Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan, the name that makes fans go crazy, is still the reason for stampedes at airports, and enjoys India’s ‘numerouno’ star status. His trademark deep baritone voice, his tall brooding persona and his intense eyes are what made Amitabh Bachchan what he is today. True to his name which means ‘brilliance unlimited’ Amitabh shines on like a star.

He debuted in 1969 and won the ‘National Film Award’ for ‘Best Newcomer’. In 1973 he acted as Inspector Vijay Khanna in the movie Zanzeer. The role he essayed in this movie established him as the “angry young man” of Bollywood cinema, a reputation he built on in movies that followed. He was the most sought after actor that ousted better looking actors like Rajesh Khanna and Dharmendra. Amitabh comes from an educated and elite family. His Father Hari vansh Rai was a renowned poet. After many years of success, he got in to politics to support his best friend Rajiv Gandhi. He contested from Allahabad and won by one of the highest victory margins in general election history – 62.8% of the vote. His career in politics was however short-lived as he and his brother were implicated in the Bofors Scandal. He was found ‘not guilty’ but his relationship with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi took a beating because of it. He vowed never to get into politics again. The nineties saw his career going downhill and eventually he went in to semi-retirement.

The year 2000, marked the end of his retirement. He stepped up to host ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ an adaptation of the British television show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”. The show was a roaring success and it reinvented Amitabh. After that there has been no turning back. This actors career spans four decades. The young and the old, everybody loves Amitabh Bachchan. Throughout his career Amitabh has carried himself with dignity. Scandals did follow him but they were never able to tarnish his bigger than life image. In India two things sell, Bollywood and Cricket and two people hog the limelight and one of them is Amitabh Bachchan.