Photos: Amitabh Bachchan marks 52 years in Bollywood and there’s no stopping him

Few survive more than a handful of years in the industry to celebrate milestones, but Amitabh Bachchan is hardly your average Bollywood star. The acting powerhouse has just marked 52 years in the Indian film industry and he’s far from stepping away from the spotlight any time soon.

The veteran actor took to Twitter to mark the occasion, sharing that on November 7, his very first foray into Bollywood bore fruit with the release of his maiden film, ‘Saat Hindustani’. The actor shared two black and white images from the movie that released in 1969 and written and directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas.

The film, which portrayed the heroic tale of seven Indians who attempt to liberate Goa from the Portuguese colonial rule, went on to win several National Awards in India and gave Bachchan the stepping stone he needed to enter the Bollywood bright lights.

However, it was the ‘angry young man’ phase of his in the early 1970s with films such as ‘Zanjeer’ (pictured), ‘Deewaar’ and ‘Sholay’ that catapulted him to stardom.

Since his debut, he has appeared in more than 200 Indian films, along with winning numerous accolades in his career, including four Indian National Film Awards as Best Actor, Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement and many more. And there’s no stopping him even now. Here’s a look at some of his upcoming projects:

‘Brahamastra’: The long-delayed project that is written and directed by Ayan Mukerji takes Bachchan into the superhero realm with Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna Akkineni also starring in the film. Not much is said about the movie accept that it’s part of a trilogy and will be released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

‘Mayday’: Directed by Ajay Devgn and filmed partially in Qatar, the film is reportedly based on a 2015 incident where a Jet Airways from Doha to Kochi averted disaster after it was unable to land due to bad weather and faced similar issues when it was diverted to another airport, which also resulted in a fuel crisis and the pilot forced to call a Mayday. Bachchan stars in the film with Devgn himself and Rakul Preet Singh. The film was earlier scheduled to release on April 29, 2022.

‘Jhund’: The movie, helmed by Marathi filmmaker Nagraj Manjule, is based on the life of Vijay Barse, the founder of Slum Soccer. It marks the Bollywood debut of Manjule, who rose to fame with his box-office hit Marathi movie ‘Sairat’. The movie also marks the first collaboration between Bachchan and Manjule. Bachchan began shooting for the film in December 2018 but the project was delayed on account of the pandemic.

‘The Intern’ remake: The official remake of the Hollywood film that starred Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway sees Bachchan slip into the role that was originally planned to be played by the late Rishi Kapoor. Following his death, Bachchan stepped up and will reunite with his ‘Piku’ co-star Deepika Padukone in the film.

‘Good Bye’: Directed by Vikas Bahl and produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Reliance Entertainment the film stars Bachchan and Rashmika Mandanna. All we know so far is that principal photography began on April 2, 2021 and that this is Mandanna’s second Bollywood movie, after ‘Mission Majnu.’

‘Uunchai’: Teaming up with the famed Soorah Bharjatiya, all we know about this project is that it is being shot in Nepal and stars Parineeti Chopra, Boman Irani and Anupam Kher as well and follows a family who run trekking tours. The movie is slated to release next year.

‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’: Currently, Bahchcan is also busy playing host on the shoot of season 13 of the hit TV show that has enraptured millions from around the world.