The story of the debut of Amitabh Bachchan in the Indian cinema

Amitabh Bachchan is a legend today who doesn't need any introduction. Whether it's being in the Madame Tussad's Was Museum or a host for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Big B is the person who comes to the mind of everyone whenever someone talks of Bollywood. Ironically, Big B never uses the word Bollywood, he is more comfortable with using the phrase Indian cinema. His stature is such that the people who were his colleagues or started their respective careers alongwith him are no where today - and he is talk of the town everyday.

But there was a time when even he strived hard (VERY HARD indeed) to get a debut into the Indian cinema. Amitabh gave up his job to come to Bombay and join the Indian cinema. It's said that Manoj Kumar was the most celebrated actor at the time when Amitabh was seeking an entry into the Bollywood. Amitabh would wait for hours at benches outside the studios to meet various producers & directors but Manoj was not willing to work with Amitabh seeing his stature and height. But Amitabh never gave this weakness a thought and kept trying - soon he got an offer for Saat Hindustani for which he got a National Film Award for the Best Newcomer.

After Saat Hindustani, his acting in Anand, Parwaana, Reshma Aur Shera, Guddi, Bawarchi and Bombay To Goa went unnoticed, though he made his appearance felt. Then came Zanjeer in 1973 in which Amitabh played the lead role and which propelled him to Bollywood stardom. Zanjeer was previously being offered to Rajkumar but he denied doing it and the movie went to Big B.

Since then, Amitabh Bachchan has starred in hundreds of movies, sung many songs and hosted many TV shows to become a legend. There was a time when his movies started failing on box office but he came again and his acting skills are admired even today and crores of his fans like to follow his footsteps.