As Amitabh Bachchan turns 80, a look at everything he has done beyond Bollywood

Whether you love him or hate him, you just cannot ignore him. Almost synonymous with the word Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan turns 80 today (October 11).

From being the ‘angry young man’ of the 70s to having a flop 90s era to resurging back with his bearded look and a slew of character roles in the 2000s, Bachchan’s cinematic legacy is mainstream knowledge. However, only a few actors of his age can balance multiple ventures beyond acting. 

Be it politics or business, he has tried his hand at various pursuits ending up with his fair share of failures and successes. 

A comic book superhero: Following the success of Sholay, Deewar, Don, Anand, Chupke Chupke, and many others in the 1970s, the subsequent decade was relatively weaker in his films but still stable enough with offerings such as Yaarana, Silsila, Kaalia, and Coolie. 

Many might have forgotten but the 1980s was also a decade in which Big B got to star in his own comic book series. Conventionally titled Adventures of Amitabh Bachchan, the comics found Amitabh Bachchan leading a dual life as a B-town superstar and a superhero known as Supremo (after the title that Randhir Kapoor gave him in real life). 

The idea was the brainchild of Pammi Bakshi, the editor of the now-defunct Movie magazine. Bakshi roped in lyricist and screenwriter Gulzar as a story consultant while frequent Amar Chitra Katha and Raj Comics illustrator Pratap Mullick was roped in for the artwork. In fact, before Raj Comics titan Anupam Sinha handled the work for the shapeshifting snake hero Nagraj, it was Bakshi who handled most of his designs. 

Supremo appears to wear a skintight costume reminiscent of other superheroes of the era, coupled with a chakra pendant and a pair of shades reminiscent of welding glasses. His crime-fighting adventures are usually moralistic in nature, serving as learning lessons for his young sidekicks Vijay and Anthony (obviously named after Bacchan’s popular characters Vijay and Anthony Gonsalves). Even the falcon Allarakha from Coolie is referenced in the comics with one of Supremo’s allies being a falcon named Shaheen. 

A product of its times, the comic makes for an amusing time capsule given how Supremo always carries a Walkman with him as “music is his passion”. Today, the comics are no longer reprinted and the originals are rare and high-valued among Indian comic book connoisseurs. 

A politician who couldn’t make a mark: Another non-cinematic highlight for Bachchan in the 1980s was his short-lived political career. His sabbatical from acting in 1984 and his transition to politics was chiefly in support for his family friend Rajiv Gandhi. 

The year’s Lok Sabha elections found the actor contesting from his hometown Allahabad (now Prayagraj) against former UP Chief Minister HN Bahuguna. Bachchan’s stardom proved to be his advantage as he emerged victorious with a 68.2% share of votes. 

In October 2014, he was even summoned by a Los Angeles court on account of human rights violations for inciting anti-Sikh violence! 

While no charges were pressed, Bachchan has ardently rejected the claims and has even publicly called on accusers to file more court complaints if they had proof. Over the years, Bachchan has consciously tried to clear his image. For instance, he contributed Rs 2 crore to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Covid Care Facility while remarking “Sikhs are legendary”. 

In 1987, three years after his Lok Sabha victory, Bachchan resigned from his parliamentary post. While no direct reason was offered, it is speculated that he did so in response to the backlash he got from his supposed involvement in the Bofors scandal. His brother Ajitabh Bachchan’s private apartment in Switzerland came under scrutiny by media reports at that time, suggesting that Bachchan’s friendship with Rajiv Gandhi might also involve monetary benefits. 

Ever since ex-Samajwadi Party secretary Amar Singh financially helped him during a bad business phase in the 90s, Bachchan became an ardent supporter of Singh’s party, even appearing in its campaigns and advertisements. His wife Jaya Bachchan continues to serve as a Rajya Sabha MP for Samajwadi Party. 

