This actor was called ‘failed newcomer’, then gave 7 superhits in a year; not Shah Rukh, Salman, Dilip Kumar, Akshay

Written By Riya Sharma | Updated: Aug 31, 2024, 03:21 PM IST

Amitabh Bachchan's still from My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves

This actor, who started his career with flops, was called a 'flop newcomer', and later became a superstar.

From Madhuri Dixit to Salman Khan, there are many actors who started their careers with flops, however, later went on to become superstars. However, none of them could beat this actor, who gave seven back-to-back hits in a year. 

The actor we are talking about was called ‘flop newcomer’ but later, Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan’s movies made him a superstar. He is none other than Amitabh Bachchan. 

Amitabh Bachchan is considered among the most accomplished and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. He is hailed as the Shehenshah of Bollywood. However, very few know that the actor started his career with flops. 

Amitabh Bachchan made his acting debut with Saat Hindustani, followed by Anand alongside Rajesh Khanna. Many of Bachchan's films during 1969-72 did not do well. His only film with Mala Sinha, Sanjog, was also a box-office failure. 

He was struggling, seen as a "failed newcomer" who, by the age of 30, had twelve flops and only two successes. However, later Amitabh Bachchan was discovered by Salim-Javed and gave his iconic film Zanjeer which made him Bollywood’s angry young man. 

The writers have done around 14 films with Bachchan including Sholay, Don, Deewar, and Amar Akbar Anthony, and praised the superstar for his work ethic.

At a recent event, Javed Akhtar recalled how Amitabh Bachchan had a better turnover than Dilip Kumar in terms of hit films and said, “He is exceptionally good, we have to accept it. He is a brilliant actor. After Dilip saab, the second man who came was Amitabh Bachchan. His turnover was much more than him (Kumar). Dilip saab used to do one film in two years, he (Bachchan) gave seven superhits in a year alone...” 

Praising his working style, the writer said, “We backed him, he gave us a great performance... He had tremendous discipline and focus. (He had) With total control over his tongue, he would never make a statement that could be controversial in so many years. Seven o'clock shift would mean, he would be there quarter to seven in spite of being a star.” 

Even Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, and Akshay Kumar, who are some of the biggest stars in the country, haven’t given seven superhits in a year. 

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan recently entered the Rs 1000-crore club with Kalki 2898 AD. His performance in the film was loved by the audience as well as the critics. Helmed by Nag Ashwin, the film also starred Deepika Padukone, Prabhas, and Kamal Haasan in key roles and proved to be the highest-grossing film of the year.

The DNA app is now available for download on the Google Play Store. Please download the app and share your feedback with us.