Revision as of 17:15, 10 June 2014

His films

Zanjeer

On 11 May, 1973, movie director Prakash Mehra released a film that rejuvinated the career of Amitabh Bachchan. The film was Zanjeer (Chains).

This was a film that also changed the industry as it introduced an angry, young hero, capturing the sense of angst and frustration many young Indian men felt at the time.

In the film, a child named Vijay witnesses his parents being murdered by a faceless killer. As he grows up, he has nightmares about this and keeps seeing the images of a white horse and an emblem on a bracelet. He joins the police force and is an honest officer but then he slowly turns into a vigilante. Vijay befriends a Pathan1 and begins to seek out the murderer and his henchmen.

The film helped to catapult Bachchan, although well-known after Anand, to 'superstardom'. The script writers, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, also became a very well-known partnership. Known as 'Salim-Javed', their successes included Sholay, Deewar, Trishul and Don. The director, Prakash Mehra, who had four film flops since his debut film Haseena Manjayegi in the late 1960s, chose Bachchan to star, despite him being rejected by some directors for not being well-known enough. The film went on to become a huge success at the box office, and the name Vijay will be forever associated with Bachchan.

Mehra passed away in 2009 and among the stars who attended the funeral were Bachchan, who married Jaya Bhaduri, his co-star in Zanjeer, and his son Abhishek, who is also a film star and is married to Aishwarya Rai.

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan was born on 11 October, 1942, in Allahabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India, the son of Indian poet Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan. He was initially named Inquilab, inspired by the slogan used during the struggle for Indian independence, 'Iquilab Zindabad', but was re-named Amitabh, meaning 'the light that would never go off'. His mother Teji, a Sikh, had a keen interest in theatre and was also offered acting roles but chose domestic duties instead.

Amitabh, the eldest son - the younger being Ajitabh - studied at Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School, followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he majored in art. He then went on to study at Kirori Mal College in Delhi where he completed his degree as a Bachelor of Science and also obtained an MA. He started a job as a freight broker in Calcutta, but soon gave this up to pursue a film career.

His first film, Saath Hindustani (Seven Indians), released in 1969, was not a success, even though he received a National Film Award for Best Newcomer. This was followed by Anand. He went on to act in several other less successful films and also made a guest appearance in Guddi, which starred his future wife Jaya Bhaduri, and he also narrated Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Bawaarchi, again starring his future wife as well as Rajesh Khanna. He then appeared in Bombay to Goa with Aruna Irani and the comedian Mehmood. In 1974 he starred in Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (Food House and Clothing). Directed by Manoj Kumar, the film addressed honesty in the face of oppression and financial hardship. The film was a commercial success. But it was the later films which enabled Bachchan to consolidate his position in the industry.

In 1982 he suffered a potentially fatal intestinal injury during the filming of a fight scene in Manmohan Desai's Coolie, in which he was performing his own stunts. He was close to death and was in hospital for several months, during which time members of the public gathered outside the hospital to pray for him. In response to the huge publicity that the film received at the time, the director decided to change the ending as the original had the hero, played by Bachchan, dying. The film was eventually released in 1983.

Later Amitabh was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, which made him feel weak mentally and physically. He decided to retire from films and join politics and support his long-time friend, the late Rajiv Gandhi, elder son of Mrs Indira Gandhi and the grandson of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. However, this was short-lived and in 1987, he resigned after a scandal after a newspaper mentioned his name in connection with the 'Bofors Scandal'2. As a consequence there was legal action and his name was eventually cleared. In 1988 the superstar returned to acting and went on to set up his own company, ABCL.

Sholay

In the mid-1970s two more films were released that would raise the levels of Indian film-making - and both films starred Amitabh Bachchan.

The first of these was Sholay. Sholay means 'fire' [No. It means 'flames' or 'embers' ] and this is what this movie had. Directed by Ramesh Sippy, it is said to have been inspired by Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and its Hollywood remake, The Magnificent Seven.

Thakur, who is a land owner and a former decorated police officer, hires two small-time criminals, Jai and Veeru, to hunt down Gabbar Singh, a dacoit3. It's after their first encounter with the dacoit that Jai and Veeru find out that almost all of the former police officer's family had been killed by the dacoit. When the officer arrested them a long time ago, he had also arrested Gabbar Singh, but when the dacoit escaped he sought revenge by killing most of the members of the police officer's family. However, his daughter-in-law survives. The police officer chases Gabbar Singh but is trapped and has his hands cut off. Jai and Veeru decide not take the money the landowner has paid them, instead promising him that they will bring Gabbar Singh in - alive. In the end, Jai is killed in action. Veeru is about to take revenge for his friend's death when he is reminded of the promise made by the former, handless police officer, who decides to deal with the matter in his own way with some spiky shoes.