However, currently, Bachchan seems to have developed a neutrally centrist image not supporting any political party in general. As everyone might have heard during the pandemic times, Bachchan lent his voice for several state-sponsored public service announcements, and continues appearing in social awareness campaigns for the central government. 

A businessman on the brink of bankruptcy: The 1990s can be termed as the worst phase in Bachchan’s life. Following two successful decades as an actor, Bachchan decided to launch his multimedia venture Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL) in 1995. A year later, the company became the talk of the town as it was responsible for organising the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant. 

Apart from event-management, ABCL also produced the popular Shekha Suman-led comedy series Dekh Bhai Dekh and some of Bachchan’s own commercial flops like Mrityudata and Major Saab along with one film in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil each. By 1999, with Bachchan’s helming one flop after the other and with his company’s debts not paid, ABCL went bankrupt. 

Bachchan has gone on record several times to touch upon how the late 90s turned out to be a dark time for him financially. As per an India Today report, his son Abhishek Bachchan even confesses to having dropped out of college in Boston and asked his friends for money to support his then-bankrupt father. 

Along with Amar Singh’s financial help and a cinematic resurgence in the 2000s, Bachchan has gone on to overturn his finances in the subsequent years. His numerous ad deals with diverse brands allow him to charge easily over 3 to 8 crores for a single advertisement. For the tech company Just Dial, Bachchan not only advertises but also owns a stake. With his business partnership starting in 2013, he bought a 10% stake in the company. 

Bachchan’s other share holdings include a 3.4% equity in American consulting company Meridian Tech and fintech firm Stampede Capital. But ever since the Panama Papers name dropped Bachchan and his family members along with many other global icons, it is suspected that some of his offshore investments might be illegal. 

A writer with an under-the-radar book: Bachchan’s experience as a Bollywood veteran and a struggling businessman led him to pen an autobiographical account in 2002 that has surprisingly been even more under-the-radar than his Supremo comics. 

The self-help and advice aspect of Bachchan’s memoir is evident from the “Chicken Soup”-like title itself: Soul Curry For You And Me - An Empowering Philosophy That Can Empower Your life. Probably no longer in publication, the book is currently priced on Amazon India at Rs 12,401!

The 128-page memoir is no literary masterpiece (unlike the works of his poet father Harivansh Rai Bachchan) but it would still make for an interesting read for Bachchan’s diehard fans as he offers them preachy pearls of wisdom like “to make others happy, we need to be happy ourselves” and “the fear of failure is more dangerous than failure itself”. 

A singer and voiceover artist with a trademark baritone: It is quite common for Bachchan to lend his majestic baritone voice for songs in his own films ranging from Silsila to Baghbhan. Even his peppy duets with Adnan Sami have been huge hits in the early 2000s. 

As a voiceover artist too, Bachchan has served as narrator for the Oscar nominee Lagaan, Jodha Akbar, Ra One, Krrish 3 and many others. Even when he hadn’t started his career as a leading man, his narration for Satyajit Ray’s first Hindi film Shatranj Ke Khiladi drew positive reactions. 

A quiz show host who revolutionised Indian game shows: Bigg Boss fans would remember Amitabh Bachchan as the host for the third season in 2009. Even though Bachchan could not mirror Salman Khan’s legacy as a Bigg Boss host, he still eclipsed Shah Rukh Khan as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, starting his stint on the quiz show in 2000. 

Even though quiz shows in India weren’t a new phenomenon, Bachchan’s image definitely helped in making the quiz show format more mainstream in India. Even the show’s producer Siddharth Basu had earlier gathered quite a reputation as a quizzer with his stint as a host on Mastermind India (that aired on BBC from 1998 to 2002).

But Basu’s English-driven approach made Mastermind a hit among niche audiences. It was only with Bachchan exhibiting his multi-lingual proficiency in Hindi and English and his trademark phrases such as “computer ji” and “lock kar diya jaye” that made KBC a long-running phenomenon in its own right.