Mumbai, Oct.11 (ANI): Bollywood celebrities came in large numbers to celebrate superstar Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday in Mumbai on Wednesday evening.
The party hosted by Bachchan's wife, Jaya Bachchan, saw an array of invitees, ranging from political bigwigs to southern superstars, a day before his birthday.
A red carpet was rolled out at the bash for almost 800 guests.
Bachchan, dressed in black attire looked dapper and came with his family -his wife, his son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Shweta.
The live orchestra played hit numbers from Bachchan's films, as he walked the red carpet with his family.
Abhishek Bachchan said that his father was just like a child and had the same level of enthusiasm.
"For someone like my father, the greatest gift he can ever receive is for all his friends to show up. He is so excited, he is like a child, he is so excited that everybody has come. He is very happy that you all are here, we are very happy that you all are here, enjoy the evening," he said.
Leading the Bollywood gang were Bachchan's contemporaries like Vinod Khanna and Shashi Kapoor as well as leading ladies Hema Malini and Waheeda Rehman were present to wish him a long life.
Southern superstar Rajnikanth, who co-starred with Bachchan in several films, was one of the early arrivals.
He prayed for Bachchan's long life and good health.
"I pray to God to wish him long life and good health, what more than that," said Rajnikanth.
Representing the young brigade were stars like Deepika Padukone, Parineeti Chopra, Anurag Kashyap and his wife Kalki Koechlin, Sonakshi Sinha, Vidya Balan, John Abraham and Arshad Warsi.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav, graced the event along with his father and chief of regional Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Bollywood actress, Madhuri Dixit Nene, looked graceful in peach attire, as she happily posed for the shutterbugs.
She wished the superstar a happy birthday and said that age was not a barrier, but was dependent on one's attitude.
"We wish him a very happy birthday, and we are happy for Bachchan, and I hope and wish him all the success and happiness. I don't know, age is all in the head, I think it is your heart and the way it feels. There are so many, so hard to count, but the first movie I saw of him was 'Deewar'," she said.
Veteran director, Ramesh Sippy, best known for directing the iconic film 'Sholay', said that Bachchan was one person who kept getting stronger with age.
"Heartfelt feelings, we all love him and we all want him to keep going, as he gets stronger every time, if he can and if anybody can be better and stronger, only he can do it. He should get the Bharat Ratna," he said.
Bachchan was a rage among the Indian cine goers in the 1970s and 1980s and is still amongst the most popular in the country.
Son of a Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, he quit his job as a Calcutta freight broker for films and earned recognition in the 1970s after playing a "Dirty Harry"- style cop in the ground-breaking movie 'Zanjeer'.
His best-known film, "Sholay", ran in Bombay for seven years - turning him into an icon in India, much like Elvis Presley was in the West.
Millions of young men aped his distinctive hairstyle and people in remote villages rattle off lines from his films. A fatal accident he survived on the sets of "Coolie" in 1982 let the country into a tizzy, forcing state television to telecast hourly bulletins, the first in media history.
He was voted the millennium's greatest star of stage and screen in a BBC online poll a few years ago, ahead of Hollywood icons including Lawrence Olivier, Humphrey Bogart and Charlie Chaplin.
He also became the first Indian movie actor to be exhibited in wax at Madame Tussaud's museum in London
While many contemporaries have retired from Bollywood, the silver-bearded actor still continues to attract audiences of all ages.
He recently appeared in a cameo in seasoned actress Sridevi's comeback 'English Vinglish'. (ANI)
