Junior Bachchan aka Abhishkek Bachchan is known in the media for his quirky characters on screen and his picture-perfect moments with his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan off-screen. But there have been times when the actor has proved himself as a versatile actor of Hindi film industry.

Abhishek, who is known for both his leading and supporting roles in films, turned 42 today and what a better way to wish the actor then by picking out some of his best films till date.

On the occasion of Bachchan Jr.’s 42nd birthday, let’s check out a list of films when he lived up to the legacy of his family by giving a stellar act:

Yuva

After making an impact with his debut film Refugee, Abhishek came on an unfortunate series of box office flops for few years. But the actor never gave up and improved himself as an actor. Abhishek’s gangster drama film, Yuva, was much appreciated by fans and critics and turned out to be a turning point in his career. Abhishek went to win numerous accolades for his portrayal of gangster Lallan Singh, including a Filmfare award for Best Supporting Actor.

Dhoom

Bachchan followed the critical success of Yuva with his biggest commercial success at that time — Dhoom. Yash Raj’s gangster drama was first of its kind and was among the most awaited films of the year. Abhishek earned himself a lot of fans after the success of his film for his portrayal of fearless cop Jai Dixit. Dhoom was among the highest grossing films of 2004.

Bunty aur Babli

Bachchan’s first hand at a comedy film opposite Rani Mukherji turned out to be one of the biggest hits at that point of time. The film draws some comparison from the American classic Bonnie and Clyde but without the dark element. Abhishek’s performance in the film was appreciated and his chemistry with Rani Mukherji stole the show. The film is also noted for Abhishek and Amitabh’s popular item number with Aishwarya Rai in the song Kajra Re.

Guru

Probably Bachchan Jr’s most acclaimed film till date based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, a business magnate. The film won universal acclaim and numerous accolades and Abhishek received rave reviews for his career’s best performance. Bachchan was even nominated in the Best Actor’s category at almost every award show, winning a few. The film is one of the few successful films of Indian cinema which was different than the typical genres of action, comedy, adventure and romance.

Dostana

Dostana making this list might surprise many people but the matter of the fact is that we are talking about Bachchan Jr’s versatility and besides the film being a comedy drama, Abhishek proved his finesse as an actor in an usual character. According to many critics, Abhishek nailed his performance as a man who pretends to be a gay for some reason but eventually falls in love with the girl for whom he is pretending to be gay. Dostana is by far Abhishek’s funniest performance that fetched him numerous awards, including the award for Best onscreen jodi with John Abraham.

Delhi-6

Talk about his versatility and here is one more addition to it. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s social musical drama featured an ensemble cast and showcased the life of people living in the Old Delhi in areas like Chandni Chowk. Abhishek’s performance was well received by critics and fans that it further solidified his career as one of the leading men of Bollywood. The film drew attention for its acclaimed musical score and won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration at 57th National Film Awards.