The Asian Film Culture award comes after Amitabh Bachchan's rise as the star of the millennium in a BBC news poll, ahead of such luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Sir Lawrence Olivier and Marlon Brando. It commemorates his 40 years in cinema.

 

The award was presented by Kiran Shantaram, chairman of the Asian Film Foundation at a gala ceremony organised on December 7. Bachchan’s old friend and ace director, Ramesh Sippy was also present to grace the occasion.
 
The award comes after Amitabh Bachchan’s rise as the star of the millennium in a BBC news poll, ahead of such luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Sir Lawrence Olivier and Marlon Brando. He is the first Asian actor having a wax model of his likeness displayed at Madame Tussaud’s in London.

With a success record so consistent, over a period of time Amitabh Bachchan has come to symbolise the Indian film industry to viewers abroad. A name that is recognised and admired the world, he vociferously opposes the use of the word Bollywood to describe Indian films, but has become the face of the Bollywood globally.

Amitabh has won numerous awards including three National Film Awards and twelve Filmfare Awards. He holds the record for most number of Best Actor nominations at Filmfare Awards thus; the Asian Film Culture Award adds yet another feather to his cap of numerous achievements.

 
Amitabh Bachchan said, "I look upon my career of 40 years in this wonderful industry as a great opportunity to be able to represent my creativity and my art, if it can be called that. But more importantly, to project our cinema to other parts of the world, and I feel very honoured to be here for an organisation that conducts these activities in order that rest of the world comes to learn more about our culture, our films and for us to learn a little about their as well."
 
Bachchan emphasised that Indian cinema has been the one unifying force between the people from diverse castes, creeds, cultures, religions and languages. "When we buy tickets to go to see a film, we never ask whether the person sitting next to me is a Hindu or a Muslim or Sikh or a Christian, but we laugh at the same jokes, we sing the same song, we cry the same emotions. I think that perhaps this cinema house is the greatest example of integration that you can find anywhere in the world or indeed anywhere in the country," he said.
 
Asian Film Culture award is given to personalities who promote Indian cinema to the world in their capacity. Previously noted figures in the name of cinema like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Park Kwang – su, Tapan Sinha, Majid Majidi, Kanneto Shindo, Mrinal Sen, and Lester Junes Peries, have received this honour.