From ‘Angry Young Man’ to ‘Benevolent Patriarch’: Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood stardom and the remaking of post-liberalization India

Abstract

ABSTRACTFor popular Hindi cinema’s aficionados, the cinematic idiom’s male protagonist, the Hindi film hero, is perceived as emblematic of the nation’s travails and aspirations. Subsequently, this magnifies the role of the Bollywood male star who with his hyper-virile masculinity, is often employed to the task of articulating questions of national and cultural identity. As the seventies’ iconic ‘Angry Young Man,’ Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan echoed the frustration of a nation battling political ineptitude, corruption and the demise of Nehruvian socialism. However, with the recent reinvention of his star persona, from the erstwhile ‘Angry Young Man’ to what I term as the ‘Benevolent Patriarch,’ Bachchan signifies millennial India’s avowed espousal of neo-liberalism. Employing a detailed analysis of Amitabh Bachchan’s star text, not only as a cinematic icon, but also, his recent avatar as a television host, consummate brand endorser and social media personality, I examine how the shift in his star discourse underlines issues of gender, class and national identity, particularly in the context of the shift from socialist ideals to consumerist aspirations. In doing so, I also contextualize the changing dynamics of contemporary Indian mediascape, with increasing synergy between film, television and digital media, thus engendering in the process, the transformation of the Bollywood star from a movie idol to a transmedia celebrity.