Amitabh Bachchan: Life, Films and Legacy

Amitabh Bachchan (born Amitabh Srivastava on 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, playback singer, producer and television presenter who works mainly in Hindi cinema. He is widely considered one of the greatest and most commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema and has starred in more than 200 films.^[1] Known as the "Angry Young Man" of the 1970s and as Big B, he dominated the industry so completely in the 1970s and 1980s that the French director François Truffaut called him a "one-man industry".^[1] In August 2026, at 83, he began recording the 18th season of the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati.^[8]

This Finepedia biography, updated in October 2026, covers his early life, his rise and fall and return, his best-known films, his television and political careers, his awards and his legacy.

Key Facts

Topic	Detail
Born	11 October 1942, Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh^[1]
Birth surname	Srivastava^[1]
Parents	Harivansh Rai Bachchan (Hindi poet) and Teji Bachchan (social activist)^[1]
Education	Sherwood College, Nainital; BSc, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi (1962)^[1]
First film	Bhuvan Shome (1969, voice narrator); Saat Hindustani (1969, first acting role)^[1]
Breakthrough	Zanjeer (1973)^[1]^[4]
Spouse	Jaya Bhaduri, married 3 June 1973^[1]
Children	Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan^[1]
Films	More than 200^[1]
Top civilian honours	Padma Shri (1984), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2015)^[1]
Highest film honour	Dadasaheb Phalke Award (for 2018)^[1]
French honour	Officer of the Legion of Honour (2007)^[1]
Television	Host of Kaun Banega Crorepati since 2000, except the third season^[5]

Early Life and Family

Birth and Name

Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942 in Allahabad, now Prayagraj, to the Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and the social activist Teji Bachchan.^[1] His father's family came from the Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, while his mother was a Punjabi Sikh from Lyallpur, now Faisalabad in Pakistan. He has a younger brother, Ajitabh, who is five years younger.^[1]

His parents first planned to call him Inquilaab, Hindustani for "revolution", after the independence slogan Inquilab Zindabad. The name Amitabh was suggested by the poet Sumitranandan Pant.^[1] The family surname was Srivastava, but his father, who opposed the caste system, wrote under the pen name Bachchan, meaning "child-like" in colloquial Hindi. When Amitabh was being admitted to school, his parents decided the family name would be Bachchan, and it became the surname of the whole immediate family.^[1]

Harivansh Rai Bachchan is best known for his early work Madhushala and received the Padma Bhushan in 1976 for his service to Hindi literature.^[6] He died in 2003 and Teji Bachchan in 2007.^[1]

Education and First Jobs

Bachchan went to Boys' High School and College in Allahabad and Sherwood College in Nainital, then took a Bachelor of Science degree at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, in 1962.^[1] His father asked Prithviraj Kapoor, founder of Prithvi Theatre, whether there might be an opening for him, but Kapoor offered no encouragement.^[1]

In the late 1960s Bachchan applied to be a newsreader with All India Radio in Delhi and failed the audition, an irony given how famous his deep baritone voice later became.^[1] He worked as a business executive for Bird and Company in Kolkata and acted in theatre before he began his film career.^[1] The family was close to the Nehru-Gandhi family, and Bachchan was a friend of Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi in his Delhi years.^[1]

Film Career

Early Struggles (1969–1972)

Bachchan's first film work was as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's Bhuvan Shome in 1969. His first acting role came the same year as one of the seven heroes of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas's Saat Hindustani.^[1] In Anand (1971), opposite Rajesh Khanna, he played a doctor with a cynical view of life and won his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.^[1]

Many of his early films failed. By the age of 30 he was seen as a "failed newcomer" with only two successes, Bombay to Goa and Anand.^[1]

The Angry Young Man (1973–1974)

The turn came through the screenwriting pair Salim–Javed, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. Salim Khan wrote Zanjeer (1973) and conceived the "angry young man" lead, a role several actors turned down because it went against the romantic hero image of the time.^[1] Salim–Javed insisted that Bachchan be cast, and Prakash Mehra directed.^[1]^[4]

Zanjeer was a violent crime film, a sharp change from the romantic films before it. It was a blockbuster, earned Bachchan his first Filmfare nomination for Best Actor and made him a star.^[1] It was the first of many collaborations between Salim–Javed and Bachchan, and the writers went on to write scripts with him in mind for the lead.^[4]

His portrayal of a wronged hero fighting a corrupt system in films such as Zanjeer, Deewaar, Trishul, Kaala Patthar and Shakti struck a chord with young audiences frustrated by poverty, unemployment, corruption and the excesses of the Emergency. The phrase "angry young man" became shorthand for the mood of a generation.^[1] A 2024 Amazon Prime Video documentary series, Angry Young Men, explored the Salim–Javed partnership and Bachchan's role in personifying that hero.^[9]

In 1973 he married Jaya Bhaduri, and the couple appeared together in films including Zanjeer and Abhimaan.^[1] Namak Haraam, again with Rajesh Khanna, brought him a second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan was the top film at the box office in 1974.^[1]

Peak Years (1975–1988)

1975 brought two films regarded as landmarks of Hindi cinema, both written by Salim–Javed. Deewaar, directed by Yash Chopra, tells of two poor brothers in the slums of Bombay who end up on opposite sides of the law; it was released on 24 January 1975.^[3] Sholay, released on 15 August 1975, became the highest-grossing film ever in India at the time, with Bachchan as Jai.^[1]

Sholay was directed by Ramesh Sippy and follows two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Bachchan), hired by a retired police officer to capture the bandit Gabbar Singh.^[2] It was filmed over two and a half years in the rocky terrain of Ramanagara in Karnataka, beginning in October 1973.^[2] In 1999 BBC India declared it the "Film of the Millennium", and in 2025 a fully restored director's cut was released worldwide as Sholay: The Final Cut.^[1]^[2]

Bachchan proved his range with romance in Kabhi Kabhie (1976) and comedy in Chupke Chupke (1975).^[1] He won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), the highest-grossing film of that year, and his second for Don (1978), in which he played an underworld boss and his look-alike.^[1] 1978 is often considered his best year: all six of his releases were successes, and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Trishul and Don were the year's top three grossers.^[1]

He sang on screen for the first time in Mr. Natwarlal (1979).^[1] In 1981 Naseeb and Laawaris were both among the year's five highest-grossing films, and Yash Chopra's Silsila, though not a commercial success, later gained cult status.^[1]

The Coolie Accident

On 26 July 1982, while filming a fight scene with Puneet Issar for Coolie, Bachchan jumped towards a table and its corner struck his abdomen. He suffered a ruptured spleen, lost a great deal of blood and needed an emergency splenectomy.^[1] He remained critically ill in hospital for months, at times close to death, while fans queued outside the hospital and prayed in places of worship.^[1]

Director Manmohan Desai changed the ending so that Bachchan's character survived, feeling it would be wrong to kill on screen a man who had just escaped death in real life. The footage freezes at the moment of the injury with a caption marking it.^[1] Released in 1983, Coolie became the year's top-grossing film.^[1] Fans still mark 2 August as his "rebirth day", and in 2026 he thanked them on his blog for the prayers that saw him through.^[8]

In 1984 he was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a condition that weakened him physically and mentally.^[1] After a break for politics he returned in 1988 with Shahenshah, the second highest-grossing film of that year.^[1]

Decline, ABCL and the Wilderness Years (1989–1999)

After Shahenshah his box-office power faded, though Aaj Ka Arjun (1990) and Hum (1991) were hits.^[1] In this period he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, for playing a Mafia don in Agneepath (1990).^[1] After Khuda Gawah (1992) he announced a semi-retirement and did not act for five years.^[1]

In 1996 he set up the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL), which aimed to cover film production and distribution, music, television and event management.^[1] Its first film, Tere Mere Sapne, was a hit, but ABCL lost heavily as main sponsor of the 1996 Miss World pageant in Bangalore, and his comeback film Mrityudata (1997) failed.^[1] The company collapsed in 1997. In April 1999 the Bombay High Court barred him from selling his bungalow Prateeksha until loan recovery cases brought by Canara Bank were settled.^[1] He later called this the darkest time of his life.^[1]

Return to Success (2000–2026)

In 2000, deep in debt, Bachchan went to Yash Chopra and asked for work. Chopra cast him in Mohabbatein, which revived his career and brought him a third Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.^[1] He followed with Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Baghban (2003), Khakee (2004) and Veer-Zaara (2004).^[1]

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005), in which he played the ageing teacher of a deaf-blind girl, won him a second National Film Award for Best Actor.^[1] He played his own son Abhishek's son, a 13-year-old with progeria, in Paa (2009), which brought a third National Award for Best Actor.^[1] His fourth came for Piku (2015), in which he played a grumpy, constipated father, making him the record holder for the most National Film Awards for Best Actor.^[1]

He made his Hollywood debut in The Great Gatsby (2013) opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.^[1] Pink (2016), a courtroom drama in which he played a retired lawyer defending three young women, was a critical and commercial success.^[1] Badla (2019) was a hit, and Gulabo Sitabo (2020) won him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.^[1]

In 2022 Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva became the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.^[1] In 2024 he played Ashwatthama in Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD, his Telugu debut, which grossed more than ₹1,000 crore and was the second highest-grossing Indian film of the year.^[1]

Television

Kaun Banega Crorepati

Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Hindi version of the British quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, premiered on 3 July 2000 with Bachchan as host, his first appearance on Indian television.^[5] He has hosted every season except the third, when Shah Rukh Khan took over.^[5] The show aired on Star Plus for its first three seasons and later moved to Sony.^[5]

