Amitabh Bachchan, born October 11, 1942, has always been regarded as India’s first and original angry young man. Showcasing the angst and frustration of the jobless youth of the 70’s on the celluloid, Amitabh became an icon for the masses of India, so much so that even today, when the actor has crossed 60, his casting in a film ensures a houseful opening. The Big B, a name given to him by the ever enthusiastic media, began his acting career in 1969, the mid 70-80s being his glory years. After a few duds in the 90s he completely withdrew himself from cinema. But in the year 2000 Bachchan did the unthinkable. The biggest star of the ‘big screen’ marked his return by hosting a quiz show on the small screen. Kaun Bangea Crorepati? on Star Plus made television history and bachchana regained his demi god like status in the collective conscious of the masses once again.

In the meanwhile, Bachchan had a lot of ‘asides’ moments as he tried his hands at politics and production, both of which were shot lived. He was elected as a member of Indian Parliament (MP) from Allahabad in 1984 but he resigned from this post after only 3 years. His production company Amitabh Bachchan Corp ltd (ABCL) went bankrupt due to investments in some truly dreadful projects but recently he has galvanised his company and it has launched a few projects. By the look of it, it’s the second coming of his company as well.

Life Story

Amitabh Bachchan was born in the city of Allahabad (UP), India. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was one of the most well known poets in Urdu and Hindi language. His original family name is "Srivastava" while "Bachchan" was the pen name that his father used. But when a young Amit entered the film industry he opted to go with his father's pen name. It got stuck.

Bachchan attended Allahabad's Boys' High School, followed by a stint in Nainital's prestigious Sherwood College, which he left with a degree in art. Three years graduation in Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College earned him a degree in Physics. After that he moved over to Calcutta (now Kolkata) to take up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co. He left it soon enough to follow his dreams.

Personal

He is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan). They have two children: daughter Shweta and son Abhishek. Abhishek Bachchan is now one of the rising stars of the Hindi film industry but took a lot of time to get out of his father’s formidable shadow. He has two grandchildren: Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda.