By Ila Sankrityayan

New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS): Acclimatising to the changes of a new era and acing them is never easy, especially when one is leading the charge. It's even harder to be versatile enough to set new benchmarks through decades. But, when it's Amitabh Bachchan at the forefront, one can be rest assured that he will pave the path for others to follow and that's what he did with his stint on the small screen.

The 'angry young man', who revolutionised the silver screen with his numerous films, changed the dynamics of the medium of television as well.

As Big B prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday on October 11, let's take a look at some of his best appearances in TV shows.

'Kaun Banega Crorepati'

Although television had completed a decade in India, it was still a medium which many films stars were reluctant to take up because it was more of a homely medium of entertainment rather than the magical cinemas which could take the viewers to another world making a large set of people go through the same emotion at the same time as the frames changed on the screen.

Call it a necessary step that he had to take or the megastar's fate, Big B took up the role as the host of quiz-based reality show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' that was on the lines of a British show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'. The show started on July 3, 2000, on Star Plus, and changed the course of Indian television forever. While the big stars of that time would feel that it would take away the enigma associated with the stardom, 'KBC' did exactly the opposite to Big B. The show took the Shahenshah of Hindi cinema to every Indian household and led to an exponential rise in his stardom as viewers could now see the megastar within the comfort of their homes.

During the second season, the prize was Rs 2 crore and it started on August 5, 2005, but in 2006 when Big B suffered an injury and couldn't shoot for the remaining episodes Star Plus stopped the production. In the third season, Shah Rukh Khan appeared as a host and it started on January 22, 2007, and continued till April 19, 2007. After the show's ratings dropped, Big B returned as a host in the fourth season in 2010, and since then till 2022 it has been hosted by him. It's safe to say that 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' has become synonymous with Big B.

'Yudh'

Big B made his debut in a fictional show with 'Yudh' which was a psychological thriller mini-series directed by Ribhu Dasgupta and Dipti Kalwani, created by Anurag Kashyap and had been co-produced by Bachchan's production company Saraswati Creations and Endemol India.

Bachchan in the series portrayed the character of an elite businessman, who had a lot of dreams but is left with few years of his life as he gets diagnosed with a neuropsychological disorder. The show premiered on July 14, 2014.

'Bigg Boss 3'

The most controversial reality show 'Bigg Boss Season 3' was hosted by megastar Amitabh Bachchan. The show, which premiered on October 4, 2009, aired for 84 days, and concluded on December 26, 2009, on Colors. Vindu Dara Singh won the show while Pravesh Rana was declared the first runner-up.

The other contestants on the show were singer and music director Ismail Darbar, model and actress Sherlyn Chopra, Bollywood actress Poonam Dhillon, Shamita Shetty, and others.

'Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi'

Hosted by Big B, this was an entertainment talk show that revolved around common people, who achieved something great in life. In every episode, the host used to invite a celebrity as a guest. It started on October 18, 2015, on Star Plus, and wrapped up on January 10, 2016. It was an Indian version of the British TV series 'Tonight's the Night'

The special guests that graced the show were Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Shilpa Shetty, Mohit Chauhan, Parineeti Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Maryam Siddiqui, and Kapil Sharma. Popular television actress Sanaya Irani and others.

'Astra Force'

Not limiting himself to just fictional drama and reality shows, Big B also made an appearance as an animated superhero, Astra, who was a mythical hero from a distant land. With this show, he appealed to a new set of audience - the kids. It premiered on November 27, 2016, and continued till August 18, 2017. The series was complete entertainment for the kids with all the elements of adventure, fights, alien battles, and several other enemies.

For the series, Bachchan partnered with CA Media-owned Graphic India. Disney Channel India acquired the 52-episode animated series.

While the world tried to write him off after the bofors controversy (in which he was given a clean chit) and his failed venture - Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited, Big B rose like a phoenix courtesy to the medium of television that still continues to add to his ever-expanding stardom.