The Geri-Actions of the Aging Amitabh Bachchan

Abstract

Geri-action as a term within film studies describes a subgenre of action cinema in which, largely though not exclusively, men in their middle ages partake in narratives of action and spectacle, whilst simultaneously dealing with issues of aging bodies that participate in a move, or not as the case might be, towards some sort of an idea of retirement. This article explores how we might make the term work for us critically and discernibly in film, media, and cultural studies, especially in the non-Hollywood and global cinematic context. It uses the example of the Indian actor and star Amitabh Bachchan, aged 79, one of the country’s most iconic and longest serving entertainers in its cinema and related media industries. The case of Bachchan allows us to think about the notion of geri-action as not just a universal cinematic subcategory but one that we also have to make nuanced for local and global cultural contexts.