Why Amitabh Bachchan is so beloved.

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is about 2 weeks away. Living legend Amitabh Bachchan will be there for the opening on May 1 at Melbourne Central. I've been Tweeting facts (closer to trivia, but factual) every day to mark the occasion, as he's a man adored by hundreds of millions of people around the world yet widely unknown in the West.

Why is he adored?

Because even during his 'Angry Young Man' period between 1973 and 1984 he had the charisma, fluidity and vocal talent to pull off an item number like the one above from a huge 1977 hit called Amar Abkar Anthony. As he makes clear during the Kishore Kumar song, his name is Anthony Gonsalves, and he's comfortable popping out of a giant Easter egg on a crowded dance floor. The woman in the red dress is Parveen Babi, who was a Bollywood sex symbol in the '70s and early '80s but whose mental illness eventually led to an early disappearance from acting and a sad end to her life at the age of 56. 

But that's more information than you need. Just enjoy the clip.

R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-I-I-I-G-G-G-H-H-H-T-T-T!