| Alias | Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan |
|---|---|
| Age | 75 years |
| Height | 6'2" |
| Occupation | Actor, Singer, Producer |
| Language Worked in | Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam |
| Spouse | Jaya Bachchan |
| Children | Abhishek Bachchan , Shweta Nanda |
| Birth Place | Allahabad, United Provinces, British India |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Parents | Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Teji Bachchan |
| Favourite Cuisine | North East India |
| City | Mumbai |
Bachchan was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, in north central India. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a Hindi poet, and his mother, Teji Bachchan, was a Sikh from Faisalabad (now in Pakistan).[8] Bachchan was initially named Inquilaab, inspired from the phrase made famous during the Indian independence struggle, Inquilab Zindabad, which means "long live revolution". However, at the suggestion of fellow poet Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai changed the name to Amitabh which means, "the light that will never die." Though his surname was Shrivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Bachchan (meaning "child-like" in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all his works. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films, and, for all public purposes, it has become the surname of all members of his family. Bachchan's father died in 2003 and his mother in 2007.
Amitabh has a younger brother, Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and had been offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage.
Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (A.B.C.L.) in 1996, with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) premier entertainment company by the year 2000.[citation needed ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering the entire section of the India's entertainment industry.
Its operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, celebrity and event management. citation needed] Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film produced by the company was Tere Mere Sapne, which failed to do well at the box office but launched the careers of actors such as Arshad Warsi and South films star Simran. citation needed ABCL produced a few other films, none of which did well.
Apart from National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards and other competitive awards which Bachchan won for his performances throughout the years, he has been awarded 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. The Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001. 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". In 2011, actor Dilip Kumar blogged that Black should have been nominated for an Oscar. Kumar added: "If any Indian actor, in my personal opinion, deserves the world's most coveted award