Amitabh Bachchan (pronounced born Inquilaab Srivastava 11 October 1942 is an Indian film actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema uring the 1970s–1980s, he was the most dominant actor in the Indian movie scene; the French director François Truffaut called him a “one-man industry”. Bachchan was born in 1942 in Allahabad to the Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his wife, the social activist Teji Bachchan. He was educated at Sherwood College, Nainital, and Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. His film career started in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen‘s film Bhuvan Shome. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s for films such as Zanjeer, Deewaar and Sholay, and was dubbed India’s “angry young man” for his on-screen roles in Hindi films. Referred to as the Shahenshah of Bollywood (in reference to his 1988 film Shahenshah), Sadi ka Mahanayak (Hindi for, “Greatest actor of the century”), Star of the Millennium, or Big B,[7] he has since appeared in over 200 Indian films in a career spanning more than five decades,
and has won numerous accolades in his career, including four National Film Awards as Best Actor, Dadasaheb Phalke Award as lifetime achievement award and many awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies. He has won sixteen Filmfare Awards and is the most nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 42 nominations overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and television presenter. He has hosted several seasons of the game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, India’s version of the game show franchise, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. He also entered politics for a time 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. The Government of France honoured him with its highest civilian honour, Knight of the Legion of honour, in 2007 for his exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond. Bachchan also made an appearance in a Hollywood film, Baz Luhrmann‘s The Great Gatsby (2013), in which he played a non-Indian Jewish character, Meyer Wolfsheim.
Beyond the Indian subcontinent, he acquired a large overseas following of the South Asian diaspora, as well as others, in markets including Africa (South Africa, Eastern Africa and Mauritius), the Middle East (especially UAE and Egypt), the United Kingdom, Russia, the Caribbean (Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago), Oceania (Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand) and the United States
AMITABH BACHCHAN
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian superstar who has appeared in numerous Hindi movies. He is often regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. Amitabh Bachchan was born in Allahabad, to poet father Harivansh Rai Srivastava (Bachchan), a well-known Hindi poet and mother Teji Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan achieved stardom with films like Zanjeer (1973), Deewar (1975), Don and Trishul. He also earned the tag of Angry Young Man for his powerful performances. Bachchan saw a sluggish career progress through the 80\’s. However, he came back as a host to of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), the Indian adaptation of the British television game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Amitabh was \”voted the greatest star of stage or screen\” in a BBC Your Millennium online poll. BBC noted, \”Many people in the western world will not have heard of him….but is a reflection of the huge popularity of Indian films.\” In his second coming, he is enjoying a resurgence in popularity with films such as Pink, Paa, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Sarkaar etc
Early life
Further information: Bachchan family
Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942 in Allahabad to the Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and social activist Teji Bachchan.Harivansh Rai Bachchan was an Awadhi Hindu Kayastha,[11] who was fluent in Awadh Hindi and Urdu Harivansh’s ancestors came from a village called Babupatti, in the Raniganj tehsil, in the Pratapgarh district, in the present-day state of Uttar Pradesh, in India.Teji Bachchan was a Punjabi Sikh Khatri from Lyallpur, Punjab, British India (present-day Punjab, Pakistan).Bachchan has a younger brother, Ajitabh Bachchan was initially named Inquilaab (Hindustani for “Revolution”), inspired by the phrase Inquilab Zindabad (which translates into English as “Long live the revolution”) popularly used during the Indian independence struggle. However, at the suggestion of fellow poet Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai changed the boy’s name to Amitabh, which, according to a The Times of India article, means “the light that will never die” Although his surname was Shrivastava, Amitabh’s father, who opposed the caste system, had adopted the pen name Bachchan (“child-like” in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all of his works.[18] When his father was looking to get him admitted to a school, he and Bachchan’s mother decided the family’s name should be Bachchan instead of Shrivastava It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films and used for all other practical purposes, Bachchan has become the surname for all of his immediate family Bachchan’s father died in 2003, and his mother in 2007
Bachchan was educated at Boys’ High School & College, Allahabad; Sherwood College, Nainital; and Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi When Bachchan finished his studies his father approached Prithviraj Kapoor, the founder of Prithvi Theatre, to see if there was an opening for him, but Kapoor “offered no encouragement”Bachchan then applied for a role as a newsreader for All India Radio, but “failed the audition”He became a business executive for Bird & Company in Kolkata (Calcutta) and worked in the theatre before starting his film career.
