Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan (IPA: [mtab bttn]; born 11 October 1942) is an Indian

film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s for movies like Deewar and Zanjeer,
and was dubbed India's first "angry young man" for his on-screen roles in Bollywood, and
has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades.[4][5]
Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history
of Indian cinema. Given the success of his gifted film actor son Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh
Bachchan has been dubbed "Big B" to distinguish between the two.[6][7][8] So total was his
dominance of the movie scene in the 1970s and 1980s that the French director Franois
Truffaut called him a "one-man industry."[9][10]
Bachchan has won many major awards in his career, including three National Film Awards as
Best Actor (a record he shares with Kamal Hassan and Mammootty), a number of awards at
international film festivals and award ceremonies and fourteen Filmfare Awards. He is the
most-nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 39 nominations
overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and
television presenter. He also had a stint in politics in the 1980s. The Government of India
honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma
Vibhushan in 2015 for his contributions to the arts.
Bachchan made his Hollywood debut in 2013 with The Great Gatsby, in which he played a
non-Indian Jewish character, Meyer Wolfsheim.

Contents

1 Early and personal life

2 Career
o 2.1 Early work: 19691972
o 2.2 Rise to stardom: 19731983
o 2.3 1982 injury while filming Coolie
o 2.4 Politics: 198487
o 2.5 Slump and retirement: 19881992
o 2.6 Producer and acting comeback 199699
o 2.7 Return to prominence: 2000present
o 2.8 Television career
o 2.9 Voice

3 Awards, honours and recognitions

4 Selected filmography

5 References

6 Further reading

7 External links

Early and personal life

See also: Bachchan family
Bachchan was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, in north central India.[11] His father
Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a Hindi poete and his mother Teji Bachchan was a Punjabi Sikh
from Faisalabad, Punjab.[1] Bachchan was initially named Inquilaab, inspired by the phrase
Inquilab Zindabad popularly used during the Indian independence struggle. In English,
Inquilab Zindabad means "long live the revolution." However at the suggestion of fellow
poet Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai changed the boy's name to Amitabh, which means
"the light that will never die."[citation needed] Although his surname was Shrivastava, Amtabh's
father had adopted the pen name Bachchan ("child-like" in colloquial Hindi), under which he
published all of his works.[citation needed] It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films
and for all other practical purposes, Bachchan has become the surname for all of his
immediate family.[citation needed] Bachchan's father died in 2003, and his mother in 2007.[12]
Bachchan is an alumnus of Sherwood College, Nainital. He later attended Kirori Mal
College, Delhi University.[13] He has a younger brother, Ajitabh. His mother had a keen
interest in theatre and was offered a feature film role, but she preferred her domestic duties.
Teji had some influence in Amitabh Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted
that he should "take the centre stage."[14]
Bachchan is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri. The couple have two children, Shweta Nanda
(wife of businessman Nikhil Nanda) and Abhishek Bachchan (actor and husband of actress
Aishwarya Rai).

Career
Early work: 19691972
Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award
winning film Bhuvan Shome.[15] His first acting role was as one of the seven protagonists in
the film Saat Hindustani directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and featuring Utpal Dutt, Anwar
Ali (brother of comedian Mehmood), Madhu and Jalal Agha.[16][17]
Anand (1971) followed, wherein Bachchan starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. His role as a
doctor with a cynical view of life garnered Bachchan his first Filmfare Best Supporting Actor
award. He then played his first antagonist role as an infatuated lover-turned-murderer in
Parwaana (1971). Following Parwaana were several films including Reshma Aur Shera
(1971). During this time, he made a guest appearance in the film Guddi which starred his

future wife Jaya Bhaduri. He narrated part of the film Bawarchi. In 1972 he made an
appearance in the road action comedy Bombay to Goa directed by S. Ramanathan. Many of
Bachchan's films during this early period did not do well, but that was about to change.[18]

