Tickets priced at Rs 80 as Amitabh Bachchan celebrates 80th birthday

Today, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has turned 80 years old. He is the "Big B" and "Shahenshah" of Bollywood. The "Angry Young Man" of 70's films.

Amitabh captivated the entire world with his full-voice and magical acting skills. On this special day, social media is filled with millions of people sharing their love and respect for the legend.

As part of the celebrations of his birthday, the ticket price of Amitabh's latest film, "Goodbye",  in Mumbai has been changed to just Rs 80. The wonderful initiative has been taken by Ekta Kapoor, the producer of the movie and someone close to Amitabh's heart.

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Caption Photos: Collected

Photos: Collected

Directed by Vikas Bahl, "Goodbye" stars Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role. The movie also stars Neena Gupta with Rashmika Mandanna, Sunil Grover, Pavail Gulati, Ashish Vidyarthi, Elli AvrRam, Sahil Mehta, Shivin Narang, Shayank Shukla, newcomer Abhishekh Khan and Arun Bali in supporting roles.

On the day of its release, October 7, the tickets were initially priced at Rs 150 throughout cinema halls in India.

"Goodbye" follows the story of an old man from a middle-class family, whose wife suddenly dies. The story then goes on to explore how he bridged the distance with his children.

Rashmika Mandanna made her Bollywood debut with this film. The actress is still unable to believe that she was able to act alongside Amitabh. On the day of the traile's release, Rashmika said, "Working with Amitabh sir, talking to him, sharing the same stage, getting a  chance to take pictures with him—all of it feels like a dream. I am grateful to be working with sir. It's an absolute honour and this experience will always be special to me."

The ticket prices for "Goodbye" isn't the only surprise on Amitabh's birthday. A four-day film festival titled, "Bachchan Back to the Beginning" has also been organised to celebrate Amitabh's memorable work on his birthday. The screenings will take place at PVR Cinemas in  17 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Indore, and many more. The initiative was taken by the Film Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organisation, to organise this festival from October 8, 22 branches of PVR Cinemas. Through this festival, the new generation is getting a golden opportunity to see Amitabh Bachchan's timeless films on the  big screen.

At the festival, tickets were sold for  Rs 150 each on October 8, 9 and 10.  However, today tickets will be available for Rs 80. Amitabh Bachchan starrers  "Don", "Kaala Patthar", "Kaalia", "Kabhie Kabhie", "Amar Akbar Anthony", "Deewar", "Abhimaan", "Chupke Chupke" and may others will be screened on the big screen at the festival.

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Speaking about the festival, Amitabh  Bachchan said, "I never thought that a day would come when these films—that are from the beginning of my career—would return to the big screen. It's a great initiative! Because, through this festival, I can also see the work of the directors, co-artistes and technicians of that time, without whom  these films would not have happened. It brings back an era that has been lost, but not forgotten."

Ajay Bijli, chairman and managing Director of PVR Limited, said, "This is the first such festival in India. It is a great opportunity to see Bachchan sir's memorable characters on the big screen, not a phone or laptop. 

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder of The Film Heritage Foundation, said, "It was a huge task to bring together the best films of the early days of Amitabh Bachchan's career. These are the films that made him a superstar. The way the audience saw them at the time of their release, on the big screen, is how we will be showing it to people now."

On the occasion of the festival, the golden days of Bachchan's career are on display at  PVR Juhu in Mumbai with rare pictures, footage and posters of Amitabh in the 1970's and 80's.  

Alongside this, the  jacket worn by him in the movie "Shahenshah" is also being displayed.  The list of memorabilia also include rare LP record jackets, lobby cards, and stills from the shooting. These are all things that are not available on the Internet.

Amitabh Bachchan was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a well-known Hindi poet. His mother, Teji Bachchan, is a Sikh-Punjabi from Faisalabad (now in Pakistan). Bachchan's first name was Inquilaab, inspired by the unforgettable phrase 'Inquilaab Zindabad', regarding India's struggle for freedom. Later, his name would be changed to  Amitabh. He is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri, and they have two children, Shweta Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan.