Beginning his screen career in 1969 with Bhuvan Shome (as narrator) and Saat Hindustani, he has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke award and the Padma Vibhushan and has won the National award for Best Actor four times (Agneepath, Black, Paa, Piku).
On his 80th birthday, the following are some of his most unique appearances outside lead roles.
Akka / 1994
In the Marathi film Akka, produced by Amitabh Bachchan’s makeup man, Deepak Sawant, Amitabh and wife Jaya Bachchan enacted the devotional song Tu jagati Adhipati with a rare flair. Both were attired in Maharashtrian rural attire and Ravindra Sathe, the legendary Marathi singer, sang his portion.
Andhaa Kaanoon / 1983
In one of the most impressive and stunning special appearances ever in Hindi cinema, Amitabh Bachchan enacted a Muslim named Jaan Nissar Khan who is compelled to take the advantage of legal loopholes to avenge his wife and daughter. Though Rajinikanth made a terrifically stylized Hindi debut in this blockbuster, Amitabh stole most of his thunder in the T. Rama Rao directorial with his compelling baritone and intensely expressive eyes.
Charandass / 1977
With Dharmendra, he played a qawwal for the first (and so far, only) time, and both the superstars enacted the Rajesh Roshan-composed song with great flourish.
Delhi-6 / 2009
Amitabh’s on-screen relationship with his son Abhishek Bachchan has varied from their being unrelated, to playing father and son, as well as son and father! Abhishek has even sung playback for his father in Bbuddha Hoga Terra Baap. But in Delhi-6, he played his son’s (dead) grandfather, including a very interesting sequence in which Abhishek hunts for his phone to let his granddad speak to his grandmother. Amitabh was among the few likable things in this esoteric film that went nowhere.
Darna Zaroori Hai / 2006
As the professor who claims to be haunted by a spirit that wants to possess and ‘become’ him, Amitabh Bachchan was delightful. The horror anthology opened with this Ram Gopal Varma-directed episode that set the tone for the sequel to Darna Mana Hai.
English Vinglish / 2012
As the friendly occupant of the next seat in a flight to the lady (Sridevi) traveling for the first time in a plane, Amitabh Bachchan was outrageously funny. He cajoles her into drink wine, gets into ‘high’ mode himself and has to be finally ‘silenced’ by the airhostess!
Fakt Mahilao Maate / 2022
The recent Gujarati family entertainer is among many offbeat films that Amitabh has starred in the second phase of his career that began with Mohabbatein (2000). He is not just the narrator speaking in Gujarati but also makes a cameo as the hero’s (dead) father who speaks to him throughout in this social comedy. And the hero is a young man whose wish to really understand women is granted by the Almighty!
Paheli / 2005
The flamboyant but witty shepherd, Gadariya, who can test which of the ‘two’ Shah Rukh Khans is human and which one is a ghost was indeed an amusingly different and fresh cameo in this folk tale directed by Amol Palekar. The cameo comes at a key point in the narration of this unique and progressive love story.
