A nine-film retrospective of Indian cinema acting legend Amitabh Bachchan is set for the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France.
The retrospective, titled “Amitabh Bachchan, Big B Forever,” will showcase different aspects of the actor’s oeuvre including his persona as the ‘angry young man,’ created by writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, action, drama, romance and comedy in some of the greatest films of Hindi-language cinema including “Sholay,” “Deewar,” “Don,” “Kabhie Kabhie” and “Amar Akbar Anthony.” The directors are also legends of Indian cinema including Yash Chopra, Ramesh Sippy, Manmohan Desai and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
The showcase is co-presented by Film Heritage Foundation, the not-for-profit organization founded by filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, which over the past year has hosted a series of hugely successful retrospectives in cinemas across India, including “Bachchan Back To The Beginning,” “Dilip Kumar – Hero of Heroes” and “Dev Anand @ 100 – Forever Young.”
Amitabh Bachchan said: “Film Heritage Foundation’s initiative to bring classic Indian films back to the big screen in India has been truly remarkable. I am so pleased to hear that they are co-presenting a selection of nine of my early films at one of the oldest and most reputed film festivals – the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, especially as it focuses on the cinema of Africa, Latin America and Asia. Many of these films gave me an opportunity to play a diverse range of characters and work with some of the most significant filmmakers of the time including Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra and Ramesh Sippy. I hope that the festival audience will enjoy the selection of films that continue to give so much joy to viewers half a century since they were made. Even though I will not be there in person, I am delighted that my daughter Shweta will be in Nantes to represent me at the festival.”
Shweta Bachchan added: “This a special occasion for me as I have the opportunity, for the first time, to represent my father, on an international platform. I would like to thank Film Heritage Foundation for their exceptional commitment and ability in showcasing classic Indian cinema and drawing audiences back to the big screen when no one had faith that this would be possible. I saw the phenomenal success of “Bachchan Back to the Beginning” – the retrospective they curated on a massive scale to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday last year. Many of us in the family were watching his films on the big screen for the first time and we were overwhelmed. The films being screened in Nantes cover varied genres that will give the audiences at the festival the opportunity to see my father’s remarkable versatility as an actor.”
Dungarpur said: “Mr. Bachchan is an actor who is a worldwide phenomenon and an indefatigable champion for the cause of film preservation and when we conducted a country-wide retrospective of his films last year, the cinemas were packed and the audiences went crazy. Mr. Bachchan has been a childhood hero for me and it gives me immense pleasure to screen some of my personal favourite Amitabh Bachchan films as part of such a prestigious festival as well as to present Film Heritage Foundation’s most recent restoration ‘Ishanou’ (1990), Aribam Syam Sharma’s beautiful Manipuri film that had a red-carpet world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.”
Jérôme Baron, artistic director, Festival Des 3 Continents, added: “Amitabh Bachchan is precisely, as he continues a career that began 50 years ago, the living and iconic embodiment of a link between the past and present of popular Hindi cinema. He is on screen a unique performer and what no other actor has ever been, including in the history of European cinema. After a fruitful collaboration in 2022 with Film Heritage Foundation, we want, by seizing the ball thrown of the ‘Bachchan Back to the beginning’ festival launched last year, to pay Amitabh Bachchan for the first time in France a tribute in nine films which will also be the opportunity to show the world premiere of Cédric Dupire’s astonishing documentary on him ‘The Real Superstar’.”
THE AMITABH BACHCHAN FILMS
“Abhimaan” (“Pride”) (1973) – directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
“Sholay” (“Embers”) (1975) – directed by Ramesh Sippy
“Deewar” (“The Wall”) (1975) – directed by Yash Chopra
“Kabhie Kabhie” (“Sometimes”) – directed by Yash Chopra
“Amar Akbar Anthony” (1977) – directed by Manmohan Desai
“Trishul” (“Trident”) (1978) – directed by Yash Chopra
“Don” (1978) – directed by Chandra Barot
“Kaala Patthar” (“Black Stone”) (1979) – directed by Yash Chopra
The Festival des 3 Continents will take place from Nov. 24 – Dec. 3 in Nantes, France.
