Big B and Lil B

I know I said Shah Rukh Khan was the biggest movie star you've never heard of, but that's not entirely true. SRK would come in second only to Amitabh Bachchan. I know, most of you can't even read the name nonetheless recognize this man's face. But I'm not lying. In a recent BBC online poll, Amitabh Bachchan was voted the greatest star on stage or screen, beating out Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Alec McGuinness, Charlie Chaplin, Homer Simpson, Robert DeNiro, Cary Grant, Buster Keaton, and Marylin Monroe.

There's really no one to compare him to. My first instinct would be Al Pacino because they sort of look alike and were both big in the 70s. But Al Pacino hasn't done a decent film in years, whereas Amitabh keeps producing hit after hit. Honestly, I don't know why he's so popular, but I haven't seen films like Sholay, Don, or Amar Akbar Anthony--movies that established him in Indian cinema. I have, however, seen him in many movies, and he always delivers an outstanding performance. When I saw Bunty aur Babli in the theater, the women went nuts when the credits rolled and Amitabh appeared in a rap video to close the film. And these aren't women in their 50s or 40s, they were teenagers and twenty somethings. Clearly this man still has it, whatever it is.


Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan

It, for me, would be his son, Abhishek. As the son of Amitabh and Jaya (Badhuri) Bachchan (she's also big in Bollywood. She and Amitabh played many onscreen couples in the 70s), it was inevitable Abhishek would become an actor and superstar like his parents. Well, it hasn't been easy for him. His first few performances were subpar and not well received, but he's since improved. Today, he's high in demand, just won an award for Best Supporting Actor for his difficult-to-watch performance in Yuva, and is a bankable star. He's also considered Bollywood's most eligible bachelor. [Ladies, I know what you're thinking. But I didn't understand Abhishek's appeal until I saw him in a movie. Now, I'm totally smitten.] He just may be Bollywood's answer to lift it out of its slump, but we'll have to wait and see if that's true.

My Favorite Amitabh Movies:
Monhabbatein (2000)--with SRK and Aishwarya Rai
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)--with Jaya Bachchan, SRK, Kajol
Veer-Zaara (2004)--with SRK, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukherjee
Black (2005)--with Rani Mukherjee
Bunty aur Babli (2005)--with Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee

My Favorite Abhishek Movies:
Hum Tum (2004)--with Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan
Yuva (2004)--with Rani Mukherjee
Bunty aur Babli (2005)--with Rani Mukherjee

My next Bollywood Blog will feature Aishwarya Rai.