Exhibition on Big B inaugurated at KIFF

An exhibition on the life and works of megastar Amitabh Bachchan was inaugurated by his actor-wife Jaya Bachchan on Friday during the ongoing Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

Big B inaugurated the 28th edition of the film festival on Thursday.

KIFF is holding an exhibition on a living legend for the first time. Earlier, similar exhibitions were held on auteur Satyajit Ray, thespian Soumitra Chatterjee, Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa.

The exhibition, which is being held at two venues in Gaganendra Pradarshansala and Nazrul Tirtha, will continue till December 22.

Exhibition curator and KIFF office-bearer Sudeshna Roy told PTI, ''Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had first broached the idea of doing something as a mark of tribute to Big B, and KIFF chairperson Raj Chakraborty and others decided to hold the exhibition.'' The exhibition is divided into different sections covering his lifetime.

The first section dates to October 11, 1942 when Bachchan was born, showcasing a photograph of smiling Big B with his father and eminent poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

It also shows his stint in the corporate world as an executive at Bird & Company in Kolkata and his family's ties with that of Jawaharlal Nehru.

A section shows his entry into the film industry, his getting established as 'angry young man' with movies such as Zanjeer, Deewar (1975), Sholay (1975), Kala Pathar (1979), Shakti (1982), to name a few, his foray into politics in 1984 and ups and downs in his political career till 1987.

It also shows his return to the film industry and his success since then.

A section also shows Bachchan as a family man, with photographs of the couple in their youth and their two children.

Jaya Bachchan, who had co-starred with Big B in Abhimaan, the inaugural film of the festival, was happy to see the photographs.

However, her only regret was that Big B could not see the exhibition as he has already left Kolkata.