Note: Bellow information is not my own written content. All the information collected from the sources only to make the reader get up-close with our Bollywood celebrities.
Amitabh Bachchan (Big B)
Actor, Producer, Host & Singer
Born on 11th October, 1942
The multi-talented, the superstar, the actor of the millennium, Amitabh Bachchan ruled the early 70's and 80's. With his deep baritone voice and overall persona, he infused life in the dialogues he spoke on screen. Movies such as 'Zanjeer' and 'Deewar' gave Bollywood's first Angry Young Man in the form of Big B, whereas, movies such as 'Anand', 'Abhimaan' and 'Namak Haram' showed his acting skills on the silver screen. Thus, in no time, Amitabh Bachchan showed his versatility as an actor.
Later, he starred in one of the Bollywood's iconic and cult movies of all time, 'Sholay' which even in today's time is worth watching for its cinematic experience and acting of all stars. Movies such as 'Kabhie Kabhie', 'Amar Akbar Anthony', 'Dostana', 'Shaan', 'Silsila', 'Coolie', 'Shahenshah', 'Agneepath' and 'Hum', established Amitabh into a league of his own. His dominance was so infectious in the 70's and 80's that the French director Francois Truffaut called him a 'One-Man industry'.
Over more than four decades in the industry, Amitabh Bachchan has done close to 200 movies and has earned recognition worldwide. He has won the National Film Award four times and fifteen Filmfare awards. This shows the class and the stature of the man. Moreover, the Government of India has conferred upon him with Padma Shri in 1984, Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in 2015 for his stellar contribution to film and arts. Even the government of France has honoured him with its highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour in 2007 for his extraordinary career in cinema.
Amitabh Bachchan also had a short stint in politics in the 1980's but later stayed miles away from it. He chose to retire from movies due to injuries and decided to work as a producer. However, his stint as a producer was short lived and later, he made a strong comeback as an actor in the year 2000. During the same time, he hosted a television game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' and came into limelight once again. He became the first Indian celebrity to have his wax statue at the famous wax museum, Madame Tussauds. The icon's wax figure will soon be refurbished and tweaked. He is the first Indian celebrity to have his wax statue in New York in the year 2009, Hong Kong and Bangkok in the year2011 and Washington DC in the year 2012. Most of his recent performances are critically acclaimed and a parallel has been drawn referring to him as God of the industry.
Personal Details
Full Name: Inquilaab Srivastava (Later changed it to Amitabh Bachchan)
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 75 Kilograms
Body Measurements: Chest - 40 Inches, Waist - 32 Inches
Parents: Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Teji Bachchan
Siblings:Brother - Ajitabh Bachchan
Spouse: Jaya Bhaduri
Children: Abhishek Bachchan, Shweta Nanda
Early Life
Amitabh Bachchan was initially called as Inquilaab with family surname as Srivastava. His father, Harivansh Rai thought of keeping his name Inquilaab, as he was inspired by the phrase Inquilaab Zindabad. However, at the suggestion of his friend and poet Sumitranandan Pant, he changed his son’s name to Amitabh, meaning that light will never die. Their actual surname was Srivastava, but Harivansh Rai used his pen name Bachchan as his surname.
Amitabh did his schooling from Jnana Pramodhini from Allahabad and Sherwood College in Nainital. He later moved to Delhi to purse degree in science from Delhi University. He started working in Shaw Wallace and then switched to a shipping firm called Bird & Co as a freight broker. However, fate had something else written for him. His mother Teji had always felt that her son is made to take centre stage and this prompted him to take up acting.
Filmography & Acting Career
1969 - 1972: Debut & A Good Start
Amitabh Bachchan made his debut in films as a voice narrator in the movie 'Bhuvan Shome' in the year 1969. He made his acting debut in the movie 'Saat Hindustani' along with other top actors of that time. A couple of years later, he was seen in the movie 'Anand' which gave him his first Filmfare award. His role in the movie put him in limelight. He continued with his brilliant acting in the movie 'Parwaana' where he played a role of an infatuated lover turned murderer with much aplomb. There were many good movies in which he acted during this period, notably, 'Bombay to Goa'. After enjoying the taste of initial success, some of his movies did not work well but that was just a temporary phase in his career.
1973 - 1983: Towards Stardom
In this decade, Amitabh Bachchan's career graph rose like a phoenix and he gained huge fan following. In 1973, 'Zanjeer' gave us an Angry Young Man in form of Amitabh Bachchan where he gave one of his most amazing performances ever. The movie was a welcome breather from the number of flops Amitabh had in past few years. He continued giving one hit after the other. Movies such as 'Abhimaan' and 'Namak Haram' were not only successful at the box office but also gave Amitabh to experiment with his acting.
