Amitabh Bachchan at 80: Why there’s been no turning back for the megastar since his resurgence in 2000

It was the year 2000. Landlines were jammed across the country as Star Plus announced Kaun Banega Crorepati with Amitabh Bachchan as the host. After ruling in the 70s and the 80s, the megastar entered the new decade of the 1990s with the National Award-winning act in Agneepath. However, with the Khans emerging as superstars, it was a heartbreaking decade for Big B and his fans, with fewer films and hits.

But with the turn of the decade, Amitabh Bachchan emerged as the Star of the Millennium and was in his late 50s. When television actors were looking to make it big on the big screen, Big B turned to the tube with a quiz-based reality show, KBC. Since July 2000, fewer people were seen on the roads from 9 pm as Big B came to the television sets and said, "Chaliye hum aur aap milke khelte hai Kaun Banega Crorepati."

His redefining of the Hindi language and his jovial mood throughout to make the contestants comfortable, increased his popularity among the 90s kids too. But the 90s kids wanted him to be seen on the big screen too. And then came Mohabbatein (2001), an Aditya Chopra directorial, with two superstars from different generations sharing screen space for the first time. It was Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan at the two ends of the story. With a disciplined act and heavy dialogues, Big B made fans all over again and brought back his devoted followers to throng to the big screen to watch him entertain.

Since then, there has been no turning back once again for Amitabh Bachchan. The megastar could steal attention with just his mere presence onscreen in an ensemble cast. And also, stories about a middle-aged man or a senior citizen have become the central plot of many movies.

He continued acting in a variety of roles, garnering accolades for his work in the films Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Kaante (2002), Khakee (2004), and Dev (2004).

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005) is one of Bachchan's more successful endeavours. The movie followed the relationship between Bachchan's character, an aged teacher of a deaf-blind girl (Rani Mukerji), and her students. His portrayal received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and viewers, earning him his second National Film Award for Best Actor.

In the very same year, we got to see Bachchan in a Godfather-esque role with Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar. The film became an instant hit with the masses, and people also loved to see the "actor" side of the star in a larger-than-life character with a demeanour.

As mentioned earlier, Bachchan played his age, but that doesn't mean he didn't get a love story. The star was seen as a 64-year-old London-based chef in R Balki's Cheeni Kum (2007), where he romanced a 34-year-old Tabu. The unconventional romantic comedy surprised many, and at the same time, Bachchan was lauded for taking up the film and showing "Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji" always.

And did you ever think that Abhishek Bachchan would play a father to his real-life dad, Amitabh Bachchan, on the big screen? Well, Balki made that happen too with Paa (2009), in which the actor was seen as a 13-year-old Progeria affected boy. His incredible and heartfelt performance fetched him his third National Film Award for Best Actor.

In the 70s, we saw an angry young man, and in 2015, Shoojit Sircar brought an "angry old man" with Piku. In the critically acclaimed film, co-starring Deepika Padukone, Bachchan portrayed a grouchy father who had been constipated for a long time.

A new era began with Amitabh Bachchan taking the torch in his hand to fight for the rights of women and the crimes against them in Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's Pink (2016). It was a joy to see the actor imbue his persona with a sad grandeur. In every way, Bachchan was enormous in the film, but he never displayed any signs of arrogance given that his character is a no-nonsense lawyer who only believes in justice.

At 80, Amitabh Bachchan has a line-up of films longer than the leading actors in this country right now. Whether in an ensemble cast or as the protagonist, the megastar fits every character like a glove and proves that age is just a number.

This year itself, we saw him as a sports coach in Nagraj Manjule's Jhund, who is set to retire, making a football team comprising youngsters from a slum area. Soon after that, Bachchan played Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Head in Ajay Devgn's Runway 34.

In a month, Amitabh Bachchan went from being the Brahmansh's leader, Guru, who has gathered followers and wields the Prabhastra in Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra to a widower in Vikas Bahl's Goodbye.

2022 doesn't end for Bachchan there. The megastar will next be seen in Sooraj Barjatya's Uunchai, where he, along with Anupam Kher and Boman Irani, goes on a mountaineering expedition.

On his 80th birthday, Amitabh Bachchan once again proved that he is one of his own and there can be no one like him. Since the start of his career, Big B had contemporaries in the names of Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, and so on. Soon after that, the actor was sustained for his sheer talent and discipline, making the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Ajay Devgn his peers. In no time, the actor was sharing screen time with new-gen actors like Ranbir Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, and Rashmika Mandanna while still stealing the show.

Happy Birthday, Amitabh Bachchan! Here's to many more unforgettable roles on the big screen.