Amitabh Bachchan (pronounced [?m??t???b? ?b?t???n]; born Amitabh Srivastava;[1] 11 October 1942[4]) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.[5] During 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".[6]
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,[8] 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), Canada and the United States.[9]
Main article: Amitabh Bachchan filmography
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Amitabh Bachchan
Bachchan with the Olympic flame in London on 27 July 2012
Apart from industry awards won for his performances throughout the years, Bachchan has received 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.
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."[173] 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.[174] 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.[175]
In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been modelled in wax at London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.[176] Another statue was installed in New York in 2009,[177] Hong Kong in 2011,[178] Bangkok in 2011,[179] Washington, DC in 2012,[180] and Delhi, in 2017.[181]
In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville.[182] The Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. The then-President of Afghanistan awarded him the Order of Afghanistan in 1991 following the shooting of Khuda Gawah there.[183] The Government of Madhya Pradesh honoured him with Rashtriya Kishore Kumar Samman for 2002–2003.[184][185] 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".[186] On 27 July 2012, Bachchan carried the Olympic torch during the last leg of its relay in London's Southwark.[187]
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.[188] In May 2014, La Trobe University in Australia named a Scholarship after Bachchan.[189]
He was named "Hottest Vegetarian male" by PETA India in 2012.[190] He also won the title of "Asia's Sexiest Vegetarian male" in a contest poll run by PETA Asia in 2008.[191]
In Allahabad, the Amitabh Bachchan Sports Complex and Amitabh Bachchan Road are named after him.[192][193] A government senior secondary school in Saifai, Etawah is called Amitabh Bachchan Government Inter College.[194][195][196] There is a waterfall in Sikkim known as Amitabh Bachchan Falls.[197]
Bachchan himself wrote a book in 2002: Soul Curry for You and Me – An Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life.[198]
Several books have been written about Bachchan. The following is the listing of books focused on his life career:
: