Bollywood's Bachchan bestowed with French honour

The French government has conferred its highest civilian honour, the Legion D'Honneur, on Amitabh Bachchan, a 40-year veteran of Indian cinema.

"It fills me with great pride," Bachchan said accepting the award Saturday evening in New Delhi from French Ambassador Dominique Girard.

"It's not just an award for me, it's the recognition of the achievement of the Indian cinema. It's an award for the entire film industry."

Bachchan is considered a living legend of Bollywood— the name given to India's prolific movie industry located in Mumbai, formerly Bombay — havingappeared in more than 140 movies.

'He is a milestone in the history of the Indian entertainment industry.' —French ambassador Dominique Girard about Amitabh Bachchan

"India has arrived on the global cinema stage … and the cynicism about the Hindi film industry has given way to worldwide appreciation," said Bachchan, who is known as Big B in India.

Girard described the actor as a "towering Indian personality," widely respected for his craft.

"We chose Amitabh Bachchan for the honour because we always have respect and esteem for world-class artists," announced Girard at the ceremony at the French Embassy. "He is a milestone in the history of the Indian entertainment industry."

Bachchan, the son of a famous Hindi poet, quit his job as a freight broker in Calcutta to make a career in film in Mumbai.The 64-year-old actor first starred in the 1969 movie Saat Hindustani (Seven Indians), playing one of seven leads.

He went on to make his mark in the 1970s and 1980s as an action hero in hits such as Zanjeer (Shackles) Sholay (Burning Embers) and Deewar (Wall) and showed a flair for comedy in films like Chupke Chupke and Amar Akbar Anthony.

Bachchanrecently lent his voice to the Oscar-winning French documentary, March of the Penguins, for its Indian version.In 2000, he was the first Bollywood star to have a wax statue at Madame Tussaud's in London.

Those witnessing the event included his film star son Abhishek who brought along mega-Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. The couple just announced their engagement a week ago.

The Legion d'Honneur was established in 1802 by Napoleon to reward military personnel and civilians in the service of France.

Other eminent Indians who have the honour include the late filmmaker Satyajit Ray, sitar player Ravi Shankar and environmentalist R.K. Pachauri.