Rise to stardom: 19731983

Bachchan and wife Jaya Bhaduri in 2013, the couple got married in 1973, after the release of
Zanjeer.
Director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for the film Zanjeer (1973) as Inspector
Vijay Khanna. The film was a sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had
generally preceded it and established Amitabh in a new personathe "angry young man" of
Bollywood cinema.[5] Filmfare considers this one of the most iconic performances of
Bollywood history.[18] The film was a huge success and one of the highest grossing films of
that year, breaking Bachchan's dry spell at the box office and making him a star.[19] From then
onwards, Bachchan became one of the most successful leading men of the film industry. He
earned his first Filmfare nomination for Best Actor for Zanjeer. The year 1973 was also when
he married Jaya, and around this time they appeared in several films together; not only in
Zanjeer but in films such as Abhimaan which followed and was released only a month after
their marriage and was also successful at the box office. Later, Bachchan played the role of
Vikram, once again along with Rajesh Khanna, in the film Namak Haraam, a social drama
directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and scripted by Biresh Chatterjee addressing themes of
friendship. His supporting role won him his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award.
In 1974, Bachchan made several guest appearances in films such as Kunwara Baap and Dost,
before playing a supporting role in Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. The film, directed and written
by Manoj Kumar, addressed themes of honesty in the face of oppression and financial and
emotional hardship and was the top earning film of 1974. Bachchan then played the leading
role in film Majboor, released on 6 December 1974, which was a remake of the Hollywood
film Zig Zag. The film was a success at the box office.[20] In 1975, he starred in a variety of
film genres from the comedy Chupke Chupke, the crime drama Faraar to the romantic drama
Mili. 1975 was also the year when Bachchan appeared in two films regarded as important in
Hindi cinema history. He starred in the Yash Chopra directed film Deewaar along with
Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, and Neetu Singh, earning him a Filmfare nomination for Best
Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number 4.[21]
Indiatimes Movies ranks Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.[22]
Released on 15 August 1975 was Sholay, which became the highest grossing film of 1975
and also of all time in India, earning INR 2,364,500,000 equivalent to US$60 million, after
adjusting for inflation.[23] in which Bachchan played the role of Jaidev. In 1999, BBC India
declared it the "Film of the Millennium" and like Deewar, has been cited by Indiatimes

movies as amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.[22] In that same year, the judges of
the 50th annual Filmfare Awards awarded it with the special distinction award called Filmfare
Best Film of 50 Years.
In 1976 he was cast by Yash Chopra in the romantic family drama Kabhie Kabhie. Bachchan
starred as a young poet named Amit Malhotra who falls deeply in love with a beautiful young
girl named Pooja (Raakhee) who ends up marrying someone else (Shashi Kapoor). The film
was notable for portraying Bachchan as a romantic hero, a far cry from his "angry young
man" roles like Zanjeer and Deewar. The film evoked a favourable response from critics and
audiences alike. Bachchan was again nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his
role in the film. That same year he played a double role in Adalat as father and son. In 1977,
he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Amar Akbar Anthony
where he played the third lead opposite Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Anthony
Gonsalves. The film was the highest grossing film of that year. His other successes that year
include Parvarish and Khoon Pasina.[24] He once again resumed double roles in films such as
Kasme Vaade (1978) as Amit and Shankar and Don (1978) playing the characters of Don, a
leader of an underworld gang and his look alike Vijay. His performance won him his second
Filmfare Best Actor Award. He also gave towering performances in Yash Chopra's Trishul
and Prakash Mehra's Muqaddar Ka Sikandar both of which earned him further Filmfare Best
Actor nominations.
In 1979, Bachchan starred in Suhaag which was the highest earning film of that year. In the
same year he also enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success with films like Mr.
Natwarlal, Kaala Patthar and The Great Gambler. Amitabh was required to use his singing
voice for the first time in a song from the film Mr. Natwarlal in which he starred with Rekha.
Bachchan's performance in the film saw him nominated for both the Filmfare Best Actor
Award and the Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer award. In 1979, he also received Best
Actor nomination for Kaala Patthar (1979) and then went on to be nominated again in 1980
for the Raj Khosla directed film Dostana, in which he starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and
Zeenat Aman. Dostana proved to be the top grossing film of 1980.[25] In 1981, he starred in
Yash Chopra's melodrama film Silsila, where he starred alongside his wife Jaya and Rekha.
Other films of this period like Shaan (1980), Shakti (1982) which pitted him against the
veteran actor Dilip Kumar were not successful at the box office but Ram Balram (1980),
Naseeb (1981) and Lawaaris (1981) were successful.[26]
In 1982 he played double roles in the films Satte Pe Satta, Desh Premee and Bemisal and
went a little further and played a triple role in Mahaan (1983).

1982 injury while filming Coolie

On 26 July 1982, while filming Coolie in the University Campus in Bangalore, Bachchan
suffered a near fatal intestinal injury during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet
Issar.[27] Bachchan was performing his own stunts in the film and one scene required him to
fall onto a table and then on the ground. However, as he jumped towards the table, the corner
of the table struck his abdomen, resulting in a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant
amount of blood. He required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in
hospital for many months, at times close to death. The public response included prayers in
temples and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him, while later, there were long queues of wellwishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating.[28]

Nevertheless, he resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation. The film
was released in 1983, and partly due to the huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film
was a box office success and the top grossing film that year.[29]
The director, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of 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. Also, in the released film
the footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears onscreen
marking this as the instant of the actor's injury and the ensuing publicity of the accident.[30]
Later, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. His illness made him feel weak both
mentally and physically and he decided to quit films and venture into politics. At this time he
became pessimistic, expressing concern with how a new film would be received and stated
before every release, "Yeh film to flop hogi!" ("This film will flop").[31]

Politics: 198487
In 1984, Bachchan took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of longtime family friend, Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad's seat of 8th Lok Sabha against H.
N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and won by one of the highest victory
margins in general election history (68.2% of the vote).[32] His political career, however, was
short-lived: he resigned after three years, calling politics a cesspool. The resignation followed
the implication of Bachchan and his brother in the "Bofors scandal" by a newspaper, which
he vowed to take to court. Bachchan was eventually found not guilty of involvement in the
ordeal.[33]
His old friend, Amar Singh, helped him during a financial crisis due to the failure of his
company ABCL. Therefore Bachchan started to support Amar Singh's political party, the
Samajwadi Party. Jaya Bachchan joined the Samajwadi party and became a Rajya Sabha
member.[34] Bachchan has continued to do favours for the Samajwadi party, including
advertisements and political campaigns. These activities have recently gotten him into trouble
in the Indian courts for false claims after a previous incident of submission of legal papers by
him, stating that he is a farmer.[35]
A 15-year press ban against Bachchan was imposed during his peak acting years by Stardust
and some of the other film magazines. In his defence, Bachchan claimed to have banned the
press from entering his sets until late 1989.[36]

Slump and retirement: 19881992

In 1988, Bachchan returned to films, playing the title role in Shahenshah, which was a box
office success.[37] After the success of his comeback film however, his star power began to
wane as all of his subsequent films like Jaadugar, Toofan and Main Azaad Hoon (all released
in 1989) failed at the box office. The 1991 hit film, Hum, for which he won his third Filmfare
Best Actor award, looked like it might reverse the trend, but this momentum was short-lived
and his string of box office failures continued. Notably, despite the lack of hits, it was during
this era that Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance
as a Mafia don in the 1990 film Agneepath. These years would see his last on-screen
appearances for some time. After the release of Khuda Gawah in 1992, Bachchan went into

semi-retirement for five years. With the exception of the delayed release of Insaniyat (1994),
which was also a box office failure, Bachchan did not appear in any new releases for five
years.[38]

