Bollywood Actor Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan: Introduction

Full Name: Amitabh Haribansrai Bachchan

Nick Name: "Amitji", "Big B"

Profession: Actor

Star Sign: Libra

DOB: 1942, October 11th

Place of Birth: Alahabad, India

Height:6'3"

Eyes: Black

Hair: Black

Family: Wife Jaya Bachchan, two children Shweta And Abhishek and abhishek's wife Aishwarya


Awards: Best supporting actor

Anand in year 1972

Namak Haram in year 1974

Mohabbatein in year 2000

Best Actor

Amar Akbar Anthony in year 1978

Don in year 1979

Hum in year 1992

Critics Award for Best Actor for Aks in year 2002

Address: Pratiksha, 10th Road

JVPD Scheme

Mumbai 400 049, INDIA

Phone Number: 022 - 6207579, 6206162

Famous For: His great acting and personality, and for giving us such super hits like Deewar, Suhaag, Muqaddar Ka Sikander, etc. First bollywood action hero.

Did you know? Amitabh almost died from an accident during the shooting of his movie "Coolie".

Latest Dialogue: "Sooryavansh ek aag hai jisme doston ke liye jitni joyti hai, dushmanon ke liye utni hi juala. Bhoon dalo is kambaqt ko." -Sooryavansham

Funniest Role: In Namak Halal, where he says, "I can talk in english, i can walk in english, i can run in english....because english is a phunny language".

Most Serious Role(s):: He is known for serious roles & angry man role, but a few unforgettable ones are from Aaj ka Arjun, Aakhri Rasta, Deewar, and recently Sooryavansham.


Amitabh Bachchan (born October 11, 1942) is an Indian film-actor who was named Superstar of the Millennium by the BBC. He is arguably the biggest star in the history of the Indian Film Industry, better known as Bollywood. Bachchan was born in the city of Allhabad, India. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a well-known poet. The original last name of the family was "Srivastav"; "Bachchan" was in fact a pen name used by his father. However, when Bachchan entered films in the late 1960s, 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, Teji Bachchan, is still alive.

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 Delhi University 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 Kolkatta, to pursue a career in acting. He is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri (Now Bachchan). couple have two children: daughter Shwata and son Abhishek. Abhishek Bachchan also entered the Bollywood film industry. 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 suggest that he was ever enrolled there as a student.

In 1984, Bachchan briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend Rajiv 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). His political career, however, was short-lived

He has two grandchildren: Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda. 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. By April 2006 Bachchan had resumed shooting for most of his projects.

Bachchan`s first film, Saat Hindustani - his only black-and-white film - was released in 1969. For his role, Bachchan was paid the meager sum of 5,000 rupees. In the film, he played the part of one of seven protagonists; "Saat Hindustani" means "Seven Indians". Most people would have thought that his six co-stars were much more likely to achieve stardom than he was; they were all related to film-industry insiders, while he was a gangling outsider from the north. Between 1969 and 1973, the date of his first real hit, Bachchan`s career was stalled. He did win a FilmFare Award for "Best Supporting Actor" for his work in Anand, but this did not translate into the kind of fame that brought audiences into theatres just to see his face again.

Two 1973 films are said to have launched Bachchan as a star. In Abhiman, he played a singer who succumbs to jealousy (The role might have been inspired by the Barbra Streisand movie A Star is Born). A strong score by music director S.D. Barman and real chemistry with his co-star (and later, wife) Jaya Badhuri, brought crowds to the theatres. Also in 1973, director Prakash Mehra cast Bachchan as Inspector Vijay Khanna in the film Zanjeer. He was not even the director`s second choice: the role is said to have been offered to Dev anand, who turned it down because of lack of songs for the main character (unheard of in those days).

The film was based on the spaghetti western Death Rides A Horse starring Lee Van Cleef, and was a gritty cops-and-robbers melodrama which helped in the blossoming of Amitabh`s personna as an "angry young man", cemented further by movies like Deewar, Muqaddar Ka Sikander and Shakti. Zanjeer was a great success. After that, Bachchan`s name on the marquee could be counted on to pull crowds into the theaters; he had at least one major hit every year for the next decade.