The year 1974 pushed Amitabh one step higher on his acting graph. He starred in many movies playing small yet pivotal roles. Subsequently, he was seen in the movie 'Roti Kapda Aur Makaan' which went on to become the top grossing movie in that year. In the same year, he was seen playing a leading role in the movie 'Majboor' which was successful at the box office.
In the year 1975, Amitabh Bachchan rose to prominence with superhit movies 'Deewar' and 'Sholay'. Both of these movies were a grand success at the box office and 'Sholay' went on to become the highest grossing movie of the year. In the same year, he was also seen playing different roles, a comic one in the movie 'Chupke Chupke' and a romantic hero in the movie 'Mili'. This is the year when Amitabh started experimenting with the choice of roles and movies.
From 1976 to 1978, Amitabh was seen in roles which many actors would die for. His performances in them made it extra special. Movies such as 'Kabhie Kabhie' and 'Amar Akbar Anthony' were box office hits and his performance was critically acclaimed. Then came 'Don' and 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' in which he gave towering performances that were appreciated by one and all.
From 1979 to 1983, Amitabh grew further as an actor and movies such as 'Suhaag', 'Mr. Natwarlal', 'Kaala Patthar', 'Dostana', 'Silsila', 'Shaan', 'Satte Pe Satte' and 'Coolie' helped his cause. In each of these movies, he was seen in different roles, either as a solo lead actor or along with other co-stars. While filming for the movie 'Coolie', he met with a life threatening accident. His fans were seen offering prayers for his well being and at one point of time there was a huge queue of well wishers outside the hospital where he was admitted. Such was his star power and aura and something that is intact even today. Later, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis which made him physically and mentally weak. As a result, he decided to quit films and join politics.
1988 - 1992: Back from Sabbatical and Retirement
After a short stint in politics, Amitabh Bachchan was back froma sabbatical in good health. He was back with the movie 'Shahenshah' which proved to be a huge success. However, after this movie, most of his other movies were flopped and his star power began to fade. He somehow redeemed his declining career with the superhit 'Hum' which won him many laurels and awards. Again after a few more flops, he gave a stellar performance in the movie 'Agneepath' which earned him a National Award. With most of his movies not faring well at the box office, he went into semi retirement.
Amitabh Bachchan again tried making a comeback to movies in the year 1997 with 'Mrityudata' which failed at the box office. He persisted with movies like 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' and 'Sooryavansham' which were moderately successful.
2000 - Present: Return to Stardom
Amitabh Bachchan's career had seen lots of ups and downs. Despite all odds, he did not give up. His first movie in the year 2000 was 'Mohabbatein' where he was seen as a strict principal. He was then cast in roles that suited his age such as that of a father, grandfather and so on. In the year 2001, came one of the biggest hits 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...' and later 'Baghban' in the year 2003. In both movies, his performances were loveable especially in the latter where he managed to evoke plenty of emotions and pain. The string of good performances continued with movies like 'Aks', 'Aankhen', 'Khakhee' and 'Dev'.
He was then seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie 'Black' which went on to become a hit and his performance earned him lots of appreciation and awards. Later, he was seen with his son in the movie 'Bunty Aur Babli' which was a hit. His performance in the movie 'Sarkar' is considered as one of his best performances. However, with many hits, there were few flops as well, but that did not matter to him and to his producers.
In the year 2007, he was seen in the movie 'Cheeni Kum' where he charmed us with his impeccable style and screen presence. The movie turned out to be a slow success. He also made his first appearance in an English language movie 'The Last Lear' where his performance received positive critical appreciation. A few years later, he was seen in the movie 'Paa' where he had one of the most difficult roles to play and he did it with ease. In 2010, he made his debut in Malayalam film industry with the movie 'Kandahar' where he worked without remuneration. In the year 2013, he made his Hollywood debut with the movie 'The Great Gatsby'. In the year 2015, he was seen in the movie 'Piku' where he played with ease the role of a grumpy father suffering from constipation. Recently, he was seen in a thriller 'Te3n' which achieved moderate success at the box office.
Apart from his acting career, he made his small screen debut in the year 2001 with the television game show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati and debuted in a fictional serial titled 'Yudh' in the year 2014.
Upcoming movies: Pink
Biggest Hit Movies:
Silsila
Zanjeer
Sholay
Deewar
Amar Akbar Anthony
Shahenshah
MuqaddarKaSikandar
Sharaabi
Lawaaris
Coolie
Agneepath Abhimaan
SattePeSatta
Hum
Don
Baghban
Cheeni Kum
Sarkar
Paa
Piku
Hit Songs:
My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves from the movie 'Amar Akbar Anthony'
O Saathi Re from the movie 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'
Khaike Pan Banaras Wala from the movie 'Don'
Thodisi Jo Pee Lee Hai from the movie 'Namak Halaal'
Aaj Rapat Jaayen To from the movie 'Namak Halaal'
Rang Barse from the movie 'Silsila'
Mere Angne Mein from the movie 'Lawaaris'
Jahan Teri Ye Nazar Hai from the movie 'Kaalia'.