Sony announced the 17th season on 8 April 2025.^[5] Season 18 premiered on 10 August 2026 and airs Monday to Friday at 9 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.^[8]

Other Television

In 2009 Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show Bigg Boss, and in 2014 he played a businessman in the Sony series Yudh.^[1]

Voice and Singing

Bachchan is known for his deep baritone voice. He narrated Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977) and Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan (2001), and voiced the Indian version of March of the Penguins (2005).^[1] He has also worked as a playback singer, first in Mr. Natwarlal.^[1]

Politics and Controversy

In 1984 Bachchan entered politics to support his family friend Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad for the 8th Lok Sabha against the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister H. N. Bahuguna and won with 68.2% of the vote, one of the largest margins in Indian elections.^[1] In 1987 the Indian Express reported that his brother Ajitabh owned a flat in Switzerland, prompting speculation linking the family to the Bofors scandal, and Bachchan resigned his seat in July 1987.^[1] Ajitabh later sued the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter over the claims and won damages in the United Kingdom.^[1]

After his friend Amar Singh helped him through the ABCL crisis, Bachchan backed the Samajwadi Party. Jaya Bachchan has represented the party in the Rajya Sabha since 2004.^[1]^[7] Bachchan has also been accused of using the slogan "blood for blood" during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, an allegation he denies.^[1]

Personal Life

Bachchan has been married to the actor and politician Jaya Bhaduri since 3 June 1973.^[1] Jaya made her debut as a teenager in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (1963) and has won ten Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri.^[7] Their daughter Shweta is an author and former model married to the businessman Nikhil Nanda, a grandson of Raj Kapoor. Their son Abhishek, an actor and producer, is married to the actor Aishwarya Rai, and they have a daughter, Aaradhya.^[1]

Born to a Hindu father and a Sikh mother, Bachchan has said he follows no particular religion. He has said he is a teetotaller and a non-smoker, and confirmed on KBC in 2022 that he is vegetarian.^[1] In November 2023 he gifted his Juhu bungalow Prateeksha to his daughter Shweta.^[1]

Humanitarian Work

Bachchan has paid off the debts of farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Vidarbha, and in June 2019 he cleared the debts of 2,100 farmers from Bihar.^[1] He became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for polio eradication in India in 2002 and a WHO Goodwill Ambassador for hepatitis awareness in 2017.^[1] He was the face of the Save Our Tigers campaign and a brand ambassador for the Swachh Bharat Mission.^[1] In July 2020 he was hospitalised with COVID-19 and was discharged on 2 August.^[1]

Awards and Honours

National Film Awards: seven in total, including a record four for Best Actor (Agneepath, Black, Paa and Piku).^[1]
Filmfare: the most nominated performer in any major Filmfare acting category, with 34 Best Actor nominations.^[1]
In 1991 he became the first artist to receive the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.^[1]
Government of India: Padma Shri (1984), Padma Bhushan (2001), Padma Vibhushan (2015) and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2018.^[1]
France: Officer of the Legion of Honour (2007), and honorary citizenship of Deauville (2003).^[1]
Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival in Egypt (2001).^[1]
Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Asian Film Awards.^[1]

Legacy

Bachchan appeared in Box Office India's "Top Actors" list 17 times between 1975 and 1991 and topped it 16 times, from 1976 to 1991.^[1] In 1999 he was voted the "greatest star of stage or screen" in a BBC online poll, and in October 2003 Time magazine called him the "undisputed godfather of Bollywood".^[1]

In June 2000 he became the first living Asian to be modelled in wax at Madame Tussauds in London.^[1] In 2005 the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center in New York held a retrospective titled "Amitabh Bachchan: The Biggest Film Star in the World".^[1] In 2012, at 69, he carried the Olympic torch in London's Southwark.^[1] Actors who cite him as an influence range from Rajinikanth and Mohanlal to Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh.^[1]

Key Figures

200+: films in his career.^[1]
4: National Film Awards for Best Actor, a record.^[1]
34: Filmfare Best Actor nominations.^[1]
16: years he topped Box Office India's Top Actors list.^[1]
68.2%: his vote share in the 1984 Allahabad election.^[1]
18: seasons of Kaun Banega Crorepati, with season 18 premiering in August 2026.^[8]
₹1,000 crore+: gross of Kalki 2898 AD (2024).^[1]

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Amitabh Bachchan's real name?

He was born Amitabh Srivastava. His father wrote under the pen name Bachchan, and the family adopted it as their surname.^[1]

Why is he called the Angry Young Man?

The label came from roles written by Salim–Javed, starting with Zanjeer (1973), in which he played a wronged hero fighting a corrupt system.^[1]

What happened on the set of Coolie?

In July 1982 a table corner struck his abdomen during a fight scene, rupturing his spleen. He needed emergency surgery and spent months in hospital.^[1]