Changing faces of Amitabh

Amitabh Bachchan's career is a stellar one, spanning four super-successful decades. Patcy N revisits some of the star's most memorable cinematic looks.

In this Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, Bachchan played a simple Bengali doctor Bhaskar Banerjee. His clothes fittingly consisted of plain kurtas, shirts and shawls.

Here come the collars! Bachchan embodied the spirit of the 1970s, sporting wide, flared collars across his shirts and suits as he stepped into the character of Vijay Verma, a first-name that stuck to him forever.

Yet another Hrishikesh Mukherjee film (the actor's favourite director) saw Amitabh play the bumbling Literature professor Sukumar Sinha, trying hard (and vainly) to pass off as a Botany professor.

Chandra Barot helmed this fine actioner which saw Bachchan in two roles: as The Don, he was the height of suave sophistication; as Vijay, he played a paan-chewing roadside buffoon.

In a ridiculous (but unforgettable) getup, Amit's trademark Vijay donned an insane black-and-white wig, a jacket with a chain-metal arm, and ventured forth to fight crime armed with awful one-liners. This Tinnu Anand film was conceptualised by Amit's wife Jaya Bachchan.

This Mukul Anand film earned Bachchan his only National Award, even as most critics contended it had more to do with his affected vocal experiments in the film. Was the kaajal a gimmick too?

Bachchan collaborated with Anand on several projects, in the hopes of resuscitating his flagging career at the start of the 1990s, but this was an ill-fated move. All his Pathan style couldn't save the film.

In one of his most experimental roles, Bachchan took on the character of tough cop Manu Verma in this Rakesh Omprakash Mehra thriller. In the Fallen rehash, Bachchan finds himself possessed by a truly vile spirit, of a murderer he's killed. Which is where the fun begins.

This Karan Johar film saw Bachchan firmly retiring from the lead roles and moving to the characters on the sidelines. He played father to Bollywood hotshots Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan in the film.

In Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus, Bachchan plays blind schoolteacher Debraj Sahai. The actor rates this as his finest performance to date.

While the actor's role in this Amol Palekar film was just a cameo, his version of an over-the-top, eccentric Rajasthani shepherd makes it a very memorable appearance.

Amitabh Bachchan was one of the finest things in Ram Gopal Varma's Godfather tribute. The actor sported a severely stylised look, complete with fashionably ripped kurta, beads and black dhoti.