"Sarkar Raj" (Absolute Ruler) unites Bachchan with the megastar couple of his son, Abhishek, and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan.
Their star power drew so many fans to the premiere at a theatre in a luxury Bangkok shopping mall that security guards could not keep back the crowd.
Masses of people spilled alongside the carpet to take pictures as their favourite celebrities walked by, with men in office wear screaming as loudly as teenage fans.
The famously debonair elder Bachchan strode into the cinema in a sharp black suit and red tie and praised Indian film in a country where audiences tend to favour Hollywood blockbusters or South Korean dramas.
"Cinema is a universal commodity, and it needs to be seen by as many people as possible," he said.
"Promoting cinema, that's what we're here to do," his son Abhishek added on arriving with his superstar wife.
Their movie is a sequel to the 2005 film "Sarkar," considered a homage to the American classic "The Godfather." It is loosely based on the controversy around an Enron power plant built in India a decade ago.
The premiere kicks off a weekend celebrating Indian cinema, including fashion shows and dance performances, all leading up to the awards on Sunday.
The celebrity couple, who recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary, are up for Best Male and Best Female awards for their performances in "Guru" -- the rags-to-riches story of an Indian businessman.
They are among at least 500 Bollywood celebrities -- including Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Govinda -- gathered for a glitzy weekend to promote their unique brand of film-making abroad.
The awards ceremony for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) is expected to draw 600 million television viewers, making it one of the most-watched events in cinema just eight years after its launch.
Vying for the coveted Best Picture award are "Guru," "Chak De India," "Jab We Met," "Om Shanti Om," "Life in a Metro" or "Partner."
The gala has criss-crossed the globe, with events in London, Amsterdam and South Africa's Sun City. Organisers say they have come to Bangkok to expand Indian cinema's popularity in Thailand, where it is still a novelty.
"Our films are changing. We've got films without song, believe it or not. We've got thrillers, we've got drama. We've got really trendy films," said DJ and actress Sophie Chaudhary, as she arrived in a little black dress.
"The international audience should watch out."
The IIFA hopes to spread Bollywood's popularity around the world. After the first awards in London, Hindi cinema ticket sales grew 35 percent in Britain over the following six months, according to organisers.
"IIFA is a good platform for our cinema, because it presents in different countries," said heartthrob actor Nikitin Dheer. "It creates a good awareness."
The Indian film industry was valued at 2.2 billion dollars last year, but it has been trying to reach beyond national borders to tap into even wider markets, like with the recent Hollywood-funded Bollywood film "Beloved."
The traditional song-and-dance format is also adapting to appeal to Western audiences, as with the sci-fi flick "Love Story 2050", which will be previewed this weekend.
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