Amitabh Bachchan is one of the most versatile, influential, and talented actors of Bollywood. He achieved fame in the early 1970s for his stupendous performance in movies like Deewar and Zanjeer and came to acquire a huge fan following. Dubbed the Angry Young Man, Amitabh Bachchan has appeared in more than 190 films, and won numerous awards. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1984, Padma Bhushan in 2001, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 by the Indian government. His work was also recognized by the French Government which honored him with the Knight of the Legion of Honour, in 2007. Below we present the top ten hits of the great actor.
Zanjeer
In the early 1970s, Amitabh Bachchan had acted in a few movies such as Saat Hindustani, Anand, Parwana, etc; however, it was the 1973 blockbuster Zanjeer that established Amitabh Bachchan as a star. Amitabh Bachchan played the role of an honest police inspector, Vijay. It was this movie that earned Amitabh Bachchan the tag of Angry Young Man. Regarded as a classic, the movie changed the trend of the film industry from that of romantic movies to action packed ones.
Deewar
Deewar was released in 1975 and portrays Amitabh Bachchan as a smuggler. The movie depicts the deewar or wall between two brothers Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ravi, a police officer (Shashi Kapoor). One of the most memorable movies of Amitabh Bachchan, Deewar, which was the fourth highest grossing film of 1975, received the Filmfare award the same year.
Sholay
Sholay, which was released in 1975, is a classic. The movie is considered to be one of the best Bollywood films. Along with Amitabh Bachchan, the movie also starred Dharmendra. Bot the talented actors played the roles of Jai and Veeru. The duo was hired by Sanjeev Kumar to capture Gabbar Singh, a dangerous dacoit. The movie did extremely well at the box office and for five years was played at the Minerva theatre in Mumbai. Sholay is considered to be the highest grossing film of all times.
Don
Don was released in 1978 and was a thriller-action movie. Don starred Amitabh Bachchan in a double role. In one role he plays Don, a most-wanted gangster. In the other, he plays Vijay, a simple person. After Don dies, Vijay, a lookalike of Don, is recruited by a police officer D’Silva, to replace the gangster and inform the police about his illegal activities. It was a mega hit and the third highest grossing movie of 1978.
Trishul
Trishul was released in 1978 and was one of the highest grossing movies of that year. Along with Amitabh Bachchan, the movie also stars Shashi Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar. Trishul, which was a source of inspiration for many other movies, collected 2.4 crore at that time, which is equivalent to 46 crores in today’s currency.
Muqaddar ka Sikandar
A 1978 blockbuster, Muqaddar ka Sikandar was also the third biggest hit of the 1970s. The first two were Sholay and Bobby. Along with Amitabh Bachchan, the movie also starred Vinod Khanna, Rekha, Rakhee and Amjad Khan. The movie had many memorable songs one of which is Rote Hue Ate Hain Sab.
Amar Akbar Anthony
Amar Akbar Anthony, which was released in 1977, was the biggest blockbuster of the year. An action comedy, the movie stars Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, and Rishi Kapoor. The three characters are brothers who get separated from their parents in childhood. The three are raised by people belonging to different faiths. Amitabh Bachchan (Anthony) is raised as a Christian, Rishi Kapoor (Akbar) as a Muslim, and Vinod Khanna (Amar) as a Hindu. The movie bagged many awards at the 25th Filmfare Awards.
Laawaris
A drama film, Laawaris was released in 1981. The movie starred Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Rakhee, and Amjad Khan. The highest earner of 1981, Laawaris is best remembered for the fiery acting of Amitabh Bachchan and the hit song “Mere Angene Mein, Tumhara Kya Kaam Hai”
Coolie
Coolie, an action comedy was released in 1983. In the movie, Amitabh Bachchan plays the role of Iqbal, a coolie at the railway station. Though the movie was a top hit, it is also known for the injury sustained by Amitabh Bachchan in a fight scene with Puneet Issar. However, the movie is among the select few that crossed 10 million per territory.
Baghban
Baghban was released in 2003 and was well appreciated by the masses. The movie featured Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Salman Khan in the lead roles. The movie garnered Rs 12 crore at the box office and was one of Ravi Chopra’s top hits.
