Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan (born Amitabh Srivastava; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. With a cinematic career spanning over five decades, he has played pivotal roles in over 200 films. Widely recognised as one of the greatest actors of all time, he is considered to be among the most accomplished and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. Bachchan is often hailed as the Shahenshah of Bollywood, Sadi Ke Mahanayak (translated as “Greatest actor of the century” in Hindi), Star of the Millennium, or simply Big B. His dominance in the Indian film industry during the 1970s–80s led the French director François Truffaut to describe it as a “one-man industry”. He is a recipient of several accolades including six National Film Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards.

Amitabh Bachchan, born in 1942 in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), is the son of Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and social activist Teji Bachchan. He was educated at Sherwood College, Nainital, and Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. His film career began in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen’s film Bhuvan Shome. He gained popularity in the early 1970s with films such as Anand, Zanjeer, and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan. Bachchan achieved greater stardom in later years, earning the title of India’s “angry young man” for his roles in Hindi films.

From the mid-1970s to the 1980s, Bachchan starred in numerous top-grossing Indian films, receiving critical acclaim for performances in Deewaar, Sholay, Kabhi Kabhie, Hera Pheri, Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, Kasme Vaade, Trishul, Don, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Suhaag, Dostana, Naseeb, Laawaris, Namak Halaal, Coolie, Sharaabi, and Mard. His most acclaimed performances include Namak Haraam, Abhimaan, Majboor, Mili, Chupke Chupke, Kaala Patthar, Shaan, Yaarana, Kaalia, Shakti, Aakhree Raasta, Shahenshah, and Agneepath. After a break from acting in the 1990s, he made a successful comeback in 2000 with Mohabbatein. Since then, he has starred in several successful and acclaimed films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Aankhen, Baghban, Khakee, Black, Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Cheeni Kum, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Paa, Piku, Pink, Badla, Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, and Kalki 2898 AD. For Piku, he won his fourth National Film Award for Best Actor, making him the only actor to achieve this. Bachchan also appeared in the Hollywood film The Great Gatsby (2013), playing a non-Indian Jewish character.

Throughout his career, Bachchan has received numerous accolades, including a record four National Film Awards in the Best Actor category and many awards at international film festivals and ceremonies. He has won sixteen Filmfare Awards and holds the record for the most nominations in major acting categories at Filmfare, with 34 nominations for Best Actor and 42 overall. The Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001, the Padma Vibhushan in 2015, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2018 for his contributions to the arts. The Government of France honored him with its highest civilian honor, Officer of the Legion of Honour, in 2007 for his exceptional career in cinema and beyond.

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 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? franchise. He also entered politics for a time in the 1980s. Bachchan is involved in several humanitarian works and is a leading brand endorser in India. Beyond the Indian subcontinent, he has acquired a large overseas following among the South Asian diaspora and others in markets including Africa (South Africa, Eastern Africa, and Mauritius), the Middle East (especially UAE and Egypt), the United Kingdom, Russia, Central Asia, the Caribbean (Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago), Oceania (Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand), Canada, and the United States. In a BBC Your Millennium online poll in 1999, Bachchan was voted the “greatest star of stage or screen.” In October 2003, TIME magazine dubbed Bachchan the “Star of the Millennium.”