When Amitabh Bachchan Quit Acting And Wasn't Sure About Returning To Films

Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan has undeniably created a legacy that remains unrivalled in Indian cinema. Having completed almost 5 decades in the film industry, the Shahenshah of Bollywood, who recently turned 80, is still going strong, appearing in several films in a year. However, there was a time in his life when the veteran actor almost quit films. He decided to take a sabbatical in his career and was in two minds about returning to acting. This resulted in a 5-year absence of Amitabh Bachchan from films.

This was during the early 90s when Amitabh’s films Agneepath and Khuda Gawah had just hit the theatres. It was a period when his star power had started to wane a little with his films Toofan, Jaadugar, Ajooba and Akayla failing at the box office.

Although he attained success with Hum and Khuda Gawah, Big B shocked the industry in 1992 after the release of the latter by announcing his semi-retirement. After this, he remained away from the big screen for about 5 years.

In a past interview, Amitabh Bachchan said that he had worked enough and made a name for himself in the industry, and he wanted to find happiness elsewhere. He also said that he did not know when he would return to the film industry.

During that period, many actors, including Aamir Khan and Govinda, appealed to him to return to acting. In an interview, Aamir said that he wanted to watch his films for the next 50 years. Even lyricist Javed Akhtar expressed disappointment over Amitabh Bachchan’s decision to quit films.

However, Amitabh finally returned to acting with the 1997 film Mrityudand but, unfortunately, his comeback film tanked at the box office. According to reports, Abhisekh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai met for the first time during the making of this film. Abhishek was reportedly an assistant director in Mrityudand while Aishwarya was shooting nearby.

Although Mrityudaata failed, Amitabh’s next, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, alongside Govinda, became a huge success and marked his real return to Hindi cinema with a bang.

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