Amitabh Bachchan

Name: Amitabh Bachchan

Nickname: Big B

Birthday: 11th October 1942

Known For: Amitabh Bachchan is ambidextrous which means that the actor can use both, his left hand and his right hand to write.

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 70kgs

Debut Film: Saat Hindustani

Marital Status: Married

Spouse: Jaya Bachchan

Children: Abhishek Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan-Nanda

Relationships: Parveen Babi, Rekha, Jaya Bhaduri

Awards: Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Legion of Honour, 6 Filmfare Awards for Best Actor, 2 Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor, 4 Filmfare Awards for Best Actor (Critics), 5 Screen Awards for Best Actor, 4 National Film Awards for Best Actor

Zodiac: Libra

Amitabh Bachchan Biography

Amitabh Bachchan has reigned over Bollywood for years now. He has become an international star and has been awarded some of the highest civilian awards and merits from different countries. Bachchan was born in 1942 in Allahabad to Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan.

His father was a Hindi poet, while his mother, a social activist. The actor has a young brother named Ajitabh. Amitabh is married to Jaya Bachchan, who is a former Indian actress and now a Member of Parliament. Bachchan’s son Abhishek Bachchan is also an actor, and he also has a daughter named Shweta Bachchan-Nanda. Amitabh’s daughter-in-law is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is also another big name in the film industry.

Amitabh Bachchan worked as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen’s Bhuvan Shome. After that, he made his debut in Saat Hindustani, which was directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. Bachchan worked alongside Utpal Dutt, Anwar Ali, Madhu and Jalal Agha. In 1971, he appeared in Anand alongside Rajesh Khanna. His role garnered him his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Big B then played his first antagonist role in Parwana. Then he appeared in Reshma Aur Shera and made a guest appearance in Guddi, which starred his now-wife, Jaya Bachchan. He also narrated part of the film Bawarchi. In 1972, he starred in Bombay to Goa, and the film was moderately successful. Most of the films, at this point, did not do well. His film Sanjog was also a box office failure.

His next film was Zanjeer which gave Amitabh Bachchan his first “angry young man” look. He got his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination then. The film was a huge success and became the highest-grossing one that year. The film was the first of the many collaborations between Salim-Javed and Bachchan.

Eventually, Amitabh became one of the most successful leading men in the film industry. His portrayal of the wronged hero in films like Trishul, Kaala Patthar and Shakti resonated with the audience at that time. His films often related to societal issues such as hunger, poverty, unemployment, corruption and The Emergency.

In 1973, Amitabh married Jaya who appeared in several films such as Abhimaan. Later, the actor appeared in Namak Haram, alongside Rajesh Khanna. He won another Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1974, Bachchan made several guest appearances in films such as Kunwara Baap, Dost and in Roti Kapda Aur Makaan which became successful at the box office.

In 1975, he starred in Chupke Chupke, Faarar and Mili. His next film was Deewaar which was directed by Yash Chopra. He worked with Shahi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, Parveen Babi and Neetu Singh. The film became a major hit at the box office and ranked number four. It was also included in the Top 25 Must-See Bollywood Films.

The other release in 1975 was Sholay which became the highest-grossing film ever in India at that time. These two films are often credited as Bachchan’s way to superstardom. In 1999, BBC declared Sholay as the “Film of the Millennium”.

In 1976, Bachchan played a role in another Yash Chopra film named Kabhie Kabhie. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences. Bachchan was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role in the film. In the same year, he placed a double role in the hit film Adalat.

In 1977, he played a role in Amar Akbar Anthony and won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. He played alongside Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor. The film was also the highest-grossing film of that year. Other hit films of Amitabh included Parvarish and Khoon Pasina.

In 1978, he played another double role in Kasme Vaade and Don. His performance in the latter earned him another Filmfare Award for the Best Actor. His next film was Trishul and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, both of which were successful. The year 1978 is often considered Amitabh’s most successful year at the box office. His other two films, Ganga Ki Saugandh and Besharam, were massive hits as well. It was a rare moment in Indian cinema.

In 1979, Amitabh Bachchan starred in Suhaag, which was the highest-earning film of that year. In the same year, he performed in more critically acclaimed and commercially successful films like Mr Natwarlal, Kaala Patthar, The Great Gambler and Manzil. All these films received several awards and nominations. In 1980, he appeared in Raj Khosla’s Dostana, for which he was nominated at the Filmfare Awards again. He starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman. It also became the highest-grossing film of that year.

In 1981, he starred in Silsila, where he worked alongside Jaya Bachchan and Rekha. Another successful film of his was Shaan. Followed by Ram Balram, Naseeb, Lawaaris, Kaalia, Yaarana, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat and Shakti. In 1982, he played another double role in Satte Pe Sarra and Desh Premee, both of which did exceeding well at the box office. Other hits were Namak Halaal, Khud-Daar and Bemisal.

In 1983, he played a triple role in Mahaan, which was not as successful as his previous films. Other films of that year were Nastik and Pukar, which were hits. It was followed by Andha Kanoon, which was an average grosser. His next films were Mard and Aakhree Raasta which were major hits as well. Amitabh also played a role in a special appearance for the movie Kaun Jeeta Kaun Haara and sang a playback song with Kishore Kumar for the same movie.