The film had a disastrous opening week and Ramesh Sippy called an emergency meeting with the writers Salim-Javed and Bachchan, who played Jai, to discuss pulling the film from the cinemas to re-edit it. But it was not to be as, the following week, people began flooding to the cinema. By the end of the month, the film was getting full houses. In 1980 Sholay was still being shown in cinemas and had gone on to break Mughal-E-Azam's record. In the 1990s one cinema in Mumbai was still showing it to full houses. People remembered the dialogue, the scenes, the songs and the villain Gabbar Singh, played by the late Amjad Khan. Sholay went on to break all box office records and set up a challenge for many other movies of the same genre.

Deewar

The 1970s would give Bachchan yet another memorable role - Yash Chopra's Deewar. Meaning 'The Wall', writing duo Salim-Javed were inspired by the life of a real notorious smuggler, Haji Mastan, who later reformed.

Vijay and Ravi, two brothers, react differently to their childhood humiliation and struggle after their father, a union leader who fights for workers rights, is wrongfully branded a thief and accused of surrendering the workers rights. Vijay, who sees his mother struggling after their father leaves them, is forced to have a tattoo on his hand that reads: 'My father is a thief.' As they grow up, Ravi, the younger one, becomes a police officer while Vijay, who stops believing in God, has been working on shipyards and at the docks in Bombay and fights physically for the workers, slowly descending into a world of criminality and becoming a wanted man. Ravi is asked to track down some criminals and finds out that at top of the wanted list is his brother. He then hands a piece of paper over to Vijay, asking him to sign it and to agree to reveal all his contacts. In the end Ravi, chasing his own brother, shoots and Vijay, wounded, walks into the temple, where he had arranged to meet their mother, and dies in her arms.

The movie, directed by Yash Chopra, was an instant success and for many, Bachchan was Vijay. The movie had some very emotional scenes, especially when Vijay and Ravi meet under a bridge they had slept under as children. Vijay, after revealing how much he owns compared to Ravi, asks him: 'What do you have?' The reply he receives is 'I have Mother'. When Ravi asks Vijay to sign the paper with all his contacts on Vijay explodes with anger and tells him: 'First of get those men who branded our father a thief, then get those men who forcefully had my arm tattooed "my father is a thief" and then ask me to sign such papers!'

Although the character of Vijay was inspired by the real smuggler Haji Mastaan, the writers had taken great care to punish the bad guy and denounce him repeatedly, while cleverly using hedonistic criminal life style to add glamour to the movie. This film was released at a delicate time in India's history. The then Indian Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi4, was under attack in the Supreme Court by opposing political forces and retaliated by declaring a national state of emergency. The film received a total of seven Filmfare Awards: Best Director, Best Story, Best Screenplay, Best Dialogue, Best Film, Best Supporting Actor (Shashi Kapoor) and Best Sound Recording. In 1975, as Bachchan was seen on screen beating up villains, a small-budget mythological film, reminding many of the roots of the film industry, was released in cinemas and went on to also be a success. The film was Jai Santoshi Maa.

Kabhi Kabhie

The year 1976 saw Bachchan in a different sort of role, in Yash Chopra's Kabhi Kabhie. An all-star cast included Shashi Kapoor, Rakhee Gulzar, Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Simi Garewall and Parikshit Sahni. But it also saw the return of Waheeda Rehman to the screen. The film was inspired by a poem composed by the lyricist Sahir Ludianvi, a friend of director Chopra.

Amit, a poet, falls in love with Pooja and the two plan to get married. But destiny had other plans for them and Pooja, unable to go against her parent’s wishes, marries another man, Vijay. Amit moves away from his poetry and marries another woman, Anjali, in an attempt to forget Pooja. But then another generation comes along and Pooja and Vijay's son, Vicky, falls in love with Pinky, daughter of Shobha and Dr RP, who are family doctors for Vijay and Pooja. Soon it's time for Cicky and Pooj to get married, when suddenly the story takes a sharp twist and Pinky is informed that she had been adopted when she was a baby.

Pinky, after arguing with her adopted parents and with Vicky, goes to Kashmir to find her mother who, it turns out, is Anjali, married to Amit and has a daughter as well. Vicky, in the meantime, also travels to the region in order to persuade Pinky not to dig up her past but it's too late.

