Indian cine icon Amitabh Bachchan, a widely followed personality on social media, now has as many as 17 million followers on Twitter. He has thanked those who compliment him, as well as those who abuse.

"17 MILLION!!! FOLLOWERS!!! Thank you all Ef and non Ef and to be Ef...thank you all that compliment me, and those that abuse too," the 72-year-old, who refers to his social media followers as "Ef -- Extended family", posted on Twitter late Sunday night.

He also then posted images showing the growing number of fans who stand outside his house's gate -- like they have been doing for several years.

"17 Million!!! Yeaaaaaahhhhhhhh!! and more than that the well wishers of Sunday today!! Blessed beyond," added the actor, whose over four decades of work in Bollywood and global recognition has earned him the epithet of Indian cinema's 'Shahenshah'.