The 1975 film Deewaar was one of his biggest hits. This time the writing team of "Salim-Javed" (Javad aktar and Salim Khan) made him the crook rather than the cop. . However, he was a different kind of crook: a tough man who refuses to tolerate disrespect, dedicated to making it despite huge obstacles, but nonetheless a man with a heart, who loves his mother and stands up for the "little people" who are getting a raw deal from a corrupt establishment. The film premiered just as the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, declared a state of emergency and assumed dictatorial powers. Bachchan stood for revolt against corruption, and his popularity soared. In the same year he also starred in one of Bollywood`s biggest hits Sholey which also had Amjad Khan appear opposite him for the first time. Khan went on to play his nemesis in many more films.

In addition to being an "angry young man", he also becomes known for his comedy roles. One of his most popular characters was the genial, street-smart Anthony from the 1978 Amar Akbar Anthony. Yash Chopra collaborated with him on many films such as Kabhie Kabhie, and Silsila which showed that he could also convince in romantic roles too. Bachchan appeared in many other great films during the 70s and 80s, often filming them concurrently, as is still Bollywood practice. He was not at all selective in his choice of films; he appeared in many mediocre films too which flopped at the box office. However, once he committed to a film, he did his best. He was, and is, known for his professionalism: he shows up on time, he redoes a scene as many times as necessary, and he is respectful of the rest of the cast and crew. His powerhouse performance and his typical `angry young man look` emerged a new era in Hindi cinema, typically termed as the `Bachhan Era`.

In 1982 he starred opposite legendary actor Dilip Kumar in Shakti who was the main superstar before him in the 50s and 60s. This film was described as the clash of the superstars as it marked the first and only time Bachanan and Kumar appeared a film together.

While filming Coolie in 1983, Bachchan was seriously injured while filming an action sequence. It was a ruptured intestine. He was in the hospital for months and at times was close to death. His fans were transfixed by the life-and-death drama. They came to give blood, they hung on the news bulletins, they visited temples and dargahs to pray for his recovery. After recovery Bachchan resumed the shooting for the film and it finally released. Coolie was released only after Bachchan recovered fully. It was an immense success. The director, Manmohan Desai, is said to have changed the ending. Bachchan`s character, originally intended for a heroic death, survived. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen.

Later Career

During the late 1980s, after his brief stint in politics, Bachchan`s films became less and less successful. Many films did very poorly, such as Jaadugar and Toofan, both from 1989. In 1990 he regained some success with his power-packed performance in Agneepath and the following year he starred in Hum which was a huge hit. Hum was mainly a hit due because of its use of a popular song, "Jumma Chumma". Bachchan dropped out of the film industry after 1992, his last film being Khuda Gawah, released that same year. His much delayed film Insaniyat which was due for release in 1991 was finally released in 1994, but it also failed at the box office.

He returned to films in 1997, but hits still eluded him. His first comeback vehicle, Mrityudaata produced by his own production company ABCL, was a box-office disaster. Most of his subsequent films, such as Major Saab, Sooryavansham, and Laal Baadhshah 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 no longer convincing. He was also deeply in debt as a result of the failures of the films produced by his company ABCL. Only two of his films succeeded: the 1998 comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (an unapologetic rip-off of the Sanjeev Kumar starrer, Angoor (grapes)) in which he starred with Govinda and 2000`s Mohabbatein, which co-starred Shah Rukh Khan. In both cases, critics said that the films succeeded because of the co-star, not because of Bachchan.

Amitabh Bachchan`s Return

Bachchan then accepted an offer to host an Indian version of the popular British gameshow, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, or Kaun Banega Crorepati? The show was a hit, as was his appearance as a stern patriarch in Ek Rishta, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Finally, Bachchan was conceded to have regained much of his old magic. He has since appeared in a number of films each year, often 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 (2004). However not all of these films have been hits. Critics say that this is a resurgence of his old problem, lack of selectivity and over-exposure.

In 2005, he appeared in the film Black, in which he played the teacher of a deaf and blind woman played by Rani Mukherjee went on to be a massive hit. And more importantly re-affirmed his tremendous acting ability.

