One of the all-time legends of India and World cinema, Amitabh Bachchan was recently named the recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2019. The 76-year-old, who is the son of renowned poet Harivanshrai Bachchan, made his debut in the film industry with movie Saath Hindustani in 1969.

After a string of 17 flop films came his first big hit as a solo hero in Zanjeer and he didn’t look back from there. With films like Deewar (1975), Sholay (1975), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and Coolie (1983) to his name; Bachchan ruled the roost in Bollywood in second-half of the 70s and well through to early 90s. Taking a break from movies he dabbled in politics and made a forgettable comeback in 1997 and continued to fail until Mohabbatein came in 2000 and he was back to being the best.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javdekar announced this news on Twitter and a slew of congratulatory messages came on the social media platform for the actor of the millennium. One of the most interesting and unique messages came from Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar, a self-confessed fan of Amitabh Bachchan.

Tendulkar recited Bachchan’s famous dialogue from the 1990 noir film Agneepath and tweeted, “Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, Poora Naam. Baap Ka Naam Dinanath Chauhan, Maa Ka Naam Suhasini Chauhan. Gaon Mandwa. Umar 36..." a line that gives me goosebumps even today! May you continue to win hearts across the globe, Amit ji. किरदार अनेक पर शहंशाह बस एक ???? #DadaSahebPhalkeAward”

Bachchan also made TV a medium where big-screen stars could come closer to their audiences, with his hit show Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000, which is still running.