Thursday, February 21, 2008
Biography
Name: Amitabh Bachchan
Star Sign: Libra
Height: 6'2"
Mother: Teji Bachchan
Father: Harivansh Rai Bachchan
Spouse: Jaya Bhaduri
Children: son Abhishek and daughter Shweta
Philosophy of life: If things happen as you wish it's good, if they
do not it's better
The trademark deep baritone voice, the tall, brooding persona, and
intense eyes, made Amitabh Bachchan the ideal "Angry Young Man" in
the 1970s, thereby changing the face of Hindi cinema. The son of the
late poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan
was born in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh. After completing his
education from Sherwood College, Nainital, and Kirori Mal College,
Delhi University, he moved to Calcutta to work for shipping firm Shaw
and Wallace. Later, Amitabh Bachchan moved to Bombay and struggled
for a while to get his foot in the door of the Hindi film industry.
The lanky, dark, and intensely brooding persona did not go down well
with directors who were looking for wise-cracking, fair, loverboys -
the trademark of the Indian hero in the 1960s.
Starting with the low key Saat Hindustani, Amitabh Bachchan struggled
through many roles and was relegated at times to doing voice-overs
and in one instance playing a deaf-mute (his deep baritone voice
might have overshadowed the other actors!). Amitabh Bachchan broke
through with Zanjeer (the Chain) in 1973 playing opposite his
real-life love interest and future wife Jaya Bhaduri. His persona
seemed apt for the 1970s, capturing the resentment of underemployed
youth and the increasing cult of violence. Amitabh Bachchan reworked
the image of the Hindi film hero with major hits like Deewar, Sholay,
Trishul, Don, Kala Patthar, and Shakti. Adapting former screen idol
Dilip Kumar's mannerisms and adding his own flamboyance, he
popularized the violent melodrama. Amitabh Bachchan proved that he
had an equal flair for tragedies (Deewar, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,
Shakti) and comedies (Chupke Chupke, Don, Naseeb, Amar Akbar Anthony)
as well. His most memorable performance was as the renegade against a
harsh society in Deewar. After Amar Akbar Anthony in which he reveled
in the role of the Cathlolic bootlegger - he played similar "masala"
roles, movies that required action, comedy, tragedy, and romance in
one character. This had disastrous consequences later with movies
disintegrating into Amitabh Bachchan variety shows rather than
plot-driven stories. Bachchan was dubbed the Superstar, taking over
that title from Rajesh Khanna, something he hung on to until the mid
1980s when the floor widened after his temporary departure. At the
height of his popularity he was injured in an accident while shooting
for the film Coolie - long lines of people prayed for his recovery at
the Breah Candy hospital, underscoring his megastar status.
Amitabh Bachchan left films in 1985 to become a Member of Parliament
from Allahabad constituency as a Congress party candidate, as a favor
to his family friend Rajiv Gandhi - the new Prime MInister of India.
A report of involvement in financial irregularities (of which he was
completely cleared later) made him decide to step down as MP. His
return in 1987 was lukewarm as the Hindi film industry had moved on
and newer, younger heroes essayed the part of Angry Young Man with
more conviction. Amitabh Bachchan seemed to have lost his heart in
making films as his later roles did not show the flicker of passion
that had marked earlier efforts in the 1970s. In 1989, for the first
time since 1976, three of his films were flops i.e. they could not
recover their money (in the Hindi film industry a flop is a film that
does not recover a distributor's price, not the producer's cost). A
series of lackluster films in the 1990s pointed to a long overdue
exit, common to many other stars. A seemingly well-thought out
venture to start a production company ABCL landed him in immense
debts. Astonishingly, Amitabh Bachchan burst back with a double act:
one, playing the stern patriarch (the kind against which he had
rebelled in the 1970s but which role was suited to his gravelly
voice), and two, reinventing himself as a brand that in turn, could
market anything. He began the latter by hosting the Indian version of
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Kaun Banegaa Crorepati) and is now
back in demand for endorsements, advertisements as well as many movie
roles. At sixty plus, Amitabh Bachchan is a greater icon than he was
at the height of his popularity three decades ago. His son, Abhishek
is considered a talented actor who has not yet broken out as a star.
