Amitabh Bachchan

In 1973, the “angry young man” of Bollywood got married to Jaya Bhaduri, a famous actress in her own right, who was popular even before her husband shot to fame. The couple have a son, Abhishek, and a daughter Shweta.

Shweta is married to business magnate Nikhil Nanda, while Abhishek is married to former Miss World and actress Aishwarya Rai. Abhishek and Aishwarya have a daughter, Aradhya.

In 2000, Madame Tussaud sculpted Bachchan's wax statue at her museum, making him the first Asian to have the honour. Other regions like New York, Hong Kong and 'Washington D.C. too house his statues.

Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan was born to Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachhan and his wife Teji, on October 11, 1942, in Allahabad, India. Amitabh is the eldest of two brothers, his younger sibling being Ajitabh.

He pursued his primary and secondary education from 'Sherwood College, Nainital'. He graduated from the 'Kirori Mal College', affiliated to the 'University of Delhi', and has two master's degrees.

Though their family name was Shrivastav, the young boy’s father used the pseudonym ‘Bachchan’, which was later used by the next generations as their surname.

In 1969, after being urged by his mother, the young man debuted in Hindi cinema, by lending his baritone voice in famous director Mrinal Sen's project 'Bhuvan Shome'. The movie, starring acting stalwart Utpal Dutt won the prestigious ‘National Award’.

The same year, he acted alongside Utpal Dutt, Jalal Agha, Anwar Ali, and Madhu, in the movie 'Saat Hindustani'.

In 1971, the talented actor played a supporting role to the more popular Rajesh Khanna, in the movie 'Anand'. His portrayal of a pessimistic doctor was critically well-received, and he went on to act in movies like 'Reshma aur Shera', 'Parwaana', and a cameo in the Jaya Bhaduri starrer 'Guddi'.

S. Ramanathan's film 'Bombay to Goa', released in 1972, saw Bachchan acting in a comic role for a change.

In 1973, 'Zanjeer', directed by Prakash Mehra was released, where the budding actor played the protagonist's role, as Inspector Vijay Khanna. He was paired opposite Jaya Bhaduri, and was well-supported by Pran. The movie was a big hit and established Amitabh as Bollywood's "angry young man".

‘Sholay’, directed by Ramesh Sippy, where Amitabh played the role of ‘Jai’, became a benchmark of popularity in Hindi cinema. The movie, released in 1975 is loved and watched repeatedly, even by the new generations, mainly for the unconditional friendship between Jai and Veeru. The character of Veeru was portrayed by Dharmendra.

The movie star is also known for his recent role in ‘Paa’, directed by R. Balakrishnan. The actor plays the role of a young school boy, and the movie stars his son Abhishek as his father and Vidya Balan as the mother.