One of Bollywood's biggest stars, Amitabh Bachchan shocked Hong Kong's Indian community when he made a surprise appearance on Tuesday night at the Miss India Hong Kong pageant, held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The 60-something superstar created chaos when he strolled into the cocktail party. India's 1.8-metre-tall answer to Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro rolled into one brought four bodyguards with him, and they were barely able to contain the star-struck crowds.

Disbelieving fans tried to touch and grab him just to confirm that he was really there. Bachchan, whose actor son Abhishek was also at last night's pageant, has had an award-filled career spanning four decades. Last year, he disappointed Hong Kong fans when he failed to appear at a dinner held in his honour by the Harilelas.