In 80s at the height of his superstardom, his movies turned out to be incredibly popular that they threatened the local Egyptian film industry.
Amitabh Bachchan defined superstardom in the 1980s. His films were cultural phenomenons and mass entertainers that dominated the box office. The adulation surrounding his movies was so massive that he was famously dubbed a “One-Man Industry.
To protect domestic films, the Egyptian government intervened and temporarily banned the screening of Indian movies, specifically those featuring Amitabh Bachchan.
The Egyptian government did indeed intervene in the 1980s and 1990s, implementing exhibition regulations and import sanctions that temporarily banned or severely restricted the screening of Indian films to protect their domestic cinema industry.
Despite these official government restrictions, actor Amitabh Bachchan achieved massive, cult-level fame in Egypt. His movies, such as “Mard”managed to circulate widely and even play in local theaters for years. His popularity reached such staggering heights that when he visited Cairo for the Cairo International Film Festival, overwhelming, uncontrollable crowds prompted a national crisis. Police had to shut down roads, and he famously had to be evacuated from the airport by helicopter.
Following the declaration of the Emergency in 1975, film journalists falsely assumed Bachchan supported the government’s strict press censorship.
These accusations stemmed from his close personal and familial ties to the Gandhi family, particularly then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
In retaliation, several film magazines and publications decided to completely boycott him. They would omit his name from articles and cast lists for the movies he featured in.
Intensely hurt by these actions, Bachchan retaliated by banning the media from his film sets and refusing to give interviews, a standoff that lasted for nearly 15 years.
News Edit KV Raman
