'Amitabh Bachchan' (born
October 11,
1942) (;
Devanagari: अमिताभ बच्चन) is a
Bollywood actor, and one of the most prominent figures in the
Indian film industry. He is the biggest star to have come out of Indian cinema,
[1] and was voted the Star of Millennium in the century ending BBC 1999 millennium survey.
[2] Best known as an actor, he has also worked as a film producer and a
television presenter, and was an elected member of the
Indian Parliament from 1984 to 1987. Bachchan is married to actress
Jaya Bachchan, is the father of
Shweta Nanda & actor
Abhishek Bachchan, and father-in-law of actress
Aishwarya Rai.
Biography
Early life
Amitabh Bachchan was born in the city of
Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) in a Hindu Kayastha family. His father Dr.
Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a well-known
Hindi poet. Amitabh's mother is a
Sikh from Karachi-Pakistan.
[3] and a direct descendent of
Guru Nanak Dev ji. His mother is actually the grandaughter of Sir Khem Singh Bedi. Khem Singh Bedi was 14th descendant from Lakshmi Das, Guru Nanak's second son and very much spiritual successor to the Bedi clan in the 19th century. Khem Singh's grandfather was Sahib Singh Bedi who 'annointed'
Ranjit Singh as Maharajah of Lahore and also had previously arranged the marriage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's father. Amitabh was initially named as Inquilab inspired from the phrase
Inquilab Zindabad during the Indian independence struggle. He was re-christened Amitabh which means the light that would never go off.
Though his last-name was Srivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Bachchan, under which was published all his work. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films, and, for all public purposes, it has become the surname of all members of the current family.
Bachchan has a double M.A. (Master of Arts) degree. He attended
Allahabad's jnana prabodhini, followed by
Nainital's
Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream. He later went on to study at
Kirori Mal College in
Delhi University earning a degree in science. In his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in
Calcutta, to pursue a career in acting.
He married actress
Jaya Bhaduri on June 03, 1973 according to
Bengali rites. The couple have two children: daughter
Shweta and son
Abhishek.
Early career: 1969-1972
Amitabh Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as one of the seven protagonists in ''
Saat Hindustani''. The movie was not a financial success, but Bachchan won his first
National Film Award for ''Best Newcomer''.
[4]
The critically acclaimed and commercially successful ''
Anand'' (1970) followed, where he starred alongside
Rajesh Khanna who was the star at the time. Bachchan held his own despite playing a supporting role, and won a
Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his intense performance.
''Anand'' was followed by many unsuccessful films such as ''
Reshma Aur Shera'' (1971) and ''
Parwaana'' (1971). In 1972 he had a hit with the multi-starrer road comedy ''
Bombay to Goa''. Then came 1973, and the start of the road towards the iconic status he would eventually come to hold for millions worldwide.
Stardom: 1973-1983
Bachchan's first major box office success came when director
Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for his film, ''
Zanjeer''. The movie was a sharp contrast to the romantic-themed ones that had generally preceded it, and established Amitabh in a new persona – the "angry young man" action hero of Bollywood. The next decade catapulted him to the pinnacle of Bollywood superstardom. He churned out at least one major hit every year, including ''
Deewaar'' (1975), ''
Sholay'' (1975) , ''
Trishul'' (1978), ''
Muqaddar Ka Sikander'' (1978), ''
Don'' (1978), ''
Kasme Vaade'' (1978), ''
Kaala Patthar'' (1979), ''
Mr. Natwarlal'' (1979), ''
Ram Balram'' (1980), ''
Shaan'' (1980), ''
Lawaaris'' (1981), and ''
Shakti'' (1982)
[5]
Although the above-mentioned films cemented his status as Bollywood's pre-eminent action hero, Amitabh displayed a flair for more than just action roles. His remarkable comic timing was on display in such hits as ''
Chupke Chupke'' (1975), ''
Amar Akbar Anthony'' (1977) and ''
Namak Halaal'' (1982). He was also successful as a romantic lead, with particularly notable performances in ''
Kabhie Kabhie'' (1976) and ''
Silsila'' (1981). In 1982 he was critically injured while filming ''
Coolie''. He spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year. The film was released in 1983 and due to the huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film was a box office success..
