Bollywood Legend Amitabh Bachchan Receives French Honor

The French government bestowed its highest civilian honor the Legion d'honneur on Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan popularly known as Big B.

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The award was presented to the 64-year old actor for his 'contribution to Indian and international cultural life' by a French ambassador Dominique Girard in New Delhi, NDTV reported.

Bachchan gladly accepting the award expressed,

I am truly humbled by the honor. I consider the honor not as a personal achievement, rather a recognition of the manifold achievements of Indian cinema, which I have had the privilege of being associated with for over three decades.

The son of a famous Hindi poet, Bachchan moved to Mumbai to make a career in films after quitting his job as a freight broker in Calcutta. Amitabh's career spans almost 40 years and he has acted in more than 140 movies.

To attend the ceremony Big B was accompanied by his family including son, Bollywood's hot actor Abhishek Bachchan and would-be daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World.

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Dominique Girard said,

We chose Amitabh Bachchan for the honor because we always have respect and esteem for world-class artists. He is a milestone in the history of the Indian entertainment industry.

Among the renowned Indian personalities to have received the honor are film-maker Satyajit Ray in 1987 and environmentalist RK Pachauri in July 2006.

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and French actor, Gerard Depardieu are also among the personalities to have received the award.

Big B also topped a 1999 BBC News website poll to find the greatest star of the millennium, beating the likes of Marlon Brando and Charlie Chaplin.

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