Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan Biography

• Name : Amitabh Bachchan
• Birth Name : Amit Shrivastava
• Date of Birth : 11th October 1942
• Place of Birth : Allahabad, India
• Height : 6' 3
• Nationality  : Indian
• Profession : Actor
• Most Remembered For : Sholay, Deewar, Don
• Famous Pairing : Rekha

Trade Mark
His voice

Trivia

• Arguably India's greatest ever superstar.
• He launched a multi-faceted commercial enterprise known simply as Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited, or ABCL. ABCL is engaged in production, distribution and all other aspects of the movie industry.
• Had a very close association with the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi (also Prime Minister) and he was elected to parliament with a huge majority from his home town of Allahabad. But his stint in politics did not last long and he was implicated in the infamous Swedish Bofors Gun deal scandal along with Rajiv Gandhi, the U.K. based Hinduja brothers, and others.
• Was one of the judges for the 1995 Miss World beauty pageant.
• While filming Coolie (1983/I) he received a near fatal injury. He was hospitalised and the Indian press issued daily bulletins on his health.
• Was a former stage actor, radio announcer and freight company executive in Calcutta, India.
• Went to Sherwood College, a boarding school in the hill-station town of Nainital, and from there to Delhi University where he earned a double MA degree.
• When he was just trying to get a break in movies he was told to soften his 'deep' voice. However it was soon realised that his deep rich voice was excellent for narration. He has provided narrations for several films.
• Suffered from a rare muscular disorder known as myasthenia gravis.
• He hates the word Bollywood, the word that describes the Hindi film industry.
• Is teetotal
• On 31 October 2006, he shocked the unit of a forthcoming movie Shootout at Lokhandwala by recording 23 scenes in 5 hours. Achieving this feat was unheard of.
• His daughter, Shweta, is married to Nikhil Nanda, who is the grandson of Raj Kapoor. (Raj Kapoor's daughter, Ritu, took on the last name of Nanda when she married Rajan).
• His daughter, Shweta, was born on March 17th.
• His mom, Teji Bachchan, passed away in Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India on December 22, 2007, after a prolonged illness, at the age of 93.
• Has a mannequin of himself in Madam Tussaud's Museum in England. Along with Shahrukh Khan, Aishwariya Rai Bachchan and Salman Khan.
• Suffers from vitiligo.

Early Life

Amitabh is the elder of Harivansh Rai Bachchan's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and had been offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage. Bachchan's father passed away in 2003, and his mother on December 21, 2007. Bachchan has a double M.A. (Master of Arts) degree. He attended Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School (BHS), followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream. He later went on to study at Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Science degree. 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.

DID YOU KNOW?

Amitabh was once refused a job at Vividh Bharati because the selectors felt he did not have a good enough voice!

Why was the angry young man so successful? 

The personality of Amitabh apart, the situation of the 1970's with its political instability and increasing corruption, student unrest and high level of unemployment was enough to make many young men angry. Amitabh for them was just portraying some of their own anger and restlessness on the screen.

Award

Filmfare

• Best Actor: Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978), Hum (1991)
• Best Supporting Actor: Anand (1971), Namak Haram (1973)