Adhuta Rassa or Wonder came from the characters he played be it the larger than life Toofan, the magician of Jadugar or the Almighty himself in God Tussi Great Ho and perhaps even the old man of 102 Not Out.
All his roles qualify for Vir Rassa because he always beat up the villains and prevailed justice. In Saat Hindustani the courage depicted was for the country, in Sholay for the villagers and in Shaan for the family.
Shaant Rass is not a frequently portrayed emotion on screen unless the character is ascetic. Interestingly, most of Bachchan’s writers perceived him as the strong and the silent hero but that’s not to be mistaken for peace. The few films that portray quietude as characterization are Alaap (where he retains peace despite setbacks), Bemisaal (remains composed in crisis) and in the older portrayals Mohabbatein where his gurukul professes anushasan.
All his characters were marked by sorrow, in Abhimaan it was suffering for the spouse, in Mili he is haunted by his past, in Sharaabi and Soryavanshanm it is a dominating father and in Baaghban it is neglect from children.
To be continued