Amitabh Bachchan biography: A detailed account

Arguably, Amitabh Bachchan is India's biggest ever star of all times. He is big in every sense of the word, according to India EU Film Initiative. His father, Harivansh Rai, was a great Hindi poet. His mother, Teji, was a friend of Indira Gandhi when she the prime minister of India. He married a much talented as well as respected actress of her time, Jaya Bhaduri. He became a cult in the late 1970s and 1980s, after giving a number of blockbuster performances. The whole country prayed when he fell sick. As Rajiv Gandhi became the prime minister in 1984, Bachchan was amongst the closest to Gandhi. He became an elected member of parliament around the same time. His son, Abhishek Bachchan, is a successful film star. His daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai, is a top actress in India. His daughter, Shweta, is married in to a hugely rich and quite well known family in the country. He’s very tall! Indeed, he’s big! We present his detailed biography, below.

Birth

Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942, in the northern city of Allahabad in India. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a well-known poet of Hindi, India's lingua franca.

The original last name of the family is "Srivastava"; "Bachchan" was in fact a pen name used by his father. However, when Bachchan entered films he did so under his father's pen name. Now he is never known as anything but Amitabh Bachchan. His immediate family has also adopted the Bachchan surname. His mother name was Teji Bachchan.

Education

Bachchan attended Allahabad's Boys' High School, followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he gained a degree in art. He later went on to study at Delhi University's Kirori Mal College in India's capital, earning a degree in science. When he was in his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Kolkata, to pursue a career in acting.

Marriage

He is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan). The couple have two children: daughter Shweta and son Abhishek. Abhishek Bachchan is a rising star in the Bollywood film industry. In April 2007, he got married to Bollywood's top actress Aishwarya Rai.

Political Career

Bachchan is said to have met Jaya Bhaduri at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Pune though there is no evidence to confirm that he was ever enrolled there as a student.

In 1984, Bachchan briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend Rajiv Gandhi, who in the same year became the Prime Minister of India after the assassination of his mother and the then PM, Indira Gandhi. He contested Allahabad's Parliament seat against H. N. Bahuguna, a well-known politician, and won by a large margin (68.2% of the vote).

Political troubles

His political career, however, was short-lived: he resigned after only three years, not finishing his term. At the time of his resignation, it was rumoured that he might have been involved in an international arms deal- the Bofors Scandal. Bachchan was not implicated in the case, and has since distanced himself from the Gandhi family. He denies that the two events were connected, commenting that he "should have never got into politics."

His close connections with Mulayam Singh Yadav, former chief minister of his home state UP, landed him in trouble in May 2007 as the new government led by Mr Yadav's arch-rival, Mayawati, instigated an inquiry into the purchase of farming land by Mr. Bachchan. Under the state rules, farming land could only be purchased by bonafide farmers. It's alleged that the Bollywood legend declared him a farmer to benefit from the scheme. Mr. Bachchan denies any wrong doing.

He has two grandchildren: Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda.

Surgey

In November 2005, Bachchan was admitted to India's Lilavati Hospital, in order to undergo surgery on his intestine. The procedure came after Bachchan complained of pain in his abdomen, and the issue is said to have been related to a 1983 injury. After the operation, Bachchan took several months off from work, unable to leave his home even to shoot the sequel to his recently-launched television program, Kaun Banega Crorepati 2, based on the format of ITV's Who Wants to be a Millionaire. By April 2006 Bachchan had resumed shooting for most of his projects.

Abhishek-Aish Wedding

Two of Bollywood's biggest stars, Aishwarya Rai, former Miss World, and Abhishek Bachchan, wedded in the Indian city of Mumbai, April 20, 2007. Only about 100 guests were invited to the evening ceremony held at one of the groom's family's homes, but later media reported a big turn out. But outside, thousands of fans packed the streets trying to catch a glimpse of the couple and celebrity guests.

The marriage had been billed as Bollywood's biggest wedding in a decade.

Early career

Bachchan's first film, Saat Hindustani, his only black-and-white film, was released in 1969. In the film he played a physically disabled man and was seen crawling throughout the film.
Between 1969 and 1973, Bachchan's career was stalled. He did win prestigious Film Fare Award for "Best Supporting Actor" for his work in Anand in 1970, but this did not translate into the kind of fame that would bring large audiences to see his films. He appeared in films such as Reshma Aur Shera playing a mute man (1971) and Parwaana (1971) where he played a psychopath etc but these films did not establish him as the celebrity he would later become.

