India by the Nile: Amitabh Bachchan stunned by fans in Egypt

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, who is in Egypt as the chief guest of the 'India by the Nile' festival, was honoured by the Indian community in a glittering ceremony.

Acknowledging scores of people who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the popular star from their home country, the 72- year-old actor said that being in Egypt was like coming home.

Amitabh Bachchan wrote on Twitter, "In the land of Pyramids, the Sphinx and the history of 5000 yrs and the river Nile .. and the INDIA by the NILE festival ! Honoured."

Bachchan interacted with the audience and spoke about his struggle during the financial crises in 2000, which he said was the greatest learning experience for him and responsible for shaping the personality that he has become today.

Indian Ambassador to Egypt Navdeep Suri, during the event, thanked Bachchan for taking his time out to spend with his country's people on a foreign land.

The 72-year-old actor is the Guest of Honour at this year's edition of the cultural festival and will speak about his films, particularly 'Amar Akbar Anthony' at the Opera House in Cairo on March 31 and will also be present at a gala event at the Pyramids the same day.

'Paa', 'Anand', 'Black', 'Agneepath', 'Sholay' will be shown Mr Bachchan's retrospective.

India is organising 18-day 'India by the Nile' festival, considered the biggest foreign fair, in Egypt to send a message that the country is safe for Indian tourists despite violent extremist attacks and unrest.

Tourism is one of the major centerpieces of the Egyptian economy

The third edition of the festival, running from March 28 to April 17, is organised by the Embassy of India in Cairo in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Cairo Opera House.

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