[6]
Political career: 1984-1987
In 1984, Amitabh took a break from acting and 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 his MP candidacy by the highest victory margin ever for a parliamentary candidate in Indian history (68.2% of the vote).
[ Amitabh Bachchan: Stint in Politics ] His political career, however, was short-lived: He resigned after three years, leaving his term incomplete. The resignation followed Bachchan's implication in the '
Bofors scandal' by a newspaper, which he vowed to take to court.
[7] Bachchan was eventually found not to be guilty of involvement in the ordeal. After that he detached himself from the Gandhi family. 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
Samajwadi Party and became a
Rajya Sabha Member.
[8]
Career slump: 1988-1999
In 1988, Bachchan returned to films with ''
Shahenshah'', which was a box office success due to the hype of Bachchan's comeback.
[9] After the success of his comeback film however, his star power began to wane as all of his subsequent films failed at the box office. The 1991 hit film ''
Hum'' looked like it might reverse this trend, but the momentum was short-lived as his string of box office failures continued. Notably, despite the lack of hits, it was during this period that Bachchan won his second
National Film Award, for his memorable performance as a Mafia don in the 1990 film ''
Agneepath''. These years would be the last he would be seen on screen for some time. After the release of ''
Khuda Gawah'' in 1992, Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years. In 1994 one of his delayed films ''
Insaniyat'' was released but was also a box office failure.
[10]
Bachchan setup Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (A.B.C.L.) in 1996 during his temporary retirement period with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) India's premier entertainment company by the year 2000. ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering the entire gamut of the India's entertainment industry. It's operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, celebrity and event management.
Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film produced by the company was ''
Tere Mere Sapne'' which failed to do well at the box office. ABCL produced a few other films none of which did well.
In 1997, Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film ''
Mrityudaata'', produced by ABCL. Though ''Mrityudaata'' attempted to reprise Bachchan's earlier success as an action hero, like most of ABCL ventures, the film was a failure both financially and critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the ''
The 1996 Miss World beauty pageant'',
Bangalore and lost millions due to the poor management of the event. The fiasco and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went into administration and was later on declared as a failed company by 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 Sahara India Finance for raising funds for his company.
[11]
Bachchan later attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with ''
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' (1998)
[12] and received positive reviews for ''
Sooryavansham'' (1999)
[13] but most, however, then believed that Bachchan's glory days were over as all his other films such as ''
Lal Baadshah'' (1999) and ''
Hindustan Ki Kasam'' (1999) were box office failures.
The 15-year press ban
Very few are aware the ban on Bachchan – a ban that shook the film industry by its roots.
Stardust and all the film magazines got together to form an association and banned Bachchan for 15 years during his peak. They decided not to print anything about Bachchan, in any of their publications. In response, Bachchan said that he had banned the press from entering his sets almost till the end of 1989. However, he had nothing personal against any particular magazine.
[14]
Television career
In the year 2000, Bachchan stepped up to host India's adaptation of the British television game-show, ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' entitled, ''
Kaun Banega Crorepati'' (KBC).
As it did in most other countries where it was adopted, the program found immediate and profound success, in no small part due to Bachchan's charisma. It is believed that Bachchan charged a whopping Rs 25 lakhs (2.5 million Indian Rupees, approximately US$60,000 ) per weekly episode which strengthened Bachchan and his family both financially and morally after the setbacks that he had to cope after ABCL's collapse. The
Canara Bank also withdrew its law suit against Bachchan in November 2000. Bachchan hosted KBC till November 2005, and its success set the stage for his return to film popularity.
Comeback: 2000-present
In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in
Yash Chopra's box-office super hit, ''
Mohabbatein'' directed by
Aditya Chopra, in which he played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of India's current heartthrob,
Shah Rukh Khan. Audiences appreciated Bachchan's work, as he played a character whose age approximately mirrored his own. Other hits followed, with Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in '' (2001), ''
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'' (2001) and ''
Baghban'' (2003). As an actor, he continued to exploit a range of characters suiting with his profile, receiving critical acclaim for his performances in ''
Aks'' (2001), ''
Aankhen'' (2002), ''
Khakee'' (2004), ''
Dev'' (2004) and ''
Black'' (2005). Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh started 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 Na Kehna'' (2006). All of them have been very successful at the box office.