Acting career
Early career (1969–1972)
Bachchan made his film debut in 1969, as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen‘s National Award-winning film Bhuvan Shome. 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 Anand (1971) followed, in which Bachchan starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. His role as a doctor with a cynical view of life garnered Bachchan his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He then played his first antagonist role as an infatuated lover-turned-murderer in Parwana (1971). Following Parwana 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 which was moderately successful.[31][32] Many of Bachchan’s films during this early period did not do well.[33] His only film with Mala Sinha, Sanjog (1972) was also a box office failure
Rise to stardom (1973–1974)
Bachchan was struggling, seen as a “failed newcomer” who, by the age of 30, had twelve flops and only two hits (as a lead in Bombay to Goa and supporting role in Anand). Bachchan was soon discovered by screenwriter duo Salim–Javed, consisting of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar Salim Khan wrote the story, screenplay and script of Zanjeer (1973), and conceived the “angry young man” persona of the lead role. Javed Akhtar came on board as co-writer,and Prakash Mehra, who saw the script as potentially groundbreaking, as the film’s director. However, they were struggling to find an actor for the lead “angry young man” role; it was turned down by a number of actors, owing to it going against the “romantic hero” image dominant in the industry at the time.[35] Salim-Javed soon discovered Bachchan and “saw his talent, which most makers didn’t. He was exceptional, a genius actor who was in films that weren’t good.”According to Salim Khan, they “strongly felt that Amitabh was the ideal casting for Zanjeer“.[35] Salim Khan introduced Bachchan to Prakash Mehra,and Salim-Javed insisted that Bachchan be cast for the role.Zanjeer was a crime film with violent action n sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it, and it established Amitabh in a new persona—the “angry young man” of Bollywood cinema.[38] He earned his first Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actor, with Filmfare later considering this one of the most iconic performances of Bollywood history.n sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it, and it established Amitabh in a new persona—the “angry young man” of Bollywood cinema.[38] He earned his first Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actor, with Filmfare later considering this one of the most iconic performances of Bollywood history.
It was the first of many collaborations between Salim-Javed and Amitabh Bachchan; Salim-Javed wrote many of their subsequent scripts with Bachchan in mind for the lead role, and insisted on him being cast for their later films, including blockbusters such as Deewaar (1975) and Sholay (1975) Salim Khan also introduced Bachchan to director Manmohan Desai with whom he formed a long and successful association, alongside Prakash Mehra and Yash Chopra Eventually, Bachchan became one of the most successful leading men of the film industry. Bachchan’s portrayal of the wronged hero fighting a crooked system and circumstances of deprivation in films like Zanjeer, Deeewar, Trishul, Kaala Patthar and Shakti resonated with the masses of the time, especially the youth who harboured a simmering discontent owing to social ills such as poverty, hunger, unemployment, corruption, social inequality and the brutal excesses of The Emergency. This led to Bachchan being dubbed as the “angry young man”, a journalistic catchphrase which became a metaphor for the dormant rage, frustration, restlessness, sense of rebellion and anti-establishment disposition of an entire generation, prevalent in 1970s India
Superstardom (1975–1988)
In 1975, he starred in a variety of film genres, from the comedy Chupke Chupke and the crime drama Faraar to the romantic drama Mili. This was also the year in which Bachchan starred in two films regarded as important in Hindi cinema history, both written by Salim-Javed, who again insisted on casting Bachchan. The first was Deewaar, directed by Yash Chopra, where he worked with Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, Parveen Babi, and Neetu Singh, and earned another Filmfare nomination for Best Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number four ndiatimes Movies ranks Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films Best Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number four
Career fluctuations and sabbatical (1988–1992)
After a three-year stint in politics from 1984 to 1987, Bachchan returned to films in 1988, playing the title role in Shahenshah, which was a box office success.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. He gained success during this period with the crime drama Aaj Ka Arjun (1990) and action crime drama Hum (1991), for which he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, 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 cult film Agneepath. These years would see his last on-screen appearances for some time. After the release of the critically acclaimed epic 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.
Business ventures and acting comeback (1996–1999)
Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (ABCL) in 1996. 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 Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film it produced was Tere Mere Sapne, which was a moderate success and launched the careers of actors like Arshad Warsi and southern film star Simran 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 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 the Indian Industries board. 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.
Return to prominence (2000–present)
In 2000, Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra’s box-office hit, Mohabbatein, directed by Aditya Chopra. He played a stern, elder figure who rivalled the character of Shahrukh Khan. His role won him his third Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. 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), Kaante (2002), Khakee (2004) and Dev (2004). His performance in Aks won him his first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.
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, his fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award and his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. 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 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.[79][80] His later releases in 2006 and early 2007 were Baabul (2006),[81] Ekalavya and Nishabd (2007), which failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics
In May 2007, two of his films: the romantic comedy Cheeni Kum and the multi-starrer action drama Shootout at Lokhandwala were released. Shootout at Lokhandwala did well at the box office and was declared a hit in India, while Cheeni Kum picked up after a slow start and was a success. 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 The year also marked Bachchan’s first appearance in an English-language film, Rituparno Ghosh‘s The Last Lear, co-starring Arjun Rampal and Preity Zinta. 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.[87] 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.The film is currently “shelved” indefinitely 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 and was one of the top-grossing films