Filmography
1. Shantaram (2009) (pre-production) .... Khader Bhai
2. Bhootnath (2008) (filming)
3. Zamaanat (2008) (post-production) .... Shiv Shankar
4. Sarkar Raj (2008) (post-production) .... Subhash Nagare 'Sarkar'
5. God Tussi Great Ho (2008)
6. The Last Lear (2007) .... Harish 'Harry' Mishra
7. Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007) .... Babban
8. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007) .... Special Appearance
9. Swami (2007) .... Narrator
10. Cheeni Kum (2007) .... Buddhadev 'Ghas Puss' Gupta
11. Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007) .... Dhingra
12. Nishabd (2007) .... Vijay
13. Eklavya (2007) .... Eklavya
14. Baabul (2006) .... Balraj Kapoor
15. Ganga (2006) .... Thakur Vijay Singh
16. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) .... Samarjit 'Sam' Talwar
17. Darna Zaroori Hai (2006) .... Professor
18. Family: Ties of Blood (2006) .... Viren Sahi
19. Ek Ajnabee (2005) .... Col. Suryaveer Singh
20. Dil Jo Bhi Kahey... (2005) .... Shekhar Sinha
21. Viruddh... Family Comes First (2005) .... Vidhyadar Ramkrishna
Patwardhan
22. Sarkar (2005) .... Subhash Nagre 'Sarkar'
23. Paheli (2005) .... The Shepherd
24. Parineeta (2005) .... Narrator
25. Bunty Aur Babli (2005) .... DCP Dashrath Singh
26. Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005) .... Ishwarchand Thakur
27. Black (2005) .... Debraj Sahai
28. Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo (2004) .... Major General
Amarjeet Singh
29. Veer-Zaara (2004) .... Chaudhary Sumer Singh (Special Appearance)
30. Hum Kaun Hai? (2004) .... Major Frank John Williams/Frank James
Williams
31. Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na (2004) .... Raj Chauhan (Uncle)
32. Deewaar (2004) .... Maj. Ranvir Kaul
33. Lakshya (2004) .... Col. Sunil Damle
34. Dev (2004) .... JCP Dev Pratap Singh
35. Insaaf: The Justice (2004) .... Narrator
36. Rudraksh (2004) .... Narrator
37. Aetbaar (2004) .... Dr. Ranveer Malhotra
38. Khakee (2004) .... DCP Anant Kumar Shrivastav
39. Fun2shh... Dudes in the 10th Century (2003) .... Narrator
40. Baghban (2003) .... Raj Malhotra
41. Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost (2003) .... Narrator
42. Boom (2003/I) .... Bade Mia
43. Armaan (2003) .... Dr. Siddharth Sinha
44. Khushi (2003) .... Narrator
45. Kaante (2002) .... Yashvardhan 'Major' Rampal
46. Agni Varsha (2002) .... Indra (Special Appearance)
47. Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin (2002) .... Dr. Rastogi
48. Aankhen (2002) .... Vijay Singh Rajput
49. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) .... Yashvardhan 'Yash'
Raichand
50. Aks (2001) .... Insp. Manu Verma
51. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) .... Narrator
52. Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love (2001) .... Vijay Kapoor
53. "Kaun Banega Crorepati Junior" (2001) TV series .... Host
54. Mohabbatein (2000) .... Narayan Shankar
55. Hello Brother (1999) .... Voice of God
56. Kohram (1999) .... Col. Balbir Singh Sodi, aka Devraj
Hathoda/Dada Bhai
57. Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) .... Kabeera
58. Sooryavansham (1999) .... Dual Role (Thakur Bhanu Pratap Singh &
Heera Singh)
59. Lal Baadshah (1999) .... Dual Role (Lal 'Baadshah' Singh &
Ranbhir Singh)
60. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998) .... Dual Role (Insp. Arjun Singh &
Bade Miyan)
61. Major Saab (1998) .... Major Jasbir Singh Rana
62. Mrityudaata (1997) .... Dr. Ram Prasad Ghayal
63. Tere Mere Sapne (1996) (voice) (as Mr. Amitabh Bachchan) ....
Narrator
64. Insaniyat (1994) .... Police Insp. Amar Pal Singh
65. Akka (1994) .... Special Appearance (Song)
66. Khuda Gawah (1992) .... Baadshah Khan
67. Zulm Ki Hukumat (1992) .... Narrator
68. Akayla (1991) .... Insp. Vijay Verma
69. Indrajeet (1991) .... Indrajeet
70. Ajooba (1991) .... Ajooba/Ali
71. Hum (1991) .... Tiger/Shekhar
72. Sadhu Sant (1991)
73. Aaj Ka Arjun (1990) .... Bhim Singh
74. Agneepath (1990) .... Vijay Dinanath Chavan
75. Jaadugar (1989) .... Goga
76. Toofan (1989) .... Dual Role (Toofan & Shyam)
77. Batwara (1989) .... Narrator
78. Main Azaad Hoon (1989) .... Azaad
79. Shahenshah (1988) .... Vijay Kumar Srivastava/Shahenshah
80. Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi (1988) .... Ganga Prasad