Main Yahan Tu Wahan from the movie 'Baghban'
Cheeni Kum from the movie 'Cheeni Kum'
Awards
Amitabh Bachchan has won plenty of awards, honours and recognition for his work in films. His illustrious career and the stellar performances in a wide range of roles has earned him numerous awards. Some of the most prestigious awards which he has received so far in his career are:
Filmfare Awards
Best Supporting Actor for the movie 'Anand' in the year 1971
Best Supporting Actor for the movie 'Namak Haraam' in the year 1973
Best Actor for the movie 'Amar Akbar Anthony' in the year 1977
Best Actor for the movie 'Don' in the year 1978
Lifetime Achievement Award in the year 1990 Best Actor for the movie 'Hum' in the year 1991
Superstar of the Millennium in the year 2000
Best Supporting Actor for the movie 'Mohabbatein' in the year 2000
Critics Award for Best Actor for the movie 'Aks' in the year 2001
Power Award in the year 2003
Critics Award for Best Actor for the movie 'Black' in the year 2005
Best Actor for the movie 'Black' in the year 2005
Best Actor for the movie 'Paa' in the year 2010
Special Award for completing 40 years in the Indian Film Industry in the year 2011
Critics Award for Best Actor for the movie 'Piku' in the year 2016
Amitabh Bachchan has also won four National Awards:
Best Actor for the movie 'Agneepath' in the year 1990
Best Actor for the movie 'Black' in the year 2005
Best Actor for the movie 'Paa' in the year 2009
Best Actor for the movie 'Piku' in the year 2015
Controversies
Amitabh Bachchan has tried to stay clear from controversies but somehow his name has cropped up in few controversies. They are:
Panama papers controversy where his name along with his daughter-in-law's name found place, accusing the two of stashing away money in safe havens.
The love story between Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha which was the talk of the town in the 80's, went sour immediately after the release of the movie ‘Silsila’.
Amitabh had a long history with the Congress party, from being friends to foes with the Gandhi family.
Being dragged into a controversy when a Delhi based lawyer lodged a complaint for exceeding the limit of 52 seconds for singing the National Anthem on the eve of India Pakistan World Cup T20 match.
During the World T20 match against Bangladesh, Amitabh took to Twitter after Indian’s win, questioning the way Indian commentators gave commentary and urged them to concentrate more on Indian players. While he did get backing of the captain Dhoni, ace commentator Harsha Bhogle took to Facebook to explain his stand.
Other Information
Owns:
AB Corp – Production Company (Previously as Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited – ABCL)
Brand Ambassador / Endorser: In the last decade or so, Amitabh Bachchan has been ruling the endorsement world with many brands under him. Being an icon and someone who displays faith, stability and go-getter attitude, brands which synchronize with his image have approached him to be their ambassador. Some of the brands which Amitabh Bachchan has endorsed or is currently endorsing are:
Boroplus
Cycle Agarbatti
Dabur
Dairy Milk
Eveready
Hajmola
ICICI Bank & ICICI Prudential
Just Dial
Kalyan Jewelers
Maggi
Maruti Versa
Mirinda
Navratna Hair Oil
Nerolac Paints
Parker Pens
Pepsi
Reid & Taylor
Tanishq
TVS Jupiter
Zen Mobiles
Amitabh Bachchan is the goodwill ambassador for Polio UNICEF campaign since 2005. After almost a decade, India was Polio free and Amitabh Bachchan was honoured for his contribution to this noble cause.
Amitabh Bachchan is also the Brand Ambassador for Gujarat Tourism from 2011 where he promotes the state of Gujarat from tourism perspective and for Maharashtra's Save Tiger Project. He was the face of 'Save our Tiger' campaign as well.
Contribution in social causes: Since Amitabh Bachchan's resurrection, he has been actively supporting and participating in social work. Some social causes that he has taken up for society and mankind in general are:
Donating 11 lakhs to clear debts of Andhra Pradesh farmers and 30 lakhs for Vidharbha farmers.
He along with his family members donated 25 lakhs to charitable trust Plan India which is working for the upliftment and betterment of girl child in India.
Donating 11 lakhs to Maharashtra Police Welfare Fund.
Supporting PETA India to free a chained elephant at one of the temples in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
TV Shows:
Kaun Banega Crorepati season 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 as a host
Bigg Boss season 3 as a host
Television serial Yudh as an actor
Official Social Accounts:
Twitter - @SrBachchan
Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/AmitabhBachchan/
Instagram - @amitabhbachchan
Website: -
http://srbachchan.tumblr.com/
Picture and content sources:mobango.com