The songs from the movie were released long time before the movie opened, and proved to be very popular. In countries such as Kenya, members of the Indian community would regularly phone local radio stations and request a song from the movie. Even in the UK, almost every Indian family had a vinyl record of the songs and many would play a cassette of this in their car whenever they could. During the shooting of the film, all the cast stayed together as a family and contributed to every aspect of the film; some even had their families staying with them and they were added in as extras in the wedding scenes. The film received a total of four Filmfare Awards: Best Lyricist, Best Music Director, Best Screenplay and Best Male Playback Singer.

Two other films were released later in the decade - Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977 and Trishul in 1978 - both starring Bachchan. The next decade - the 1980s - would see almost any type of film being produced and released.

What makes Amitabh Bachchan great?

20 reasons why we love Amitabh Bachchan

The Times of India

1. Baritone voice- Amitabh Bachchan is known for his baritone voice and although he was rejected by All India Radio as an RJ (Radio Jockey), this turned out to be a blessing for Bollywood. He's been a narrator (for Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari and the Oscar-winning French documentary March of the Penguins) and a playback singer (Sharaabi, Khuda Gawah, Paa. Kahaani, Bol Bachchan and Silsila to name a few).

2. Legendary actor- With a career spanning four decades, Amitabh Bachchan has worked with the best directors and co actors in the Indian film fraternity. He has award winning performances to his credit and his films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Namak Haraam, Deewar, Anand, Abhimaan, Sharaabi and Sholay watched till date. His hits like Agneepath and Don have been remade but none match the originals! He was the 'Superstar' of Indian cinema for a quarter century before his down fall.

3. Big come back- Kaun Banega Crorepati is said to be the saving grace in Amitabh Bachchan's career. At a time when he was in huge debt and forgotten by the industry, KBC's offering in 2000 came as a blessing! As KBC's host, he was an instant hit with masses! It reinstated his position and career and went on to recreate the phenomena called Amitabh Bachchan.

4. The best host on TV- His debut with Kaun Banega Crorepati as TV host brought him back to prominence. Now in its 6th season, no host has been as popular or loved by audiences as much as AB senior.

5. Fighter- During the shooting of Coolie in 1982, he had a near fatal accident while shooting a fight sequence with co-star Puneet Issar. He condition was termed critical and he spent many months in hospital. He was even close to death but chose to fight and with the well wishes of family and close friends, he bounced back to life. This was christened as his re-birth.

6. Professional- Come hail or storm, Amitabh Bachchan lives up to his commitments. Out of the many incidents, the particular one that comes to mind is during the shooting of the film Sharaabi where Amitabh Bachchan burnt his hands. But being the professional he is, he continued to shoot by putting his hand in his coat pocket which went on to become a fashion statement in itself!

7. Beyond regionalism- Amitabh Bachchan is promoting tourism for three states in India including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, [Odisha] and Kerala. This goes on to prove that the lad from Allahabad does not differentiate between different states and cultures. This is a sign of a genuine leader.

8. Dislikes term Bollywood- Big B dislikes the term Bollywood. In an interview given to a known media house, he went on to say that the word Bollywood sounded like an abuse and was demeaning to the Hindi film industry.

9. Social responsibility- Amitabh Bachchan has always been a conscientious citizen and his support for UNICEF`s Pulse Polio campaign had a huge impact on the country, eradicating polio to a large extent in India. He was also the face of 'Save Our Tigers' campaign that promoted the importance of tiger conservation in India. As the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, he's promoted different themes through the seasons including the latest, "Sirf gyan hi aapko aapka haq dilata hai". All his efforts are truly lauded.

10. Generous- It is a known fact that Big B worked for free for friend Shashi Kapoor's directorial debut, Ajooba. Rohit Shetty had also said in an interview that Big B had really helped him when his father had passed away. It was his friendship with Rajiv Gandhi that prompted him to run for a seat in the Congres from his hometown. Even in KBC, as a host, he is always worried about contestants choosing the wrong answer and always asks them to re think before locking their answer. This has changed the decisions of many contestants who have gone on to become crorepatis.

11. Dialogue delivery- Amitabh's dialogue delivery renders audiences speechless. From "Rishtey mein to hum tumhare Baap lagte hain, Naam hai Shahenshah" to "Don ka intezaar to 11 mulko ki police kar rahi hai, par don ko pakadna muskil hi nahi namumkin hai" dialogues form the USPs of his films.

12. Humility-As the Shahenshah of Bollywood who has been in the film industry for four decades, Big B is as humble as one can be. Whether it's with his co-stars, junior actors, newcomers, audiences and fans, he greets all of them equally! He has also taken the ups and downs of life with grace and challenged them, and never let success or failure change him as a person.

