Amitabh Bachchan turns 84, Anand Pandit marks it with scholarships for 1,000 students

Amitabh Bachchan turns 84 on October 11, and producer Anand Pandit is marking the day with educational scholarships for 1,000 deserving students, given in association with the Lotus Foundation.

The celebration does not stop there. Pandit is also putting up hoardings across Mumbai, and birthday greetings for the star will play on cinema screens around the country.

Pandit calls Bachchan a friend and an idol. He said the actor still comes to work with the energy of a newcomer and the wisdom of a master, and that the fire audiences first saw in Zanjeer is still burning. Through the scholarships, he said, he hopes young people will chase their dreams with real conviction.

Music composer and singer Himesh Reshammiya sent his wishes too. He called Bachchan a living legend and the biggest superstar Indian cinema has ever seen, and asked him to keep blessing everyone with his love.

Son Abhishek Bachchan has spoken before about the man behind the legend. In an interview last year, he said his parents, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, would be proud of anything he did as long as he gave it his best. People forget that his father is also a father and a grandfather, he said, and is allowed to feel what any parent feels.

Growing up with fame at home taught Abhishek that it never lasts. When his father walked through the door, he said, he was not Amitabh Bachchan the star, just his dad.