Birthday love: Big B’s unconventional roles in recent times

Amitabh Bachchan marks his 74th birthday on 11th October and it’s definitely something to note that even at his age, he’s still playing unconventional roles and bagging so many awards for his performances. In recent years where many might say that they don’t get any films offered to them that excite them, Bachchan has remained a favourite for many.

BizAsia is taking a look at the most unconventional roles Bachchan has essayed in the last decade.

‘Nishabd’ (2007)

With Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Nishabd’, Bachchan was seen playing the role of a father who has an affair with his daughter’s friend. Although very controversial at the time of release, it was definitely bold of the actor to take on such a role. It was far away from anything he’d done before and saw the debut of the late Jiah Khan who also did particularly well in the film.

‘Bhoothnath’ (2008) & ‘Bhoothnath Returns’ (2014)

The two ‘Bhoothnath’ films saw Bachchan essay the role of the ghost of a character called Kailash Nath. For an actor of Bachchan’s stature, this role was definitely a different one and the film was of appeal to a range of audiences, particularly children. He manages to find a certain kind of chemistry with the other characters throughout the film and it makes you want to keep watching.

‘Paa’ (2009)

When Bachchan was seen sharing the screen with real-life son Abhishek Bachchan, it was something exciting for the audiences. What made ‘Paa’ all the more special was that Abhishek was actually playing his father. Bachchan played 12-year-old child Auro who has the life-limiting condition of progeria and his performance was applause worthy to say the least.

‘Piku’ (2015)

‘Piku’, in which Bachchan shared the screen with Deepika Padukone, was a film which Bachchan swept all the award ceremonies with. His character suffered from constipation and the whole story was surrounding that – with added in humour and sterling performances even by the ensemble cast. Bachchan’s character’s relationship with his daughter Piku – played by Padukone – was the highlight of the film and it gave some valuable life lessons along the way.

‘Pink’ (2016)

The recently released ‘Pink’ saw Bachchan play a retired lawyer who fights for justice for his neighbours. Playing a character with bipolar is definitely not something to take lightly and Bachchan seems to do exceptionally in the role. His performance was once again praised, as was the overall story of the film an what it stands for.

BizAsia would like to wish Amitabh Bachchan a very happy birthday.