13. Superstar- After Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan was the second superstar of the country. But with the sad demise of Kaka (Rajesh Khanna), Big B recently Tweeted, "The word 'superstar' was invented for him, and for me it shall ever remain his and no others". We appreciate the humility.

14. Dislikes the term Bollywood- Big B dislikes the term Bollywood. In an interview given to a known media house, he went on to say that the word Bollywood sounded like an abuse and was demeaning to the Hindi film industry.

15. Adapting to young directors- Big B is known to work well with the new age directors without meddling in their affairs. He's known to respect their art and craft and has worked wonderfully well with directors like Karan Johar, Shaad Ali, Apoorva Lakhia, Samir Karnik, Farhan Akhtar and Kaizad Gustad.

16. A global citizen- He was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville in 2003. He was also honoured with an Honorary Doctorate from the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire, UK, the De Montfort University in Leicester, UK and the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.

17. His chemistry with Rekha- His onscreen chemistry with co-actor Rekha sparked of many rumours that went on to link the two together. Big B was married to Jaya Bachchan then and the iconic film 'Silsila' is said to be inspired by this love triangle. Rekha and Amitabh were seen together in films like Do Anjaane, Silsila, Suhaag, Muqaddar ka Sikandar and Mr. Natwarlal. Till date, the camera pans on Amitabh and Rekha at all award functions.

18. International superstar- France's highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour was conferred on him in 2007. He was also voted as the "greatest star of stage or screen" in a BBC Your Millennium online poll in 1999. It was in the same year that Big B was voted for the Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival in Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema. He also won the Lifetime Achievement Award at Asian Film Awards in 2010.

19. Highest Awards and honours- Filmfare awards, National awards, Wax Statue at London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Honorary doctorates, the Knight of the Legion of Honour. Phew! This list can go on and on.

20. Awe inspiring energy- It's amazing the amount of work that Mr. Bachchan can do with multiple shoots, endorsements and various other commitments. Actor Ajay Devgn claims that it was Big B's energy that motivated him to shoot even when he was unwell. "I was unwell and we started shooting for Bol Bachchan song with Mr. Bachchan. When I reached the sets, I had no energy to shoot but I saw Mr. Bachchan being energetic on the sets even though he was not in the pink of health. In fact, people told him not to strain too much as he was not keeping well, but Amitji continued to shoot. It motivated me so much that even I completed the shoot without any complain," says Ajay. Adding, "At this age if he can be so hard working, why can't we? He is surely a source of inspiration".

The late 1960s: wanting to be a radio announcer

When Ameen Sayani shattered Big B's dream of becoming RJ

PTI | Jun 10, 2014

Very few are aware that megastar Amitabh Bachchan had nurtured a dream of becoming a radio presenter before trying his luck in Bollywood and even visited Mumbai studio Of All India Radio for auditions.

The versatile radio announcer Ameen Sayani, who is back on Radio with his new show 'Sitaron ki Jawaniyaan', has revealed that he did not have time to meet him as the actor had not taken an appointment for a voice audition.

"It was somewhere in late 60s when I used to do 20 shows a week, spending most of the day locked up in the sound studio as I was involved in the every process of radio programming. One day, a young man named Amitabh Bachchan walked in without appointment for a voice audition.

"I had not a second to spare for this thin man. He waited and left and came back a few more times. But I could not see him and kept telling him through my receptionist to take an appointment and come," Sayani told in an interview.

Sayani, 81 in 2014, got to know later that it was the 'Sholay' star who used to come to his office for the auditions.

When Sayani watched 'Anand' (1971), where Bachchan starred opposite Rajesh Khanna at a trial show, he was bowled over by the persona and voice of Big B without knowing he was the same person who had come for the audition.

"Bachchan had come as chief guest for an award function and he spoke about his struggling days when he had gone thrice to a radio station and was not even allowed to sit for an audition. I was shocked to hear that. Later, when I interviewed him we spoke about this at length and laughed on it," Sayani remembers.