[15] His later releases in 2006 and early 2007: ''
Baabul'' (2006),
[16] His later releases in 2006 and early 2007: ''
Baabul'' (2006),
[17] ''
Eklavya'' and ''
Nishabd'' (2007) failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them have been appreciated by critics.
[18]
He also made a guest-appearance as himself in the Kannada movie ''Amruthadaare'' directed by
Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar.
Most recently on May 25, 2007 two of his films ''
Cheeni Kum'' and the multi-starrer ''
Shootout at Lokhandwala'' were released. ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' did very well at the box office and was declared a hit in India
[19] and ''Cheeni Kum'' has picked up after a slow start and has been declared an overall average hit.
[20] He then made a special appearance in ''
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'' which released in June where he appeared in the title song and was also the narrator for the film.
On 31 August 2007, a remake of his biggest hit ''
Sholay'' (1975) was released as ''
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'' in which he played the role of the villain Babban who was famously known as Gabbar Singh in the original and was played by the late actor
Amjad Khan. The film bombed at the box office.
His forthcoming releases include a supporting role in his first international English language film titled ''
Shantaram'' which is directed by
Mira Nair and stars
Hollywood actor
Johnny Depp in the lead.
[21] He is also appearing in another English-language film titled ''
The Last Lear''. On the sets of " The Last Lear" Bachchan turned dialogue writer and penned down some on-the-spot Hindi dialogues.
[22]
Health
1982 injury during filming
While filming ''
Coolie'' in 1982, Bachchan was seriously injured during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor
Puneet Issar.
[23] 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. The whole world was praying for him. After recovering, Bachchan resumed shooting for ''
Coolie'', and it finally released as a huge success owing to its pre-release publicity.
[6]
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. 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.
[25]
2005 Hospitalisation
In November 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's
ICU once more, to undergo surgery for
diverticulitis of the
small intestine.
[26] This occurred after Bachchan complained of pains in his abdomen some days prior. During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including the television show he was in the process of hosting, ''
Kaun Banega Crorepati''.
India also appeared to come to a standstill, with celebrity after celebrity visiting him to offer well-wishes and prayers. News of the incident saturated coverage across Newspapers and TV news channels. Amitabh returned to work in March 2006
[27]
Voice
Bachchan has lent his voice to several films and documentaries. One of the greatest film directors of the twentieth century
Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan that he decided to use his voice as commentary in ''
Shatranj Ke Khiladi'' since he did not find any suitable role for him.
[28]
But before entering the film industry, Bachchan applied for a job with
All India Radio for the post of a news announcer. It is ironic that though he is now known for his powerful, baritone voice, he was inexplicably turned down.
[29]
Controversies and Criticism
Barabanki Land Scam
In the runup to the
Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, 2007,
Amitabh Bachchan made a film extolling the virtues of the
Mulayam Singh government. His
Samajwadi Party was routed, and
Mayawati came to power. One of her first actions was to launch investigations against Amitabh Bachchan.
On June 2, 2007, a
Faizabad court ruled that he had been
illegally granted agricultural land designated for landless
Dalit farmers.
Land row: Setback for Bachchan He may also be investigated on related charges of forgery.
[30] If he does not qualify as the owner of agricultural land elsewhere, he may also lose a 20 acre farmhouse property he had purchased at Maval near
Pune.
On July 19, 2007, Bachchan has surrendered the land acquired in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh and Pune. He wrote to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to donate away the lands acquired by him and his son Abhishek.[31] In Barabanki and Pune. However, the Lucknow Court has put a stay on the land donation and said that the status quo on the land be maintained.[32]
Tax evasion
After journalist Nirmal Thakur filed a Public Interest Litigation in April, the Bombay High Court on June 21, 2007 issued a notice to him to represent himself to the court on 19 July.[33] The PIL says that Bachchan violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act. (1999) to evade taxes.
