The 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kicked off today in Goa. The opening ceremony was hosted by filmmaker and
Dharma Productions head,
Karan Johar. Among those who attended the ceremony were the ‘Shahenshah’ of Bollywood,
Amitabh Bachchan and superstar
Rajinikanth who received Icon of the Jubilee Award.
About 7,000 delegates attended the star-studded event at Shyama Prasad Stadium. French actress Isabelle Huppert was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Post the announcement, Tamil cinema actor Rajinikanth had sent out a tweet expressing his gratitude for the same.
Senior Bachchan presented Rajinikanth with the honour.
In his acceptance speech, Rajinikanth thanked the Government of India, Amitabh Bachchan, the Chief Minister of Goa and the dignitaries.
"The honourable chief minister of Goa, honourable minister Prakash Javadekarji, my inspiration Amitabh Bachchanji, all dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen, good evening to everybody. I am extremely happy to receive the International Film Festival of India's prestigious Icon of Golden Jubilee award. My heartfelt thanks to the Indian government for honouring me with this award. I dedicate this award to all my producers, directors and technicians who worked in my films. And above all my fans and my Tamil makkal. Thank you. Jai Hind," said Rajinikanth.
Huppert, who has appeared in more than 120 films won the biggest honour of the night.
What’s more? Singer Shankar Mahadevan gave a riveting performance with 'The Godfather Of Indian Jazz', Louis Banks.
Big B felt nostalgic walking the red carpet and remembered his first film which was shot in Goa.
The event also included a tribute to late Goa CM
Manohar Parrikar. A special stamp was also released to commemorate 50 years of the festival.
Amitabh Bachchan Beyond Cinema: TV, Philanthropy, Politics
King Of All Trades
9 Oct, 2019
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 Short-Lived Dream
9 Oct, 2019
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.
Tele Talks
9 Oct, 2019
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.
The Good Samaritan
9 Oct, 2019
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.
Big B The Businessman
9 Oct, 2019
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.