Two 1973 films elevated Bachchan to wider popularity. In Abhimaan, he played a singer who succumbs to jealousy (The role might have been inspired by the various versions of A Star is Born). A strong score by music director S.D. Burman, and real chemistry with his co-star (and later, wife) Jaya Bhadhuri, established him as a talented
actor.

Also in 1973, director Prakash Mehra cast Bachchan as Inspector Vijay Khanna in the film Zanjeer. The film was a gritty cops-and-robbers melodrama which helped establish Amitabh's persona as an "angry young man". Zanjeer was the first major hit of Bachchan's career and after that, Bachchan's name on the marquee could be counted on to pull crowds into the theatres; he had at least one major hit every year for the next decade.

The 1975 film Deewaar directed by Yash Chopra showed him once again in an "angry young man" persona. This time the writing team of "Salim-Javed" (Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan) made him the crook rather than the cop. The film premiered just as the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, declared a state of emergency and assumed dictatorial powers. Bachchan's character stood for revolt against corruption, and his popularity soared. His "angry young man" image was cemented further by movies like Trishul (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979) and Shakti (1982).

In the same year he starred in Sholay which became one of the highest grossing films in Indian Cinema history and the biggest hit of Bachchan's career.

In addition to being an "angry young man", he also become known for his comedy roles in films such as Chupke Chupke (1975), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and Naseeb (1981). Yash Chopra collaborated with once again after Deewar and this time Bachchan played romantic roles in Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and Silsila (1981) which showed his versatility. After this he often did films which required action, romance, comedy and drama all rolled into one character. Bachchan appeared in many more films during the 70s and 80s, often filming them concurrently, as is still Bollywood practice. He was not always selective in his choice of roles, sometimes appearing in mediocre films which failed to perform at the box office.

In 1982 he starred opposite legendary actor Dilip Kumar in Shakti. Dilip Kumar had been extremely popular in the 1950s and 1960s and was known for strong performances in tragic roles. This film was described as the "clash of the superstars" as it marked the first and only time Bachchan and Kumar appeared a film together.

Life and death

While filming Coolie in 1982, Bachchan was seriously injured during the filming of a fight scene with Puneet Issar. He was in the hospital with a ruptured intestine for months, and at times was close to death. A remarkable outpouring of support and concern by his fans and the nation in general followed; his condition was closely watched by the news media. After recovery Bachchan resumed the shooting for Coolie, and it finally released and was an immense success.

The director, Manmohan Desai altered the ending for Coolie after Bachchan's accident. Bachchan's character was originally intended to have been killed off but after the change of script, the character lived in the end. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen as well. Also, remarkably, in the released film the footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears on screen marking this as the instant of the actor's injury.

Later career

During the late 1980s, after his brief stint in politics, Bachchan's films became less successful. Many films did very poorly, such as Jaadugar and Toofan, both from 1989. In the early 1990s he regained some success in Hum (1991) which was a huge hit due to the film's use of a popular song Jumma Chumma.

However, after more flops at the box office, he took a break from the film industry in 1992, his last film being Khuda Gawah, released that same year.
He returned to films in 1997, but for a year or so, hits still eluded him. His first comeback vehicle, Mrityudaata produced by his own production company ABCL, was a box-office disaster. Subsequent films, such as Major Saab (1997), Sooryavansham (1999), and Lal Baadshah (1999) also failed at the box office. Critics complained that Bachchan was still playing the "angry young man" even though he was in his mid-fifties. He was also deeply in debt as a result of the failures of the films produced by his company ABCL.

The first two of his comeback films to succeed were the 1998 comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan in which he starred with Govinda, and 2000's Mohabbatein, which co-starred Shah Rukh Khan.

Amitabh Bachchan's return as a superstarBachchan then accepted an television offer to host an Indian version of the popular American game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, or Kaun Banega Crorepati? The show was a hit, to the point that the Theatre Owner's Association president requested it be aired in the morning, as it was seriously cutting into theatre attendance on the four nights per week it was aired.

Two films that followed, in which he appeared as a stern patriarch, Ek Rishta (2001) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), were both box office hits: Bachchan was said to have regained his old magic.

He has since appeared in a number of films each year, sometimes in unconventional or supporting roles. He has been praised for his performances in films such as Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Baghban (2003), Khakee (2004) and Dev but unfortunately not many of the stated were good in commercial sense.

In 2005, he worked in the film Black, in which he played the driven, eccentric alcoholic teacher of a deaf and blind student played by Rani Mukerji. In the same year he co-starred for the first time with his son Abhishek in the comedy Bunty Aur Babli and the Godfather-esque crime drama Sarkar both of which were hits at the box office. He once again appears with Abhishek, playing a sex-obsessed father in the newly-released Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006).

Trivia

In 1970s, it was widely reported in Indian media that he was having an extra-marital relation with another celebrated actress Rekha.

During the shooting of the film Coolie in 1982 Amitabh had got badly injured while filming a fight scene and was almost lying on his death bed for months.

He finally recovered and resumed shooting for Coolie which when released became a huge hit at the box office.

He wears a toupee, without which he is seldom, if ever seen.

He has not made a public appearance without his goatee since Mohabbatein, although in Khakee and Lakshya the goatee was reduced to a moustache; he grew it back as soon as the films finished post-production.

His parents initially planned to name him "Inquilaab", which means "Revolution".

He is ambidextrous, though on-screen he is most often seen using his left hand.

He once burned his hand badly while lighting a firecracker. For this reason, he kept the hand concealed throughout much of the filming of Sharaabi. Most viewers took this to be an artistic "statement".

Before entering the film industry, Bachchan auditioned at the Delhi station of All India Radio to act in plays. He was turned down because of his unusual voice.

He learned sign language for his 2005 film, Black.

He has played a dual role in many films such as Adalat, Bandhe Haath, Desh Premee, Satte Pe Satta, Aakhree Raasta, The Great Gambler, Toofan, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sooryavansham, Don and Lal Baadshah. He also played a triple role in Mahaan.

While filming the movie Aks, he did much of his own stunt work even though he was 58 years old at the time. During one fight scene, he jumped 30 feet down a waterfall.

The Walter Reade Theatre of Lincoln Centre in New York hosted a special tribute to Bachchan, showing many of his popular films. The tribute also included "An Evening with Amitabh Bachchan", a live appearance by Bachchan hosted at the Lincoln Centre’s Alice Tully Hall. Tickets were priced at $60.00 per seat and the event sold out days in advance.

He is a passionate advocate of vegetarianism and animal rights. At IIFA 2007, he turned 'Green' and 'Cool' to promote the cause of environment.
Awards and honours

Amitabh Bachchan was voted the hottest male vegetarian by the animal welfare organisation Peta for two years running.

Amitabh was chosen Superstar of the Millennium, easing out giants like Sir Lawrence Olivier and Charlie Chaplin on a BBC online poll.

Bachchan has received the Padma Shri (1983) and Padma Bhushan (2005) civilian honours from the Indian government.

Bachchan has won the National Award thrice. For Saat Hindustani (Best Newcomer) in 1970, for Agneepath (Best Actor) in 1991, and finally for Black (Best Actor) in 2006.

He has won fourteen Filmfare Awards in various categories. The most recent one being the 2006 Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role in the film Black and his most recognizable Filmfare Award is, when he won the Star of the 20th Century Award.

He and Dilip Kumar are the only stars to win Best Actor awards in three separate decades.

In a poll conducted by Channel 4 Film he was voted the "92nd Greatest Movie Star of All Time". Bachchan is the only Indian actor on the list, which is dominated by American actors.

He is the first Indian actor to have been immortalised in wax at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London.

Bachchan was conferred with an honorary degree of Doctorate of Arts by De Montfort University in Leicester, UK on July 19, 2006 in recognition of his distinguished career in films.

Acting Filmography with on screen names

Shantaram (2009) as Khader Bhai
Teen Patti (2009)
Zamaanat (2008) as Shiv Shankar
God Tussi Great Ho (2008)
Sarkar Raj (2008) Subhash Nagare ‘Sarkar’
Yaar Meri Zindagi (2008)
Jodhaa Akbar (2008) as Narrator
Bhoothnath (2008)
The Last Lear (2007) as Harish ‘Harry’ Mishra
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007) as Babban Singh
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007) Special Appearance
Swami (2007) .... Narrator God Tussi Great Ho (2008)
Ganga (2006)
Nishabd (2006)
Cheeni Kum (2006)
Shootout at Lokhandwala (2006)
Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2006) Eklavya
Baabul (2006) Balraj Kapoor
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) Samarjit Singh Talwar
Darna Zaroori Hai (2006) Professor
Family - Ties of Blood (2006) Viren Sahi
Amrithadhaare (Kannada) (2005) Amitabh Bachchan as himself
Ek Ajnabee (2005) Suryaveer Singh
Dil Jo Bhi Kahey... (2005) Shekhar Sinha
Viruddh... Family Comes First (2005) Vidhyadar Ramkrishna Patwardhan
Parineeta (2005) Narrator
Sarkar (2005) Subhash Nagre/"Sarkar"
Paheli (2005) The Shepherd
Ramji Londonwale (2005) Amitabh Bachchan as himself
Bunty Aur Babli (2005) D.C.P. Dashrath Singh
Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005) Ishwarchand Thakur
Black (2005) Debraj Sahai
Khakee (2004) D.C.P. Anant Kumar Shrivastav
Aetbaar (2004) Dr. Ranveer Malhotra
Rudraksh (2004) Narrator
Insaaf: The Justice (2004) Narrator
Dev (2004) D.C.P. Dev Pratap Singh
Lakshya (2004) Col. Sunil Damle
Deewaar (2004) Maj. Ranvir Kaul
Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na (2004) Raj Chauhan
Hum Kaun Hai? (2004) Dual role (Major Frank John Williams & Frank James Williams)
Veer-Zaara (2004) Chaudhary Sumer Singh
Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo (2004) Major General Amarjeet Singh
Fun2shh (2003) Narrator
Baghban (2003) Raj Malhotra
Boom (2003) Bade Mia
Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost (2003) Narrator
Armaan (2003) Dr Siddharth Sinha
Khushi (2003) Narrator
Kaante (2002) Yashvardhan Rampal/"Major"
Agnivarsha (2002) Indra (God)
Hum Kisise Kum Nahi (2002) Dr Rastogi
Aankhen (2002) Vijay Singh Rajput
Lagaan (2001) Narrator
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) Yashvordhan "Yash" Raichand
Aks (2001) Inspector Manu Verma/Raghvan
Ek Rishta - The Bond of Love (2001) Vijay Kapoor
Mohabbatein (2000) Narayan Shankar
Kohram (1999) Colonel Balbir Singh Sodi, also known as Devraj Hathoda/Dada Bhai
Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) Kabeera
Hello Brother (1999) Voice of God
Sooryavansham (1999) Dual role (Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh & Heera Singh)
Lal Baadshah (1999) Dual role (Lal "Baadshah" Singh & Ranbhir Singh)
Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan (1998) Dual role (Inspector Arjun Singh & Bade Miyan)
Major Saab (1998) Major Jasbir Singh Rana
Mrityudata (1997) Dr Ram Prasad Ghayal
Tere Mere Sapne (1996) Narrator
Insaniyat (1994) Inspector Amar
Khuda Gawah (1992) Baadshah Khan
Indrajeet (1991) Indrajeet
Hum (1991) Tiger/Shekhar
Akayla (1991) Inspector Vijay Verma
Ajooba (1991) Ajooba/Ali
Krodh (1990) Guest appearance as himself
Agneepath (1990) Vijay Dinanath Chauhan
Aaj Ka Arjun (1990) Bheema
Toofan (1989) Dual role (Toofan & Shyam)
Main Azaad Hoon (1989) Azaad
Jaadugar (1989) Goga/Gogeshwar
Soorma Bhopali (1988) (Guest appearance)
Shahenshah (1988) Inspector Vijay Kumar Srivastav/Shahenshah
Kaun Jeeta Kaun Haara (1988) Guest appearance as himself
Ganga Jamuna Saraswati (1988) Ganga Prasad