Bombay HC issues notice to Amitabh Bachchan for tax evasion
Amitabh Bachchan has criticised the list of India's top tax payers, saying that he should be #1 on the list and not Shah Rukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan.[34]
Awards, honours and recognitions
Main articles: List of Amitabh Bachchan's awards, honours and recognitions
Filmography
Actor
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|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
!Title (Year)
!Role
{{ActingFilmography-movie |
Title = Veer-Zaara |
Year = 2004 |
Role = Chaudhary Sumer Singh {Special appearance]
}}
{{ActingFilmography-movie |
Title = Ramji Londonwaley |
Year = 2005 |
Role = Amitabh Bachchan as himself {Special appearance}
}}
{{ActingFilmography-movie |
Title = Paheli |
Year = 2005 |
Role = The Shepherd {Special appearance}
}}
{{ActingFilmography-movie |
Title = Shootout at Lokhandwala |
Year = 2007 |
Role = Dhingra {Special appearance}
}}
{{ActingFilmography-movie |
Title = Jhoom Barabar Jhoom |
Year = 2007 |
Role = {Special appearance}
}}
Producer
★ ''Tere Mere Sapne'' (1996)
★ ''Mrityudaata'' (1997)
★ ''Major Saab'' (1997)
★ ''Aks'' (2001)
★ ''Viruddh... Family Comes First'' (2005)
★ '' (2006)
Playback Singer
★ ''Mr. Natwarlal'' (1979)
★ ''Lawaaris'' (1981)
★ ''Naseeb'' (1981)
★ ''Silsila'' (1981)
★ ''Mahaan'' (1983)
★ ''Pukar'' (1983)
★ ''Toofan'' (1989)
★ ''Jaadugar'' (1989)
★ ''Khuda Gawah'' (1992)
★ ''Aks'' (2001)
★ ''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham'' ... (2001)
★ ''Aankhen'' (2002)
★ ''Armaan'' (2003)
★ ''Baghban'' (2003)
★ ''Dev'' (2004)
★ ''Aetbaar'' (2004)
★ ''Baabul'' (2006)
★ ''Nishabd'' (2007)
★ ''Cheeni Kum'' (2007)
Television
★ ''Kaun Banega Crorepati'' (2000-2005) .... Host
★ ''Koffee with Karan'' (2005) ..... Guest
★ ''Rendezvous with Simi Grewal'' (2006) .... Guest
★ ''Titan Antakshari (2007) .... Guest
References
1. www.ibosnetwork.com/asp/topactors.asp?isactress=false
2. news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/events/millennium/jun/winner.stm
3. www.sugandh.com/seema/amitabhji/stardust.html
4. movies.indiatimes.com
5. boxofficeindia.com
6. boxofficeindia.com
7. Interview with Amitabh Bachchan
8. hindu.com Bachchan has no plans for election
9. www.boxofficeindia.com/topactors.htm
10. www.boxofficeindia.com/1994.htm
11. www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010304/spectrum/main1.htm
12. www.boxofficeindia.com/1998.htm
13. in.rediff.com/movies/1999/may/22soo.htm
14. indiafm.com The 15 year press ban
15. boxofficeindia.com
16. www.boxofficeindia.com/2005.htm
17. Films fail at the BO
18. indiafm.com
19. www.boxofficeindia.com
20. www.boxofficeindia.com]
21. ourbollywood.com
22. bollywoodgate.com
23. rediff.com
24. boxofficeindia.com
25. imdb.com
26. www.despardes.com/India/ent/dec05/3.html
27. Amitabh Bachchan returns to work
28. hindustantimes.in Amitabh voice for Shatranj Ke Khiladi
29. geocities.com Turned down
30.
Amitabh's land records look forged
31. radiosargam.com
32. andhranews.net The court stays the donation
33. dnaindia.com At the court
34. contactmusic.com Amitabh criticizes
External links
★
★ Amitabh Bachchan Hits - Complete list of mp3 songs from the movies of Amitabh Bachchan.
★ GoAmitabh.com - Biography, Filmography, Awards, Latest News about Amitabh Bachchan
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