Filmography

As an actor

1969 Saat Hindustani

1971 Anand

1971 Parwana

1971 Pyar Ki Kahani

1971 Sanjog

1972 Bansi Birju

1972 Bawarchi

1972 Bombay to Goa

1972 Ek Nazar

1972 Garam Masala

1972 Jaban

1972 Piya Ka Ghar

1972 Raaste Kaa Patthar

1972 Reshma Aur Shera

1973 Abhimaan

1973 Bandhe Haath

1973 Gehri Chaal

1973 Namak Haraam

1973 Saudagar

1973 Zanjeer

1974 Benaam

1974 Dost

1974 Kasauti

1974 Kunwara Baap

1974 Majboor

1974 Roti Kapada Aur Makaan

1975 Chupke Chupke

1975 Deewaar

1975 Faraar

1975 Mili

1975 Sholay

1975 Zameer

1976 Aadalat

1976 Balika Badhu

1976 Do Anjaane

1976 Hera Pheri

1976 Kabhie Kabhie

1977 Alaap

1977 Amar Akbar Anthony

1977 Besharam

1977 Charandas

1977 Immaan Dharam

1977 Khoon Pasina

1977 Parvarish

1977 Shatranj Ke Khilari

1978 Don

1978 Ganga Ki Saugand

1978 Kasme Vaade

1978 Muqaddar Ka Sikandar

1978 Trishul

1979 Jurmana

1979 Kaala Patthar

1979 Manzil

1979 Mr. Natwarlal

1979 Suhaag

1979 The Great Gambler

1980 Do Aur Do Paanch

1980 Dostana

1980 Shaan

1980 Ram Balram

1981 Barsaat Ki Ek Raat

1981 Commander

1981 Kaalia

1981 Laawaris

1981 Naseeb

1981 Silsila

1981 Walayati Babu

1981 Yaarana

1982 Bemisal

1982 Desh Premee

1982 Khud-Daar

1982 Namak Halaal

1982 Satte Pe Satta

1982 Shakti

1983 Andhaa Kanoon

1983 Mahaan

1983 Nastik

1983 Pukar

1983 Coolie

1984 Inquilaab

1984 Kanoon Kya Karega

1984 Paan khaye Saiyan Hamaar

1984 Sharaabi

1985 Geraftaar

1985 Ghulami

1985 Mard

1986 Aakhree Raasta

1988 Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi

1988 Shahenshah

1988 Soorma Bhopali

1989 Batwara

1989 Jaadugar

1989 Main Azaad Hoon

1989 Toofan

1990 Aaj Ka Arjun

1990 Agneepath

1991 Ajooba

1991 Akayla

1991 Hum

1991 Indrajeet

1992 Zulm Ki Hukumat

1993 Khuda Gawah

1994 Akka

1994 Insaniyat

1996 Tere Mere Sapne

1997 Mrityudaata

1998 Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

1998 Hero Hindustani

1998 Major Saab

1999 Hello Brother

1999 Hindustan Ki Kasam

1999 Kohram

1999 Lal Baadshah

1999 Sooryavansham

2000 Mohabbatein

2001 Aks

2001 Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love

2001 Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...

2001 Kaun Banega Crorepati Junior (TV Series)

2001 Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

2002 Aankhen

2002 Agnivarsha: The Fire and the Rain

2002 Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin

2002 Kaante

2003 Armaan

2003 Baghban

2003 Fun2shh... Dudes in the10th Century

2003 Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost

2003 Boom

2003 Khushi

2004 Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo

2004 Aetbaar

2004 Deewaar: Let's Bring Our Heroes Home

2004 Dev

2004 Hum Kaun Hai?

2004 Insaaf: The Justice

2004 Khakee

2004 Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...

2004 Lakshya

2004 Rudraksh

2004 Veer-Zaara

2005 Black

2005 Bunty Aur Babli

2005 Dil Jo Bhi Kahey...

2005 Ek Ajnabee

2005 Paheli

2005 Parineeta

2005 Sarkar

2005 Viruddh... Family Comes First

2005 Waqt: The Race Against Time

2006 Baabul

2006 Darna Zaroori Hai

2006 Family: Ties of Blood

2006 Ganga

2006 Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

2007 Cheeni Kum

2007 Ek Krantiveer: Vasudev Balwant Phadke

2007 Eklavya: The Royal Guard

2007 Gangotri

2007 Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

2007 Nishabd

2007 Ram Gopal Varma's Indian Flames

2007 Shootout at Lokhandwala

2007 Swami

2007 The Last Lear

2008 Bhoothnath

2008 God Tussi Great Ho

2008 Jodhaa Akbar

2008 Sarkar Raj

2008 Yaar Meri Zindagi

2009 Aladin

2009 Delhi-6

2009 Paa

2009 Zor Lagaa Ke... Haiya! (voice)

2010 Kandahar

2010 Rann

2010 Teen Patti

2011 Aarakshan

2011 Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap

2012 Bol Bachchan

2012 Department

2012 English Vinglish

2012 Ganga Devi

2013 Krrish 3

2013 Mahabharat

2013 The Great Gatsby

2013 Zamaanat

2013 Boss

2013 Satyagraha

2014 Bhoothnath Returns

2014 Manam