Hero Hiralal (1988) Special appearance as himself
Jalwa (1987) Special appearance as himself
Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986) (Guest appearance)
Aakhree Raasta (1986) Dual role (David/Vijay)
Naya Bakra (1985) Guest appearance as himself
Mard (1985) Raju "Mard" Tangewala
Giraftaar (Guest) (1985) Inspector Karan Kumar Khanna
Sharaabi (1984) Vicky Kapoor
Inquilaab (1984) Amarnath
Nastik (1983) Shankar (Sheru)/Bhola
Pukar (1983) Ramdas/Ronnie
Mahaan (1983) Triple role (Amit/Rana Ranveer, Guru, & Inspector Shankar)
Coolie (1983) Iqbal
Andhaa Kanoon (guest) (1983) Jan Nissar Akhtar Khan (guest appearance)
Shakti (1982) Vijay Kumar
Satte Pe Satta (1982) Dual role (Ravi Anand/Babu)
Namak Halaal (1982) Arjun Singh
Khud-daar (1982) Govind Srivastav/Chotu Ustad
Desh Premee (1982) Dual role (Master Dinanath & Raju)
Bemisaal (1982) Dual role (Dr. Sudhir Roy & Adhir Roy)
Yaraana (1981) Kishan Kumar
Silsila (1981) Amit Malhotra
Naseeb (1981) John, Jaani, Janardhan
Lawaaris (1981) Heera
Vilayati Babu (special appearance) (1981) Jagga (special appearance)
Kaalia (1981) Kallu/Kaalia
Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) ACP Abhijeet Rai
Commander (Guest) (1981) Guest appearance
Chashme Buddoor (guest) (1981) Guest appearance
Shaan (1980) Vijay Kumar
Ram Balraam (1980) Inspector Balram Singh
Dostaana (1980) Vijay Varma
Do aur Do Panch (1980) Vijay/Ram
Cinema Cinema (1979)
Suhaag (1979) Amit Kapoor
Mr. Natwarlal (1979) Natwar Lal/Avtar Singh
Manzil (1979) Ajay Chandra
Kaala Patthar (1979) Vijay Pal Singh
Jurmaana (1979) Inder Saxena
The Great Gambler (1979) Dual role (Jay & Inspector Vijay)
Gol Maal (1979) Guest appearance as himself
Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) Sikandar
Trishul (1978) Vijay Kumar
Kasme Vaade (1978) Dual role (Amit & Shankar)
Ganga Ki Saugandh (1978) Jeeva
Don (1978) Dual role (Don/Vijay)
Besharam (1978) Ram Kumar Chandra/Prince Chandrashekar
Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) Narrator
Parvarish (1977) Amit
Khoon Paseena (1977) Shiva/Tiger
Imaan Dharam (1977) Ahmed Raza
Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) Anthony Gonzalves
Alaap (1977) Alok Prasad
Charandas (special appearance) (1977) Qawwali singer (special appearance)
Adalat (1976) Dual role (Dharma/Thakur Dharam Chand & Raju)
Hera Pheri (1976) Vijay
Kabhie Kabhie (1976) Amit Malhotra
Do Anjaane (1976) Amit Roy/Naresh Dutt
Sholay (1975) Jai (Jaidev)
Mili (1975) Shekhar Dayal
Zameer (1975) Baadal/Chimpoo
Faraar (1975) Rajesh (Raj)
Deewar (1975) Vijay Verma
Chupke Chupke (1975) Professor Sukumar Sinha/Parimal Tripathi
Kunwara Baap (guest) (1974) as himself (guest appearance)
Roti Kapda aur Makaan (1974) Vijay
Majboor (1974) Ravi Khanna
Kasauti (1974) Amitabh Sharma (Amit)
Dost (guest) (1974) Anand (guest appearance)
Benaam (1974) Amit Srivastav
Bada Kabutar (guest) (1973) Guest appearance
Zanjeer (1973) Inspector Vijay Khanna
Saudagar (1973) Mothi
Namak Haram (1973) Vikram (Vicky)
Gehri Chaal (1973) Ratan
Baandhe Haath (1973) Dual role (Shyamu & Deepak)
Abhimaan (1973) Subir Kumar (Beeru)
Raaste Ka Patthar (1972) Jai Shankar Rai
Bawarchi (Guest) (1972) Narrator
Jaban (1972)
Ek Nazar (1972) Manmohan Akash Tyagi
Bombay to Goa (1972) Ravi Kumar
Bansi Birju (1972) Birju
Piya Ka Ghar (Guest) (1971) Guest appearance
Reshma Aur Shera (1971) Chotu
Sanjog (1971) Mohan
Parwaana (1971) Kumar Sen
Pyar Ki Kahani (1971) Ram Chandra
Guddi (1971) as himself; guest appearance
Anand (1970) Dr Bhaskar K. Bannerjee/Babu Moshai
Bhuvan Shome (1969) Narrator, also known as Mr Shome
Saat Hindustani (1969) Anwar Ali Anwar