He's
been
the
angry
young
man
and
the
Shahenshah
of
the
Hindi
silver
screen.
But
in
his
over
four
decade-long
film
career,
Amitabh
Bachchan,
who
turned
72
Saturday,
has
also
delivered
some
performances
which
have
been
underrated.
Here's
a
dekko
at
the
top
ten
such
works
of
the
thespian:
1.
Saudagar:
Sudhendu
Roy's
memorable
film
of
1973,
about
a
mercenary
gur
seller
who
marries
village
widow
Nutan
only
to
exploit
her
gur-making
talent,
is
a
classical
study
of
patriarchal
avarice.
The
Big
B,
with
his
dhoti
hitched
to
his
kneecaps,
looked
every
inch
the
authentic
palm-climbing
toddy
merchant.
This
is
among
his
best
to
date.
2.
Parwana:
The
jealous
and
possessive
victim
of
unrequited
love
who
kills
the
girl
Yogeeta
Bali's
father
(Om
Prakash)
when
he
refuses
to
let
him
marry
her,
"Parwana" saw
the
Big
B
as
a
desperate
lover,
filled
with
sweaty
angst.
Riveting.
3.
Bandhe
Haath:
This
psycho-thriller
directed
by
O.P.
Ralhan
came
just
before
the
Big
B
shot
to
fame
with
"Zanjeer".
He
played
the
double
role
of
a
thief
and
a
poet.
This
film
brought
the
Big
B
face-to-face
with
the
luscious
Mumtaz.
4.
Sanjog:
A
1971
ladies's
picture,
the
film
focussed
on
the
very
talented
Mala
Sinha,
who
is
married
to
and
separated
from
the
character
essayed
by
Big
B.
Many
years
later,
she
returns
in
his
life
as
his
boss.
It
is
a
South
Indian
melodrama,
directed
by
S.S.
Balan,
where
the
Big
B
displayed
his
acumen
for
surrendering
his
ego
to
a
character.
5.
Bemisaal:
Of
all
the
films
that
the
Big
B
and
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
collaborated
on,
this
one
under-performed
the
most.
But
Big
B
playing
the
faithful
adopted
son
in
a
middle-class
family
with
a
dark
and
dangerous
past,
displayed
tremendous
chemistry
in
his
scenes
with
Raakhee
who
played
his
best
friend's
wife.
6.
Faraar:
Big
B
played
a
fugitive
on
the
run
who
takes
shelter
in
his
former
sweetheart's
home
where
she's
now
happily
married
to
her
policeman
husband.
The
bond
that
the
fugitive
forms
with
his
former
beloved's
little
son,
was
astonishing
in
its
filial
authenticity.
"Faraar",
a
flop,
is
forgotten
today.
7.
Alaap:
The
unsuccessful
Hrishikesh
Mukherjee-Big
B
collaboration
oozed
despondency
and
despair.
The
Big
B
was
utterly
credible
as
the
hotshot
lawyer
Om
Prakash'
son
who
prefers
to
spend
time
with
a
classical
singer
rather
than
practising
his
father's
craft.
8.
Main
Azaad
Hoon:
Tinu
Anand,
one
of
the
Big
B's
closest
friends,
fashioned
this
desi
remake
of
Frank
Capra's
"Meet
John
Doe".
The
Big
B
personified
the
rise
of
Everyman
to
a
national
hero.
It
was
a
rousing
performance
rendered
to
perfection.
9.
Manzil:
This
film,
which
brought
the
Big
B
together
with
director
Basu
Chatterjee,
featured
the
actor
as
an
over-reacher
filled
with
destructive
middle-class
dreams
of
affluence.
The
shades
of
grey
always
enhanced
the
Big
B's
performance.
10.
Nishabd:
As
a
60-plus
man
desperately
in
love
with
his
daughter's
friend,
the
Big
B
conveyed
all
the
anguish
of
a
hopeless
passion,
plus
more.
His
monologue
of
guilt
and
repentance
at
the
end
as
he
looks
straight
into
the
camera
is
among
his
most
accomplished
performances
in
the
post
"Mohabbatein" phase
of
his
career
when
he
entered
another
innings.
Ram
Gopal
Varma,
take
a
bow.
IANS