Producer and acting comeback 199699

Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh
Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (ABCL) in 1996, with a vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees
(approx. U.S. $250 M) premier entertainment company by the year 2000.[citation needed] ABCL's
strategy was to introduce products and services covering an entire cross-section of India's
entertainment industry. ABCL's operations were mainstream commercial film production and
distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software,
and celebrity and event management.[citation needed] Soon after the company was launched in
1996, the first film it produced was Tere Mere Sapne, which did not fare well at the boxoffice
but launched the careers of actors like Arshad Warsi and South films star Simran.[citation needed]
ABCL produced a few other films, none of which did well.[citation needed]
In 1997, Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film Mrityudata,
produced by ABCL. Though Mrityudaata attempted to reprise Bachchan's earlier success as
an action hero, the film was a failure both financially and critically.[citation needed] ABCL was the
main sponsor of the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, Bangalore but lost millions. The fiasco
and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event,
coupled with the fact that ABCL was reported to have overpaid most of its top level
managers, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went
into administration and was later declared a failed company by Indian Industries board.[citation
needed]
The Bombay high court, in April 1999, restrained Bachchan from selling off his
Bombay bungalow 'Prateeksha' and 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.[39]
Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with Bade Miyan
Chote Miyan (1998),[38] and received positive reviews for Sooryavansham (1999)[40] but other
films such as Lal Baadshah (1999) and Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) were box office failures.

Return to prominence: 2000present

Bachchan at the IIFA Awards in 2006

Bachchan with Mohanlal

In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra's box-office hit, Mohabbatein, directed
by Aditya Chopra. He played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of Shahrukh
Khan. His role won him his third Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. Other hits followed,
with Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love
(2001), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) and Baghban (2003). As an actor, he continued
to perform in a range of characters, receiving critical praise for his performances in Aks
(2001), Aankhen (2002), Khakee (2004) and Dev (2004). One project that did particularly
well for Bachchan was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005). The film starred Bachchan as
an ageing teacher of a deaf-blind girl and followed their relationship. His performance was
unanimously praised by critics and audiences and won him his second National Film Award
for Best Actor and fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award. Taking advantage of this resurgence,
Amitabh began endorsing a variety of products and services, appearing in many television
and billboard advertisements. In 2005 and 2006, he starred with his son Abhishek in the hit
films Bunty Aur Babli (2005), the Godfather tribute Sarkar (2005), and Kabhi Alvida Naa
Kehna (2006). All of them were successful at the box office.[41][42] His later releases in 2006
and early 2007 were Baabul (2006),[43] Ekalavya and Nishabd (2007), which failed to do well
at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics.[44]
In May 2007, two of his films Cheeni Kum and the multi-starrer Shootout at Lokhandwala
were released. Shootout at Lokhandwala did well at the box office and was declared a semihit in India, while Cheeni Kum picked up after a slow start and only had average success.[45] A
remake of his biggest hit, Sholay (1975), entitled Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, released in
August of that same year and proved to be a major commercial failure in addition to its poor
critical reception.[45] The year also marked Bachchan's first appearance in an Englishlanguage film, Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto
International Film Festival on 9 September 2007. He received positive reviews from critics
who hailed his performance as his best ever since Black.[46] Bachchan was slated to play a
supporting role in his first international film, Shantaram, directed by Mira Nair and starring
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead. The film was due to begin filming in February
2008 but due to the writer's strike, was pushed to September 2008.[47] The film is currently
"shelved" indefinitely.[48] Vivek Sharma's Bhoothnath, in which he plays the title role as a
ghost, was released on 9 May 2008. Sarkar Raj, the sequel of the 2005 film Sarkar, released
in June 2008 and received a positive response at the box-office. Paa, which released at the
end of 2009 was a highly anticipated project as it saw him playing his own son Abhishek's
Progeria-affected 13-year-old son, and it opened to favourable reviews, particularly towards
Bachchan's performance. It won him his third National Film Award for Best Actor and fifth
Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2010, he debuted in Malayalam film through Kandahar,
directed by Major Ravi and co-starring Mohanlal.[49] The film was based on the hijacking
incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814.[50] Bachchan declined any remuneration for this

film.[51] In 2013 he made his Hollywood debut in The Great Gatsby playing the role of Meyer
Wolfsheim opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

Television career

Amitabh Bachchan at KBC-5 Press Meet.

