Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has always been much more than just an actor. A star too, doesn’t seem to suffice. He has been called the ‘star of the century’ and ‘Shehenshah of Bollywood’ and most of the times, it doesn’t need to be explained why. He has maintained his dominance over Bollywood and is one of the most loved and respected actors there is.
A lot of people argue that Big B was at his peak in the 70s and 80s with his angry young men avatar. He played diverse roles, mostly powerful ones and did romance as well as action. But for Generation Z, Amitabh Bachchan has a very different significance in our lives. We might have not grown up watching him when he was a young strappy fellow, but we watched him play the most regal roles.
Even when he was a selfish millionaire businessman Yash Raichand who banished his son for following his heart in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, or when he was the dictatorial principle Narayan Shankar in Mohabbatein, there has been something very reverential about and glamorous about the kind of roles he did in his second innings. For a generation that grew up on “Parampara, Pratishtha, Anushasan” and “Keh diya na, bas keh diya”, Amitabh Bachchan signifies nothing less than royalty.
It’s not just the Dharma or YRF films that he has done, films like Pink, Piku and Badla have also added to the charm. By playing more and more relevant roles, the actor has proved that he really knows how to gauge his audience well. Even in films that might not do that well in terms of box office numbers, his characters have never felt outdated. And that is commendable if you consider that he has been acting since 1969.
Probably the biggest reason why the kids from this generation love and revere the star is because of Kaun Banega Crorepati. Over the last 11 years we have seen him conduct the show without letting it ever get boring. During the Crorepati season, a section of television viewers will definitely sit with their entire family to watch the show, even when the competition is Bigg Boss or the Indian Premier League.
The actor is also quite active on social media. I for once, couldn’t believe when he recently revealed that he has been writing his official Tumblr blog for over twelve years now. On Twitter too, he’s always active, sharing throwbacks and replying to fans often. Of course, he is a little too obsessed with the numericals and totally tweets WhatsApp forwards, but it only reminds us of our own grandparents who do the same.
The actor had a really impressive list of films in his pipeline for 2020 but it was delayed due to Covid-19. But here’s hoping that he can go back on set soon and bless us with more amazing content. Brownie points if he ever brings Yash Raichand back. There’s nothing ‘desi’ Gen Z kids love more than Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham memes.
