The veteran actor will be the first Indian cinema personality to be bestowed with the FIAF Award for his dedication and contribution to the preservation of the world's film heritage.
Hollywood film-makers and previous recipients of the FIAF Award - Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan - will present the award to Bachchan during a virtual showcase scheduled to take place on March 19.
The FIAF is a worldwide organisation, comprising of film archives and museums from across the world.
Hollywood film-makers and previous recipients of the FIAF Award - Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan - will present the award to Bachchan during a virtual showcase scheduled to take place on March 19. "This year FIAF celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its annual Award. To mark this momentous occasion, there could be no better recipient than one of the world's greatest movie stars, and one who has understood, embraced, and publicised the cause of film preservation for years," Frederic Maire, President of FIAF, said in a statement.
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"By presenting our prestigious FIAF Award to Amitabh Bachchan, we want to show the world how rich and diverse, but also how fragile, this unique film heritage is, and we want to publicly thank Bachchan for his role as a high-profile advocate for the rescue of this heritage, in India and beyond," he added.
Bachchan's name was nominated by the FIAF affiliate Film Heritage Foundation.
Founded by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Film Heritage Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation, restoration, documentation, exhibition, and study of India's film heritage.
Bachchan said he is honoured to receive the award for a cause he is "deeply committed".
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"It was when I became the ambassador of Film Heritage Foundation in 2015, that I realised the extent of the neglect and colossal loss of our precious film heritage and how we continue to lose more of our legacy every day.
"Recognising the urgency of the situation, I have been working closely with Film Heritage Foundation since its inception to do everything in our power to save our films and to build a movement for film preservation in our part of the world," the 78-year-old actor. Bachchan said he is honoured to receive the award for a cause he is deeply committed to.
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Bachchan stressed that it is important that the idea of film archiving is strengthening and promoted in India.
"I do hope that we are able to garner further support for this most essential cause from my colleagues in the film industry and the government, to enable us to realise our dream for building a centre that will preserve and showcase our magnificent film heritage," he added.
Nolan, who has been a vocal advocate of celluloid films, said it is imperative that representatives of the film industry around the world come together to ensure the preservation of film heritage.
"I want to congratulate Amitabh Bachchan on receiving the 2021 honour. As the ambassador for Film Heritage Foundation, he has played an essential role in putting the cause of film preservation on the map in India and the subcontinent," he added.
Dungarpur said India's record in film preservation has been dismal as the country lost almost 70 per cent of its films.
"This has been a cause that has been much neglected in our part of the world, and we have been fortunate enough to enjoy the unstinting support of our ambassador, Amitabh Bachchan, who has championed the cause of saving our film heritage and constructively wielded his influence to amplify the cause on a war footing in our part of the world.
"This is the reason we nominated him for the award, and he was unanimously voted by all FIAF members to be given the award," he said.
Previous recipients of the FIAF Award include Manoel de Oliveira, Ingmar Bergman, Geraldine Chaplin, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Peter Bogdanovich, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Rithy Panh, Liv Ullmann, Kyoko Kagawa, Agnes Varda, Jan Svankmajer, Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jean-Luc Godard and Walter Salles.
A name that needs no introduction, a voice that is recognised by millions, and a presence that makes even the most established actors nervous. Amitabh Bachchan is in every sense one of the biggest superstars the country has seen.
Having spent 50 years in the industry, and given fans masterpieces like 'Zanjeer', ‘Deewar’, ‘Sholay’, ‘Black’, and ‘Paa’ among several others, the Big B - as he commonly known - is a force to be reckoned with, even as he turns 77. Showing no signs of slowing down, the Padma Vibhushan-awardee’s upcoming films include Ayan Mukerji’s ‘Brahmastra’, Shoojit Sircar’s ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ and Rumi Jaffery’s ‘Chehre’.
While continuing to enthrall audiences every time he comes on screen, the superstar, who was 'selected unanimously' for Dadasaheb Phalke award this year, also dabbled in several other trades - sometimes succeeding, at other times not so much - through the course of his professional journey.
Here’s a look at Bachchan Sr. beyond films.
