Amitabh Bachchan Turns 82: Big B's TV Stint From KBC To Bigg Boss - He Walked So Others Could Fly

Amitabh Bachchan Birthday: The veteran Bollywood actor is celebrating his 82nd birthday today, October 11. Big B is popularly known as the Shahenshah of the Hindi film industry and remains one of the biggest superstars in the country ever. Will the actor gave birth to what is today known as the quintessential ‘Bollywood hero’, he also shattered stereotypes to conquer the world's small screens. What started as a necessity due to a financial crisis has paved the way for the actor to become synonymous with one of the most popular television hosts.

Amitabh Bachchan hosting KBC - a comeback for the books

At a time when small-screen television was restricted to daily soaps and saas-bahu drama, the megastar of the country - Amitabh Bachchan chose to take up the role of hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati. Big B took up the job to initially make ends meet following the financial crisis he went through when his production company ABC incurred massive losses. The quiz-based reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati which was on the lines of a British show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, changed the landscape of television forever.

Many, at the time, argued that the actor's fame would see a significant decline after taking up the TV job. However, what happened was the complete opposite. Not only did Bachchan's popularity skyrocket, with his fans getting to watch him up and close on their television sets, but it also paved the way for superstars of the coming generation to take up hosting duties of various reality shows. In fact, the TRP of KBC dropped significantly for the two years, Big B did not appear as host. After the show's ratings dropped, Big B returned as a host in the fourth season in 2010, and since then till 2022 it has been hosted by him. It's safe to say that Kaun Banega Crorepati has become synonymous with Amitabh Bachchan .

Amitabh Bachchan featured in a series - Yudh way before the OTT wave came about 

Mainstream actors featuring in OTT web series have become the new norm. However, much before the advent of streaming platforms, Amitabh Bachchan debuted in a series titled Yudh which premiered on television. The actor portrayed the role of an elite businessman psychological thriller serial.

When Amitabh Bachchan hosted Bigg Boss 3

Amitabh Bachchan also hosted the controversial show Bigg Boss in its third season. The actor received massive acclaim for his candid style of hosting. Vindu Dara Singh won the show while Pravesh Rana was declared the first runner-up.

Amitabh Bachchan 's talk show – Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi 

Hosted by Big B, this was an entertainment talk show that revolved around common people, who achieved something great in life. In every episode, the host used to invite a celebrity as a guest. It started on October 18, 2015, on Star Plus, and wrapped up on January 10, 2016. It was an Indian version of the British TV series Tonight's the Night. The special guests that graced the show were Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Shilpa Shetty, Mohit Chauhan, Parineeti Chopra, Alia Bhatt , Maryam Siddiqui, and Kapil Sharma. Popular television actress Sanaya Irani and others.

Did You Know Amitabh Bachchan appeared as a superhero in kids animated show Astra Force 

Not limiting himself to just fictional drama and reality shows, Big B also made an appearance as an animated superhero, Astra, who was a mythical hero from a distant land. With this show, he appealed to a new set of audience - the kids. It premiered on November 27, 2016, and continued till August 18, 2017. The series was complete entertainment for the kids with all the elements of adventure, fights, alien battles, and several other enemies.

(With inputs from IANS)