In 2000, Bachchan hosted the first season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), the Indian
adaptation of the British television game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show
was well received.[52] A second season followed in 2005 but its run was cut short by STAR
Plus when Bachchan fell ill in 2006.[53]
In 2009, Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show Bigg Boss.[54]
In 2010, Bachchan hosted the fourth season of KBC.[55] The fifth season started on 15 August
2011 and ended on 17 November 2011. The show became a massive hit with audiences and
broke many TRP Records. CNN IBN awarded Indian of the Year- Entertainment to Team
KBC and Bachchan. The Show also grabbed all the major Awards for its category.[citation needed]
The sixth season was also hosted by Bachchan, commencing on 7 September 2012, broadcast
on Sony TV and received the highest number of viewers thus far.[56]
He will debut in the fictional TV series titled Yudh playing the lead role of businessman
battling personal and professional life.[57]
Bachchan is also the brand ambassador for Gujarat Tourism since 1 February 2010.

Voice

Bachchan speaking at a function in 2013

Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer,
and presenter for numerous programmes.[58][59][60] Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so
impressed with Bachchan's voice that he decided to use Bachchan as the narrator in his 1977
film Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players).[61] Bachchan lent his voice as a narrator to the
2001 movie Lagaan which was a super hit.[62] In 2005, Bachchan lent his voice to the Oscarwinning French documentary March of the Penguins, directed by Luc Jacquet.[63]
He also lent his voice to the following movies.

Balika Badhu (1975)

Tere Mere Sapne (1996)

Parineeta (2005)

Jodhaa Akbar (2008)

Swami (2007)[64]

Zor Lagaa Ke...Haiya! (2009)

Kahaani (2012)

Krrish 3 (2013)

Mahabharat (2013)

Awards, honours and recognitions

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Amitabh Bachchan
Apart from National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards and other competitive awards which
Bachchan won for his performances throughout the years, he has been awarded several
honours for his achievements in the Indian film industry. In 1991, he became the first artist to
receive the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established in the name of Raj
Kapoor. Bachchan was crowned as Superstar of the Millennium in 2000 at the Filmfare
Awards. The Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984,[65] the Padma

Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.[66] France's highest civilian honour, the
Knight of the Legion of Honour, was conferred upon him by the French Government in 2007
for his "exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond".[67] In 2011, actor Dilip Kumar
blogged that Black should have been nominated for an Oscar. Kumar added: "If any Indian
actor, in my personal opinion, deserves the world's most coveted award, it is you."[68]
In 1999, Bachchan was voted the "greatest star of stage or screen" in a BBC Your Millennium
online poll. The organisation noted that "Many people in the western world will not have
heard of [him] ...[but it] is a reflection of the huge popularity of Indian films."[69] In 2001, he
was honoured with the Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film
Festival in Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema.[70] Many other
honours for his achievements were conferred upon him at several International Film
Festivals, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Asian Film Awards.[71]
In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been modelled in wax at London's
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.[72] Another statue was installed in New York in 2009,[73]
Hong Kong in 2011,[74] Bangkok in 2011[75] and Washington, DC in 2012.[76]

Amitabh Bachchan with the Olympic flame in London on 27 July 2012

In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville.[77]
He was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Jhansi, India, in 2004,[78]
the University of Delhi in 2006,[79] the De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, in 2006,[80]
the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire, UK, in 2007,[81] the Queensland University
of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, in 2011[82] and the Jodhpur National University in 2013.
[83][84]

On 27 July 2012, Bachchan carried the Olympic torch during the last leg of its relay in
London's Southwark.[85]
Severals books have been written about Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan: the Legend was
published in 1999,[86] To be or not to be: Amitabh Bachchan in 2004,[87] AB: The Legend: (A
Photographer's Tribute) in 2006 [88]/, Amitabh Bachchan: Ek Jeevit Kimvadanti in 2006,[89]
Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar in 2006,[90] Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan
and Me in 2007[91] and Bachchanalia in 2009.[92] Bachchan himself also wrote a book in 2002:
Soul Curry for you and me An Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life.[93] In the
early 80s, Bachchan authorised the use of his likeness for the comic book character Supremo
in a series titled The Adventures of Amitabh Bachchan.[94] In May 2014, La Trobe University
in Australia named a Scholarship after Bachchan