There is absolutely no shortage of words spoken by Amitabh Bachchan that have gone on to become iconic for the manner in which he says them. With a baritone voice and strong command over his delivery, Amitabh Bachchan has made even the most simple lines memorable.
He began his career with fairly simple roles in early films like Saat Hindustani and Anand, which won him the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award. He is compulsively engaging as Dr. Banerjee in Anand and portrays the seriousness of the character quite well.
Amitabh Bachchan got a major breakthrough in Bollywood with the 1973 film Zanjeer, directed by Prakash Mehra, which introduced his image as the Angry Young Man of Bollywood. Throughout his career after this, his films became memorable not just for their story and plot but also due to his screen presence. Moreover, it was the dialogues that he said with such eloquence that earned him people's undying praise.
So, here are seven iconic dialogues by Amitabh Bachchan that changed Indian cinema forever:
1. "Jab Tak baithne ko na kaha jaye..."
This scene from Zanjeer takes place in the police station as Vijay Khanna sits on the table speaking to Sher Khan, a local goon. Just as Khan tries to sit on a chair beside him, Vijay slams the chair with a kick and mouths some lines that just changed everything for Amitabh Bachchan. "Jab tak baithne ko na kaha jaye, sharafat se khade raho, ye police station hai tumhare baap ka ghar nahi." Vijay exclaims.
Written with exquisite wit by Salim-Javed, the sheer rigor with which Mr. Bachchan says it makes it timeless.
2. "Main aaj bhi phenke hue paise nahi uthata."
Deewar (1975) is filled with some of the classiest lines ever written in Hindi films. Amitabh Bachchan presents a swag that was not known to Bollywood till then and shocks everyone with these lines. Getting paid for his job by his boss as he throws the money on the table, Vijay Verma speaks for his self-respect when he says these lines, making them instantly strike with anyone watching the film even today.
3. "Main aur meri tanhai."
The kind of longing and loneliness that these couple of lines evoke is taken to the next level in the strong voice of Mr. Bachchan. Known till now for speaking harsh dialogues, this extremely sensitive one written by Javed Akhtar is remembered a lot. It is reminiscent of the fact that, given any line or role, Amitabh Bachchan will find the truth in it and represent it in his own way on screen.
"Main aur meri tanhayi aksar ye baatein karte hai, tum hoti to kaisa hota."
4. "Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi namumkin hai."
There is hardly any other character as stylish and witty as Don, created by Salim-Javed. The film is filled with multiple moments that bring out the character's dangerous side. This dialogue has become entrenched in collective memory. When Mr. Bachchan says this, everyone believes how dangerous and smart Don is, and who wouldn't?
5. "Rishte me to ham tumhare baap lagte hai, naam hai shahenshah."
The iconic vigilante of Bollywood, who fought against the evil layers of the system with his own strength, has one of the most powerful lines written for him. Invoking the films of James Bond, Shahenshah takes the line to the next level. Film after film, Amitabh Bachchan proved why he had the ability to just win over the hearts of people.
6. "Ham jahan khade hote hai line vahi se shuru hoti hai."
Kaalia was yet another film that carried forward his legacy of giving memorable dialogues. While breaking the queue in prison, he goes and stands up front. When confronted by other people, just two lines are enough to make them stand away from him.
7. "I can talk English I can walk English..."
Moving away from the angry young man image, here we see Amitabh Bachchan in a funny role in the film Namak Halal (1982). He changes his tone to match it with the way he speaks English as he says, "I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English, I can run English, because English is such a funny language." And we were all taken in for a ride.
