As Amitabh Bachchan turns 80 today, catch his 5 offbeat movies on OTT

Ram Balram

Vijay Anand-directed Ram Balram brings together the iconic duo of Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra who defined the era of 70s and 80s in Bollywood. The movie is about two orphaned brothers Ram and Balram who are manipulated by their uncle since childhood. The action-packed melodrama follows these brothers in unravelling the mystery and truth about the death of their parents. Zeenat Aman and Rekha are the starring ladies in the cast and the film has some popular songs.

Rann
Available on MX Player

Rann, a complex political thriller directed by Ram Gopal Varma, stars Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal and Gul Panag. The movie revolves around the life of a news channel CEO (played by Bachchan) who finds himself in a moral conundrum as his son forges a report. The movie addresses the exploitation of power and reach of the media.

Alaap

Alaap, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, is the story of a man who sacrifices everything to follow his passion for music and leads a moral life. The film showcases a very different Amitabh — different from his action films — and he perfectly personifies the struggling musician. Chaya Devi is the other main lead.

Bemisal

Bemisaal is yet another film in which Amitabh worked with director Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Bemisaal offers the audience a close-up view of Amitabh’s angry young man persona. Amitabh plays dual roles as the younger paediatrician and the deranged elder brother in this story of devotion, sacrifice and vengeance. The monologues in the film explain his character’s background.

Saudagar

One of the earlier films of Amitabh, Saudagar is a rustic drama based on the short story ‘Ras’ by Bengali author Narendranath Mitra. Directed by Sudhendu Roy, Saudagar revolves around the life of Moti, a jaggery merchant, who defrauds a young widow. Shot on location, the setting is real and Amitabh owns the character of Moti.