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Amitabh Bachchan
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Born on
the 11th of October in a well-known family (his father Harivansh Rai
Bachchan is a respected Hindi poet), Amitabh studied at a boarding
school (Sherwood College) in Nainital where his acting skills first
surfaced. He continued participating in plays while studying at
Delhi's Kirorimal College.
After
college, Amitabh got a job as an executive in a company but soon
quit to pursue his interest in films. His struggle in Bollywood was
long and filled with rejection - the common opinion was that he was
too tall, too dark, and too lean to be a leading star.
Amitabh's first appearance was in the movie 'Saat Hindustani', which
failed to make an impact at the box office. Amitabh continued to
struggle (even playing the role of a mute in Reshma and Shera) and
hope for success. His talent for acting was noticed and he landed
the leading role in Zanjeer, even though it was only because all the
leading stars of that time refused to play the part! |
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Zanjeer
became a super hit and Amitabh Bachchan was established as a movie
star. The film was also his first portrayal of the 'angry young man'
- (angry at the evil surrounding him and thirsty for revenge) - a
persona in which he blasted his way to box office success and into
India's heart. |
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Why
was the angry young man so successful? |
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The
personality of Amitabh apart, the situation of the 1970's with its
political instability and increasing corruption, student unrest and
high level of unemployment was enough to make many young men angry.
Amitabh for them was just portraying some of their own anger and
restlessness on the screen. |
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For
years on end, the on-screen Amitabh was largely angry, be it Deewar,
Trishul, Shakti, Sholay, Don, Sharabi. But when he wasn't shooting
down villains, he was making the audience laugh with lines like,
"You see, I can walk English, talk English...".
His dialogues captivated audiences and were repeated in the nooks
and corners of India by the youth who adored him. No other star in
the 70s and 80s was half as successful as Amitabh. It seemed as if
the whole nation was spell bound by his screen presence, his voice
and his unique style of acting. Any film Bachchan did was almost
guaranteed to be a box office hit! |
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DID
YOU KNOW?
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When he
was seriously injured during the shooting of the movie Coolie, the
whole country prayed for his recovery. |
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Amitabh
was once refused a job at Vividh Bharati because the selectors felt
he did not have a good enough voice! |
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In 1999,
Amitabh was voted the Star of the millennium in BBC's poll on the
Internet. Amitabh defeated the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Robert
De Niro to win this honour. |
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Amitabh
gave up his film career in the nineties to join politics and even
won the Allahabad Parliament seat, but he couldn't succeed in
Politics.
He then founded his own company called ABCL but the company soon
faced bankruptcy!
Next Bachchan launched his career as a pop singer with the album
'Abby Baby' but that flopped too.
His
latest avatar is that of an anchor of the Indian version of 'Who
wants to be a millionaire' on the television channel Star Plus and
so far he's doing very well. |
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Some
of Amitabh' s famous lines |
"Tumhare
pas kya hai?" - Deewar
"Agar apni maa ka doodh piya hai to saamne aa." - Laawaris
"Mai aur meri tanhaai - aksar ye baatein karte hai...." - Silsila
"Daaru peene se liver karab ho jaata hai" - Satte Pe Satta
"Rishte me to hum tumhare baap lagte hain, naam hai Shahenshah." -
Shahenshah |
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Amitabh
is the only Bollywood Star to have been honoured by the |
Some
of the over 100 films in which Amitabh Bachchan has acted |
Madame
Tussad's museum in England. The museum will soon feature a life size
wax idol of Amitabh. The actor was chosen after an open poll in
which the public could vote for any Bollywood star of their choice.
Goes to prove that even despite his recent failures Amitabh is till
date the biggest Bollywood Star. |
Chhoti
si Baat, Chupke Chupke, Deewar, Milli, Sholay, Zameer, Kabhie Kabhie,
Amar Akbar Anthony, Khoon Pasina, Parvarish, Don, Kasme Vaade,
Trishul, Gol Maal, Kaala Pathar, Mr Natwarlal, Muqaddar ka Sikandar,
Do aur do Paanch, Kaalia, Lawaaris, Naseeb, Silsila, Yaraana, Namak
Halal, Nastik, Satte pe Satta, Andha Kanoon, Coolie, Sharaabi, Mard,
Shahenshah, Main Azaad Hoon, Agneepath, Hum, Khuda Gawah, Major Saab
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Awards |
Filmfare
Best Actor: Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978), Hum (1991)
Best Supporting Actor: Anand (1971), Namak Haram (1973)
National Award
Best Actor: Agneepath (1990) |
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