Bollywoods Angry Young Man

Amitabhs rise to fame came during a period of growing disillusionment with and distrust of authority, due, in part, to political corruption that was becoming more and more commonplace as well as a breakdown of the legal system. With his intensely brooding appearance, his role in Zanjeer as a police officer who takes the law into his own hands to avenge the murder of his parents positioned him as Bollywoods angry young man, and he became the face of this new public rage. He continued to make a name for himself, mostly by playing working class heroes hell bent on fighting against an unjust society, or a state that exploits its citizens. His roles in the hits Deewar and Sholay served to solidify this image, playing characters who have been described as inward looking yet outwardly searching, torn between a dark past and the hopes for a better future.