Beyond the ‘Angry Young Man’: 10 offbeat roles of Amitabh Bachchan

The grand old man of Bollywood turns 80 today.

With a career spanning more than 60 years , Amitabh Bachchan has been part of many landmark movies. He has breathed life into several iconic roles that have cemented their place in Indian pop culture.


Although he became a household name as a brooding action hero in the 1970s, Bachchan had never shied away from experimenting with unconventional roles . Even though he rose to prominence as Bollywood’s ‘angry young man’ he had played a wide variety of roles that include a 12-year-old pre-teen (at the ripe old age of 67!), an alcoholic and eccentric teacher, a bank manager hell bent on vengeance and many more.

On his 80th birthday we revisit some of his most memorable ‘offbeat’ roles.

‘Jhund’ (2022)

Nagraj Manjule's movie ‘Jhund’, a sports biopic, was released in March 2022.

Bachchan played the role of an elderly football coach Vijay Borade (a role modelled on Nagpur based social activist and Slum Football’s founder Vijay Barse) who inspires children from the local slums to join his football team and keep away from drugs and criminal activities.

In an interview with Wion, when asked how he felt while playing the role, the ‘Don’ actor said “ Vijay Barse is an inspiring figure, and the honour is

‘Paa’ (2009)

Big B took Bollywood by a storm when he stepped into the shoes of Auro, a mischievous and precocious youngster. R Balki’s ‘Paa’ saw Big B ‘debuting’ once more, this time around as a regular pre-teen who just happens to be born with progeria , a rare genetic condition. The opening credits of the movie even reads “introducing Amitabh Bachchan!”

In the film, Auro's parents were played by Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan. The film received praise from both the general public and critics. The movie did great at the box office as well.

As Auro, Big B was practically unrecognisable. He managed to portray the childlike innocence and exuberance of a 12-year-old child. His brilliant performance fetched him his third National Award and sixth Filmfare nomination for best actor. In an interview with IANS, Bachchan said “No, I never ever imagined that Auro would be picked up, caressed and so warmly embraced. It is miraculous. A description of the reactions would be odious at this moment. I do have them all stored and shall be happy to share them with you at an opportune moment,”.

‘102 not out’ (2018)

The heartfelt slice-of-life film had just one message : No matter at what age, father knows best.

The film saw Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor as a father-son duo for the first time. It also marked their reunion after 27 years. In an interview with DNA the actor shared his experience on working again with Kapoor he said, “We’ve done so many iconic films together. It’s not as though he was ever out of sight or out of mind. The two of us have been around the industry … He’s an accomplished artist; the choice of him playing the other role was good. Working with him is always a joy."

‘Pink’ (2016)

This gritty courtroom drama saw Big B as a retired lawyer who decides to take up a molestation case against powerful men.

Bachchan’s dialogue “No is a complete sentence”. has become somewhat synonymous with the modern day discourse around violation of consent today.

In an interview with Rediff.com the actor said, "It’s not because I work for the girl child or the ‘Beti Bachao’, ‘Beti Padhao’ campaign or that I am the United Nations ambassador for the girl child. I genuinely feel, as a human being, that whatever I have spoken in the film is my belief. There’s a lot of reality in what I say".

‘Piku’ (2015)

The National award-winning comedy-drama ‘Piku’ directed by Shoojit Sircar is a whimsical yet heartrending take on father-daughter relationship. The film saw Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone team up as a codependent pair of father and daughter who travel to Kolkata along with a glib yet well meaning driver Rana (played by a brilliant as always Irrfan Khan) who finds himself playing communicator and peace-keeper between the duo. Bachchan is a riot as Bhashkor Banerjee, a hypochondriac with a penchant for melodrama and tendency to complain about everything - from his bowel problems to the menu.

In an interview with PTI the ‘Zanjeer’ actor said “It is always a joy to be in a space that brings smiles on the faces of the audience. 'Piku' was certainly that space."

‘Black’ (2005)

Widely regarded as one of the milestones of Bachchan’s career, this Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial saw him in a never seen before avatar of a chatty and alcoholic teacher. Bachchan’s performance as Debraj Sahai, an eccentric yet efficient teacher is nothing short of spellbinding.

From Sahai becoming the lifeline of his deaf, blind and mute protege Michelle, to his gradual descent to helplessness as he gets overpowered by Alzheimer’s, Bachchan’s performance can only be described as tour de force.

For this role, the actor received his second National Award.

It has been more than a decade since the masterpiece was released. Big B took his instagram on the sixteenth anniversary of the movie and wrote, "It has been 16 years...since Debraj Sahai. Black...a movie way ahead of its time. Every dialogue, every instance in the movie was so beautifully crafted, that it has engraved its existence in everyone's heart, including mine."

‘Cheeni Kum’ (2007)

Big B returned as a romantic lead through R Balki's ‘sugar-free romance’.

Bachchan was a revelation as Buddhadev Gupta, a flirty 64-year-old chef who finds himself falling for Nina, a charming software engineer decades younger than him, from Delhi (played by a mesmerising Tabu).

Although the film revolved around a May-December romance, Bachchan and Tabu’s restrained performances kept it from becoming a creepfest and made it a light-hearted and rather sentimental take on relationships with huge age-gaps.

The movie received positive reviews from the audience as well as the critics and was a resounding success at the box-office.

In an interview with PTI, the ‘Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham’ actor expressed his gratitude "I think as you age you can't be playing the romantic hero. There are more character-driven roles. When you are reaching 72 you automatically go to certain regions in terms of characters in films. But I am just very fortunate that all kinds of roles are coming my way," he said.

‘Te3n’ (2016)

This 2016 mystery thriller movie was an official remake of the 2013 South Korean movie ‘Montage’. Bachchan returned as the ‘Angry Old Man’ who is ready to fight the institution and go to any lengths so as to identify the kidnappers and murderer of his granddaughter Angela. Bachchan poured his heart and soul into the role of John Biswas who is heartbroken at the disappearance of his granddaughter but is ready to take on the world to bring her kidnappers to heel.

In an interview with Filmfare, the actor discussed the challenges he faced during shooting for the film. “Every film is a challenge for me today and every day. Going in front of the camera is not an easy task. It’s tough. You’re nervous; as you don’t know what’s going to happen once the camera starts rolling … You want to improve on it every time. Every film is different as the process of creativity is not the same each time”.

‘The Last Lear’ (2007)

This Rituparno Ghosh directorial recounts the life of legendary theatre performer Harish Mishra (Amitabh Bachchan), who is coaxed to come out of retirement by a young filmmaker (Arjun Rampal) and make a comeback with his movie.

Despite being a non-performer at the box-office, the movie was still able to take home the National Award for Best Feature Film in English.

In an interview with Reuters the superstar said, “At 65 you get an opportunity to experiment with all kinds of films and that’s what’s happening, and I am happy that there are people that want me to work with them, and it gives me the chance to do something different.”

‘Aankhen’ (2002)

In this heist thriller drama directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Bachchan played a short-tempered bank manager who, after being fired, intends to exact revenge by ordering three blind men Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, and Paresh Rawal—to loot the bank. In the movie, Sushmita Sen played a teacher who instructed the trio.

Bachchan was unforgettable as Vijay Singh Rajput, a man so obsessed with vengeance, he had lost sight of his humanity.