India?s film legend Amitabh Bachchan has returned to work after a life-threatening illness, recording a song for a movie he also stars in.

The song for Hindi-language film ?Baabul? is Bachchan?s first stab at Bollywood since being discharged from a Mumbai hospital on Dec. 17 following stomach surgery.

?We did the recording on Saturday night. It was, as always, a splendid experience to have him sing one of my compositions,? Aadesh Shrivastava, the film?s music director, told Reuters.

The industry had been waiting with bated breath for the return of Bachchan, voted in a 2002 BBC Online survey as the most popular screen and stage icon of all time, ahead of Laurence Olivier and Alec Guinness.

The superstar, who producers and companies have millions of dollars riding on this year through films and advertisements, had earlier said it could take up to six months for him to recover fully, and that he did not know when he would resume work.

Bachchan?s office, however, said the actor was still recovering and would need time to get back to his regular work schedule. He has not yet resumed shooting for films which stalled after he fell sick.

Bachchan, 63, has acted in over 150 films, famously playing rebels, smugglers and vigilantes in a series of anti-establishment roles in the 1970s and 1980s. He now plays more mature roles, many of which are written for him specifically.