A name that needs no introduction, a voice that is recognised by millions, and a presence that makes even the most established actors nervous. Amitabh Bachchan is in every sense one of the biggest ..
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Bachchan took a break from acting in 1984 to try his hand at politics. The 'Shahenshah', whose proximity to the Gandhis at the time was well-known, contested the 8th Lok Sabha elections from his hometown of Allahabad, in support of his friend, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. While he won the polls by a huge margin, his political career was short-lived.
Three years later, Bachchan resigned, following the Bofors scandal, vowing never to rejoin politics.
His wife and former actress Jaya Bachchan is a Rajya Sabha MP from the Samajwadi Party.
Bachchan took a break from acting in 1984 to try his hand at politics. The 'Shahenshah', whose proximity to the Gandhis at the time was well-known, contested the 8th Lok Sabha elections from his home..
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Bachchan began his television stint as the host of quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC) in 2000, after a period of professional struggle. Little did he know at the time of signing on the dotted line, that the Hindi adaptation of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ would go on to become one of the most-watched shows on Indian television.
The Big B hosted the show until 2006, when he fell ill, and Shah Rukh Khan replaced him for the third season. However, in 2010 he returned to the show - that he continues to host till date.
The 'Deewar' star also hosted the third season of ‘Bigg Boss’ in 2009.
Long before the era of Netflix and other digital video streaming platforms that saw several B-town stars turn to the small screen, the Big B was expanding his TV presence. In addition to ‘KBC’, he also did the voiceover for a historic soap, ‘Bharat Ka Veer Putra: Maharana Pratap’.
In 2014, he ventured into the fictional space on television, with ‘Yudh’, a show produced by his banner, Saraswati Creations along with Endemol.
In Pic: Bachchan during 'Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 6', in 2012.
Bachchan began his television stint as the host of quiz show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC) in 2000, after a period of professional struggle. Little did he know at the time of signing on the dotted li..
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Bachchan often turns into a real-life hero for poverty-stricken farmers across the country. The actor, who owns farmland in the Muzzaffarnagar village of Kakori and has been registered as a farmer by the Uttar Pradesh Seed Corporation, has helped prevent many cases of farmer suicide by paying off their loans.
In addition to helping thousands of farmers across the country, he is often a contributor to relief funds at times of natural calamities, and also donates towards families of martyrs.
In 2018, the philanthropist distributed mechanical equipment to manual scavengers. Bachchan Sr., who was valued at $33.5 million in 2015 by Forbes,is also associated with charities that work for cancer, differently-abled children, and girl-child education. He is also a United Nations ambassador for the 'Girl Child’, and works towards TB and Hepatitis awareness.
Bachchan often turns into a real-life hero for poverty-stricken farmers across the country. The actor, who owns farmland in the Muzzaffarnagar village of Kakori and has been registered as a farmer by..
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Bachchan the businessman was among the most-difficult periods of the superstar’s life. His dream venture Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, set up in 1995, not just failed, but also brought down the actor to bankruptcy.
The company seemed to falter in its every move, from producing 'Mrityudata' - featuring Amitabh Bachchan - that bombed at the box-office to organising the Miss World Show, that failed to bring in the money and added to ABCL's already growing financial woes.
In his late-50s, the Big B was embroiled in legal cases and left with losses of nearly Rs 90 crore and almost reaching a point of losing his iconic Juhu home, Pratiksha.
In 1999, ABCL approached the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) to be rated as a sick company. The actor, however kept going, and bounced back with 'Mohabbatein' and 'Kaun Banega Crorepati', ultimately repaying his creditors.
In 2015, the stalwart and his son, Abhishek Bachchan jointly invested $2.5 lakh in Ziddu, a Singapore-based company.The award-winning actor also actively invests in stocks.
Meanwhile, son Abhishek owns the Pro-Kabbadi team, Jaipur Pink Panthers.
In Pic: Big B with family during his 70th birthday celebrations, held at Big studio in Mumbai on October 10, 2012.
Bachchan the businessman was among the most-difficult periods of the superstar’s life. His dream venture Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, set up in 1995, not just failed, but also brought down the actor..
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