In the same year he co-starred with his son Abhishek in the films Bunty Aur Babli and Sarkar both of which were hits at the box office. He is once again appeared with Abhishek in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna which released in 2006.

He is also set to appear in a remake of his own 1975 blockbuster Sholay and will play the role of Gabbar Singh, a role that was made famous by Amjad Khan in the original. The Walter Reade Theater of Lincoln Center hosted a special tribute to Bachchan, showing many of his popular films. Although most of the shows did not sell out (Amar Akbar Anthony was a rare exception), the tribute also included "An Evening with Amitabh Bachchan", hosted at the Lincoln Center`s Alice Tully Hall. The event included a live appearance by Bachchan. Tickets were priced at $60.00 per seat and sold out days in advance. The tribute was an unprecedented honour for an Indian actor.

There was a time when one of the famous director of bollywood said that if the industry actor are rated, Amitabh Bachchan will be from number 1 to number 10. The other starts will follow from spot 11. He was voted as the "BBC Star of the millenium" and for the Big B fans he is better than all the hollywood actors put together. Not Surprisingly, even today Mr.Bachchan is the biggest superstar Bollywood has to offer and still, with one of the biggest fan following in the history of Indian Cinema.



Amitabh Bachchan: Movies
Family - Ties Of Blood ( Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Aryeman, Bhumika Chawla), Ek Ajnabee ( Amitabh Bachchan, Perizaad Zorabian, Vikram Chatwal), Dil Jo Bhi Kahey ( Karan Sharma, Amitabh Bachchan, Revathy, Annabelle Wallace, Bhumika Chawla), Viruddh ( Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, John Abraham, Anusha Dandekar), Sarkar ( Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Kay Kay, Katrina Kaif), Paheli ( Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Juhi Chawla, Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Shetty, Anupam Kher), Bunty Aur Babli ( Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Amitabh Bachchan), Waqt ? A Race Against Time ( Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra), Black ( Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee), Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo ( Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Divya Khosla), Kyon, Ho Gaya Na ( Aishwarya Rai, Vivek Oberoi, Amitabh Bachchan), Lakshya ( Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Amitabh Bachchan), Deewar ( Amitabh Bachchan, Akshaye Khanna, Amrita Rao, Sanjay Dutt), Dev ( Amitabh Bachchan, Om Puri, Amrish Puri, Fardeen Khan, Kareena Kapoor), Hum Kaun Hai ( Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia, Mausami Chatterji, Dharmendra), Aitbaar ( Amitabh Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham), Khakee ( Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar, Tusshar Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai), Baghban ( Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Salman Khan), Boom ( Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Katrina Kaif, Padma Lakshmi, Madhu Sapre, Gulshan Grover), Armaan ( Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Gracy Singh, Preity Zinta), Agni Varsha ( Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Amitabh Bachchan), Kaante ( Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Lucky Ali), Aankhen ( Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Rampal, Sushmita Sen, Paresh Rawal), Hum Kisise Kum Nahin ( Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham ( Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor), Amar Akbar Anthony ( Amitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Shabana Azmi, Neetu Singh, Pran), Kabhie Kabhie ( Amitabh Bachchan, Simi Garewal, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh), Don ( Zeenat Aman, Amitabh Bachchan, Pran), Deewar ( Amitabh Bachchan, Parveen Babi, Shashi Kapoor, Neetu Singh), Anand ( Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan), Sholay ( Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Amjad Khan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan), Aks ( Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj Bajpai, Nandita Das, Raveena Tandon), Ek Rishta ( Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Juhi Chawla, Karisma Kapoor), Mohabbatein ( Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Uday Chopra, Jugal Hansraj, Jimmy Shergill, Shamita Shetty, Kim Sharma, Preeti Jhangiani, Aishwarya Rai), Lawaaris ( Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan), Mrityudaata ( Amitabh Bachchan, Karisma Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia), Sooryavansham ( Amitabh Bachchan, Soundarya, Anupam Kher, Kader Khan), Kohram ( Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar, Danny Denzongpa, Jackie Shroff, Tabu), Hindustan Ki Kasam ( Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala, Sushmita Sen).