‘Bollywood’s shahenshah’ in city to relive Big B’s 70s’ magic

Hyderabad: As a bunch of goons are looking for Vijay Verma (Amitabh Bachchan), the anti-hero, to bash him up, Vijay appears from behind them. The crowd roars as the startled goons turn and the camera pans to Vijay. They still adore Amitabh's angry young man persona, just as much as they did five decades ago, and the iconic scene from 'Deewar,' which catapulted Big B's career, remains a fan favourite years after the cult classic became a rage across the country.’

Hyderabadis have had the opportunity to relish some of Big B's films on the big screen, and they are making the most of it. From October 8 to 11, a four-day film festival titled 'Bachchan Back To The Beginning' will be held across the country to commemorate the actor's 80th birthday. Eleven of Amitabh's hit films are being released in theatres across 17 cities, including Hyderabad, as part of the initiative. Even though most tickets in Hyderabad are sold out, Amitabh's iconic scenes continue to elicit applause and whistles at screenings.

Amitabh Bachchan's tweet about the festival read: “Back to the Beginning.. with the films from where my journey began in cinema.. Don and Mili nearly fifty years since they were released .. Now showing in Cinema .. Hoping to see more classics back on the big screen [sic].”

The films shown in Hyderabad are quite diverse. They include the blockbuster ‘Deewar’, which cemented Bachchan's image as the angry young man, the classic ‘Don’ whose remake starring Shahrukh Khan was successful and spawned a sequel, renowned director Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s dramas ‘Mili’ and ’Abhimaan’, the action-drama ‘Kaala Patthar’ and the comedies ‘Satte Pe Satta’ and ‘Namak Halal’.

Not only are most shows sold out, but Bachchan's well-known songs, scenes, and dialogues continue to bring the audience to their feet, while his emotional ones leave them in tears.

On Sunday, actress Shabana Azmi posted a video on her Instagram page of fans clapping, dancing, and singing to ‘Don's title track, 'Mai Hoon Don,' while the film was being screened.

Christopher Varghese, who watched ‘Deewar. on Sunday, was not the typical Amitabh fan because he had not seen many of the actor’s films before. “This was my first experience watching a movie headlined by Amitabh in a theatre. Though I was excited, I was also sceptical. But when they dimmed the lights I was instantly transported to the 1970s, and it was nothing short of magical. The theatre was packed with mostly young people who witnessed how and when a man who had ruled an industry for the past 50 years became a star. I guess we all witnessed the birth of a star."

Vishwa Mendla, a student who had come to watch ‘Deewar’ alone, said he had seen ’Don’ and planned to see as many of Amitabh's films as he could. "I wish they had screened ‘Sholay’ too, I don’t know why it was not chosen among the films," he said. The presence of many young people like Vishwa in the cinemas was evidence of the fact that Bachchan's fame endures even decades after his peak as a superstar.