Why Amitabh Bachchan is Amitabh Bachchan?

Something off the kinds of topics I usually write. But was sitting down the other day and was watching Kaala Pathar and came up with this thought.

So why is it that Amitabh Bachchan is Amitabh Bachchan? Acting is there but then I won't refer him to be the best actor that India has produced. There are a score of better actors, Om Puri, Nasiruddin Shah, to name a few. So it is not just the acting.

According to me Amitabh Bachchan is at such a position mainly because of the kinds of roles he played. He at the start of his carrer never played a "hero". He was played something related to it, but never the "Hero" itself. Mainly what he played at the beginning of his carrer was the role of an anti-Hero. The hero with negative shades or rather the hero with grey shades. While Indian cinema is all about a hero playing a completly idealist, Amitabh never played any such role, atleast early in his career.

Examples of the such kinds of roles are apt, Deewar, Don, Kaala Pathar, Laawaris etc. So the point is that he played roles that were more human. He potrayed that there is no such thing as idealism and that a hero is just another guy and that he too has his strengths and weaknesses. This is what the audience identified with and rose him to the level that he was.

Amitabh always had roles who were of a guy with high moral but was at times hard on luck or rather a guy who was forced to do wrong things because of the circumstances and he being human did it. This made the audience realise that things can go wrong and they are not completly bad or paapi if they do stuff to get on top. He potrayed roles which were more of idealism mixed with realism. A person true at heart but who may get beant due to circumstances.

All this packed with great punch lines made him a superstar. By the way the punch-lines also showed that his moral is high and even if he is down on luck he wouldnot take shit from anyone.

Another star that I think plays these kinds of roles aptly is Dev Anand. Whether its his role in R.K. Narayanan's The Guide or Kaalapaani etc. The only reason why he is not totally up there with Amitabh (although he is a total superstar in his on right and one of my favourites) is probably he(Amitabh) played the roles with greater energy and emotions.

Anyways this is all what I can think of right now.