Amitabh Bachchan, known as the "Angry Young Man" of Indian cinema, is being honored at the Kolkata International Film Festival. The festival is conducting a special exhibition honoring his life and career.
One of the exhibition's main draws has been a part detailing Bachchan's ascension. The part features his performances in films like Zanjeer (1973), Deewar (1975), and Sholay (1975). Kala Pathar (1979), and Shakti (1982) are also on display. These films helped him become known as the "Angry Young Man" of Bollywood.
These films from the 1970s and 1980s made the "Big B" the undisputed "Shahenshah of India's and Asia's movie world." These films dealt with issues like rising unemployment, rising prices, and crime. The films then looked at the ensuing social unrest. and the protagonist's struggle against the "system."
Exhibition curator Sudeshna Roy reportedly said, "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee first broached the idea of doing something as a tribute to Big B.
The KIFF chairperson Raj Chakraborty and others decided to hold the exhibition."
Bachchan turned 80 earlier this year. He inaugurated the 28th edition of the film festival on Thursday. Speaking at the inaugural function, the legendary actor had said "Since early times there have been many changes in cinema content ... from mythological films and socialist cinema to the advent of the angry young man ... to the current brand of historicals... couched in fictionalized jingoism, along with moral policing."
In addition, the actor noted that Indian cinema "raises problems on civil liberties and freedom" even now.
KIFF is hosting an exhibition about a legend for the first time. Similar exhibitions on legendary filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Soumitra Chatterjee, Ingmar Bergman, and Akira Kurosawa have previously been organized.
The show will run through December 22. The show will be at two locations, Gaganendra Pradarshansala and Nazrul Tirtha.
The exhibition includes parts on Bachchan's early years. His time as an executive at Bird & Company in Kolkata is a point of focus. His family's connections to Jawaharlal Nehru are on display. His entry into politics in 1984 and the ups and downs of his political career up to 1987 are also shown.
It also demonstrates his comeback to the movie business and his later success.
Photographs of the couple when they were young and their two children are shown in a segment that also depicts Bachchan as a family man. Big B's Abhimaan co-star, Jaya Bachchan, opened the exhibition.