In 1982, Amitabh Bachchan started to work on Coolie. However, during one scene, the actor met with a near-fatal accident that caused a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant amount of blood. Bachchan required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in hospital for months. Many fans and well-wishers formed queues outside the hospital and prayed for the actor to recover.

Nonetheless, Amitabh Bachchan resumed filming later that year, after a long period of recuperation. The director of the film, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of Coolie. Originally, Bachchan’s character was intended to be killed off. However, after the accident, Desai decided to change that and made the character live in the end. The director thought it would inappropriate for the man who just fended off death in real life, to be killed on screen.

The film was released in 1983, and because of the publicity caused by the incident, it became a box office success and topped the grossing charts of that year. After that, Amitabh Bachchan was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis, which made him weak, both mentally and physically. The actor decided to quit films and venture into politics.

After a three-year stint in politics from 1984 to 1987, Amitabh Bachchan returned to films. He played a role in Shahenshah, which was a box office hit. However, his next movies Jaadugar, Toofan and Main Azaad Hoon failed at the box office. His 1990 films Aaj Ka Arjun and Hum in 1991 were successful. He even received another Filmfare Award for the latter. However, this momentum was short-lived. After that, Amitabh Bachchan delivered a series of flop films.

Despite that, he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Agneepath. His next film was Khuda Gawah in 1992, which was critically acclaimed. After this, Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years except for the delayed-release Insaniyat. The film flopped at the box office.

During his temporary retirement, Bachchan turned into a producer. He set up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. In 1996. Its strategy was to introduce products and services covering an entire cross-section of India’s entertainment industry. It included mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, and celebrity and event management.

The first film the company produce was, Tere Mere Sapne, which was a moderately successful success, and launched the careers of actors like Arshad Warsi and Simran. Due to a lot of financial issues, the company was titled as failed by the Indian Industries board. It also lost millions. The Bombay high court, in April 1999, restrained Bachchan from selling off his Bombay bungalow two flats till the pending loan recovery cases of Canara Bank were disposed of. Bachchan had, however, pleaded that he had mortgaged his bungalow to raise funds for his company.

Amitabh Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career and performed in a commercially successful film, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Major Saab. The films received positive reviews, along with Sooryavansham. However, other films such as Lal Baadshah and Hindustan Ki Kasam were box office failures.

In 2000, Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra’s box-office hit Mohabbatein, followed by Ek Rishta: The Bond of Live, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… and Bachchan. All of these did well at the box office. Throughout this time, Amitabh Bachchan kept received praises for his acting. After that, he appeared in Aks, Aankhen, Kaante, Khakee and Dev, which all did well.

In 2005, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black, which became extremely successful. The actor received praises for his acting. The film won several awards, and so did the actor. After this, Bachchan started endorsing a variety of products and services and appeared on several commercials and billboards.

In 2006, he starred in his son’s films Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. All of these films were successful at the box office. His next films were Baabul, Ekalavya and Nishabd, which failed to do well at the box office, but his performance was praised by the critics. His next two films were Cheeni Kum and Shootout at Lokhandwala. Though the latter film became a hit instantly, the former one took time to become a successful film.

After that, Amitabh Bachchan did his first English-language film, Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear, which co-starred Arjun Rampal and Preity Zinta. Bachchan received positive reviews from the critics who hailed his performance as his best since Black. He was supposed to appear in Mira Nair’s Shantaram, alongside Johnny Depp. But due to the writer’s strike, the film was shelved.

In 2008, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Vivek Sharma’s Bhoothnath. After that, he played a role in Sarkar Raj which was successful at the box office. In 2009, he appeared in Paa which received positive reviews and won several awards. Amitabh Bachchan made his debut in Malayalam film through Kandahar. Bachchan had declined any remuneration for this film.

His next film, Bbuddah…Hoga Terra Baap was a commercial success and received positive reviews. In 2013, he made his Hollywood debut in The Great Gatsby, appearing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. In 2014, he played a role in Bhootnath Returns. After that, he appeared in Piku, which became one of the biggest hits of 2015.

The actor received praises from several critics who appreciated his acting and overall performance in the film. Some even called him the heart of Piku. In 2016, he appeared in Pink, for which he was praised by critics and became a domestic and overseas box office. Bachchan received praises from critics once again.

In 2017, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Sarkar 3. It was followed by Thugs of Hindostan, starring Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaik. After the Bachchan appeared in 102 Not Out and Brahmastra.

Amitabh Bachchan also stated to host Kaun Banega Crorepati in 2000 and has been hosting it ever since, except for once in between. He was replaced by Shah Rukh Khan.

Controversy: According to some reports, Parveen Babi once called Amitabh Bachchan a gangster and claimed that he was trying to kidnap her. The matter went to the court but it was later revealed that Babi was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Latest News: Amitabh Bachchan’s bodyguard Jitendra Shinde, a head constable was was assigned to shadow the actor. However, he has now been taken to the police station after reports of him earning Rs. 1.5 crore came out.

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