81. Soorma Bhopali (1988) .... Police Inspector (Sp Appearance)
82. Aakhree Raasta (1986) .... David D'Costa/Insp. Vijay Sandaliya
83. Mard (1985) .... Raju Singh (Mard)
84. Geraftaar (1985) .... Insp. Karan Kumar Khanna
85. Ghulami (1985) (uncredited) .... Narrator
86. Inquilaab (1984) .... A.C.P. Amar Nath
87. Kanoon Kya Karega (1984) .... Narrator
88. Sharaabi (1984) .... Vicky Kapoor
89. Coolie (1983/I) .... Iqbal A. Khan
90. Film Hi Film (1983) .... (Special Appearance)
91. Mahaan (1983) .... Triple role (Amit/Rana Ranveer, Guru & Insp.
Shankar)
92. Nastik (1983) .... Shankar (Sheru)/Bhola
93. Andhaa Kanoon (1983) .... Jan Nissar Akhtar Khan (Guest
Appearance)
94. Pukar (1983) .... Ramdas/Ronnie
95. Shakti (1982) .... Vijay Kumar
96. Desh Premee (1982) .... Master Dinanath/Raju
97. Bemisal (1982) .... Dual Role (Dr. Sudhir Roy & Adhir Roy)
98. Satte Pe Satta (1982) .... Ravi Anand/Babu
99. Khud-Daar (1982) .... Govind Srivastav ('Chhotu Ustad')
100. Namak Halaal (1982) .... Arjun Singh
101. Silsila (1981) .... Amit Malhotra
102. Laawaris (1981) .... Heera
103. Naseeb (1981) .... John Jaani Janardhan
104. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) .... Inspector Abhijeet Rai
105. Yaarana (1981) .... Kishan Kumar
106. Commander (1981) (uncredited) .... Punjabi truck driver
107. Kaalia (1981) .... Kallu/Kaalia
108. Walayati Babu (1981) .... Jagga (Special Appearance)
109. Shaan (1980) .... Vijay Kumar
110. Dostana (1980) .... Vijay Varma
111. Do Aur Do Paanch (1980) .... Vijay
112. Ram Balram (1980) .... Insp. Balram Singh
113. Suhaag (1979) .... Amit Kapoor
114 Kaala Patthar (1979) .... Vijay Pal Singh
115. Manzil (1979) .... Ajay Chandra
116. Jurmana (1979) .... Inder Saxena
117. The Great Gambler (1979) .... Dual Role (Jay & Insp. Vijay)
118. Mr. Natwarlal (1979) .... Natwarlal
119. Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) .... Sikandar
120. Trishul (1978) .... Vijay Kumar
121. Don (1978) .... Don / Vijay
122. Kasme Vaade (1978) .... Dual Role (Amit & Shankar)
123. Ganga Ki Saugand (1978) .... Jeeva
124. Besharam (1978) .... Ram Kumar Chandra/Prince Chandrashekar
125. Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) (voice) .... Narrator
126. Khoon Pasina (1977) .... Shiva/Tiger
127. Immaan Dharam (1977) .... Ahmed Reza
128. Alaap (1977) .... Alok Prasad
129. Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) .... Anthony Gonzalves
130. Charandas (1977) .... Quwwali Singer (Special Appearance)
131. Parvarish (1977) .... Amit
132. Hera Pheri (1976) .... Vijay
133. Kabhi Kabhie - Love Is Life (1976) .... Amitabh "Amit" Malhotra
134. Aadalat (1976) .... Dual Role (Dharma/Thakur Dharam Chand &
Raju)
135. Adalat (1976)
136. Balika Badhu (1976) (voice) .... Adult Amal
137. Do Anjaane (1976) .... Amit Roy/Naresh Dutt
138. Faraar (1975) .... Rajesh (Raj)
139. Sholay (1975) .... Jai (Jaidev)
140. Zameer (1975) .... Badal
141. Chupke Chupke (1975) .... Professor Sukumar Sinha
142. Deewaar (1975) .... Vijay Verma
143. Mili (1975) .... Shekhar Dayal
144. Majboor (1974) .... Ravi Khanna
145. Kunwara Baap (1974) .... Augustine (Guest Appearance)
146. Benaam (1974) .... Amit Srivastav
147. Kasauti (1974) .... Amitabh Sharma (Amit)
148. Dost (1974) (uncredited) .... Anand
149. Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974) .... Vijay
150. Namak Haraam (1973) .... Vikram (Vicky) Maharaj
151. Abhimaan (1973) .... Subir Kumar (Beeru)
152. Gehri Chaal (1973) .... Ratan
153. Zanjeer (1973) .... Insp. Vijay Khanna
154. Bada Kabutar (1973) .... Guest appearance
155. Bandhe Haath (1973) .... Dual Role (Shyamu & Deepak)
156. Saudagar (1973) .... Moti
157. Bombay to Goa (1972) .... Ravi Kumar
158. Piya Ka Ghar (1972) .... Guest Appearance
159. Bansi Birju (1972) .... Birju
160. Bawarchi (1972) (voice) .... Narrator
161. Ek Nazar (1972) .... Manmohan Akash Tyagi
162. Garam Masala (1972) (uncredited) .... Robert Taylor
163. Jaban (1972) .... Dalaljit (Guest Appearance)
164. Raaste Kaa Patthar (1972) .... Jai Shankar Rai
165. Pyar Ki Kahani (1971) .... Ram Chand
166. Anand (1971) .... Dr. Bhaskar K. Bannerjee/Babu Moshai
167. Parwana (1971) .... Kumar Sen
168. Reshma Aur Shera (1971) .... Chhotu
169. Sanjog (1971) .... Mohan
170. Bombay Talkie (1970) (scenes deleted) .... Mourner in funeral
171. Bhuvan Shome (1969) (voice) (as Amitabh) .... Commentator
172. Saat Hindustani (1969) .... Anwar Ali Anwar