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| Real Name | Amitabh Harivansh Rai Shrivastava |
| Nickname | Munna, Big B, Angry Young Man, AB Sr., Amith, Shahenshah of Bollywood |
| Profession(s) | Actor, TV Host, Former Politician |
| Birthplace | Allahabad, United Provinces, British India (now, Uttar Pradesh, India) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Libra |
| Age (as in 2019) | 77 Years |
| Signature |  |
| Date of Birth | 11 October 1942 |
| Hometown | Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| School(s) | Jnana Pramodhini, Boys High School, Allahabad |
| College | • Sherwood College, Nainital, India • Government College Sector- 11, Chandigarh (attended for only 25 days) • Kirori Mal College, New Delhi, India |
| Educational Qualification | Bachelor of Science |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Kayastha |
| Address | Jalsa, B/2, Kapol Housing Society, VL Mehta Road, Juhu, Mumbai – 400049, Maharashtra, India |
| Hobbies | Singing, Blogging, Reading |
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| Height (Centi.) (approx.) | 188 cm |
| Height (meters) | 1.88 m |
| Height (feet) | 6’ 2” |
| Weight (Kilograms)(approx.) | 77 kg |
| Weight (Pounds) | 170 pounds |
| Biceps (approx.) | 13 Inches |
| Waist’s Size (approx.) | 32 inches |
| Chest (approx.) | 40 inches |
| Hair Color | Salt & Pepper |
| Eye’s Color | Dark Brown |
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| Debut | • Bollywood Film- Saat Hindustani (1969) • Hollywood Film- The Great Gatsby (2013)  • As A Producer- Tere Mere Sapne (1996)  • Television- Kaun Banega Crorepati - KBC (2000)  |
| Awards/Honours | Civilian Awards 1984: Padma Shri by the Government of India 2001: Padma Bhushan by the Government of India  2007: Knight of the Legion of Honour (France's highest civilian honour from the Government of France) 2015: Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India 2009: Best Actor for Paa 2015: Best Actor for Piku 2019: Dadasaheb Phalke Award  |
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| Father Name | Father- Harivansh Rai Bachchan (Hindi Poet) Mother- Teji Bachchan, Shyama (Step-mother)  |
| Children | Son- Abhishek Bachchan (Actor) Daughter- Shweta Bachchan Nanda  |
| Daughter-in-law | Aishwarya Rai (Actress) |
| Brother’s Name | Ajitabh Bachchan (Younger, Businessman) |
| Sisters | None |
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| Marital Status | Married |
| Ex-Girlfriends | • Parveen Babi (Indian Actress) • Rekha (Indian Actress)  • Jaya Bhaduri (Indian Politician & Former Indian Actress) |
| Wife/Spouse | Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan |
| Marriage Date | 3 June 1973 |
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| Net Worth | $400 million; Rs. 2800 Crores (as in 2019) |
| Salary (approx.) | Rs. 20 Crores/film |
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| Favourite Food(s) | Bhindi Sabzi, Jalebi, Kheer, Gulab Jamun |
| Favourite Actor(s) | Dilip Kumar |
| Favourite Actress | Waheeda Rehman |
| Favourite Film | Bollywood- Kagaz Ke Phool, Ganga Jamuna, Pyasa Hollywood- Gone With The Wind, Godfather, Black, Scarface |
| Favourite Singer(s) | Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar |
| Favourite Music Instrument | Sarod |
| Favourite Colour(s) | White |
| Favourite Perfume | Lomani |
| Favourite Sport | Cricket, Lawn Tennis |
| Favourite Tennis Player | Novak Djokovic |
| Favourite Football Club | Chelsea |
| Favourite Destination(s) | London, Switzerland, Saint Petersburg |
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| Cars Collection | Bentley Arnage R, Bentley Continental GT, Lexus LX 470, Mercedes-Benz SL 500 AMG, Porche Cayman S, Range Rover SUV, Mini Cooper, Rolls Royce Phantom, Toyota Land Cruiser, BMW 760Li, BMW X5, Mercedes Benz S320, Mercedes Benz S600, Mercedes Benz E240 |
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| Controversies | • His name appeared in the Bofors scandal in which he was later declared not-guilty. • He was indicted for submitting false documents to prove that he is a farmer. • Stardust imposed a 15-years ban on him during his peak acting years. According to his blog, he brought the idea of National Emergency and ban on Media. So, media took that otherwise and banned Amitabh Bachchan: means no interviews, no mention or pictures, etc. • In 1996, he had to face a legal battle for organizing Miss World competition inappropriately. |
Amitabh Bachchan: Lesser known facts
- Does Amitabh Bachchan smoke?: No (quit smoking in the early 1980s)
- Does Amitabh Bachchan drink alcohol?: No (quit drinking in the early 1980s)
- His forefathers belonged to the village- Babupatti of Pratapgarh District in Uttar Pradesh.
- His mother, Teji Bachchan, was a Sikh and hailed from Lyallpur (now, in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan).
- His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a renowned Hindi Poet.
- Initially, he was named- ‘Inquilab,’ but after the suggestion of Sumitranandan Pant (a fellow poet of Harivansh Rai Bachchan), it was changed to ‘Amitabh,’ which means- ‘The light that will never die.’
- Although his real surname is ‘Srivastava,’ his father replaced it with ‘Bachchan, because his father Harivansh Rai abandoned the surname ‘Shrivastava’ to protest against the caste system in India.
- His mother had interest in theatres and was even offered a feature film role, which she denied later and preferred her domestic duties.
- During his college days, he used to act in plays.
- When he was young, he wanted to become an engineer and was eager to join the Indian Air Force.
- During his college days, he was a good athlete and won the 100, 200 and 400-metre races. At the Sherwood in Nainital, he also won a Boxing Championship.
- In 1983, his left hand was burnt during Diwali.
- Amitabh, known for his Baritone voice, was once rejected by All India Radio.
- Before making his acting debut in “Saat Hindustani,” he made his film debut as a voice narrator in the National Award winning film- “Bhuvan Shome” (1969) by Mrinal Sen.
- For his role as a doctor in the 1971 film- Anand, he got his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
- He shared the screen with his future wife Jaya Bhaduri for the first time in the film- Guddi (1971); in which he made a guest appearance.
- He rose to stardom after the 1973 film- Zanjeer by Prakash Mehra; in which he played the role of Inspector Vijay Khanna. This film gave him the nickname- Angry Young Man, his performance in the film is also considered one of the most iconic performances in the history of Bollywood.
- Before the success of ‘Zanjeer,’ he was a part of 12 consecutive flop films.
- Mehmood Bhai was among the early contributors to my career graph, he having faith from day one in me, much against the wishes and comments of naysayers. For some peculiar reason he would address me as Danger Diabolic, and was the first producer to give me a lead role ? Bombay to Goa, a remake of a Tamil hit ‘Madras to Pondicherry.”
- Reportedly, he was paid Rs. 1 lakh for his role of Jai in the iconic Indian film- Sholay (1975).
- On 26 July 1982, he suffered a near-fatal injury while filming Coolie at the University Campus in Bangalore. He was also declared clinically dead for 11 minutes by the doctors till they plunged adrenaline injections into his chest saving his life.
- After the Coolie incident, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis (a long-term neuromuscular disease that leads to varying degrees of muscle weakness).
- In 2017, during one of the episodes of “Kaun Banega Crorepati” (KBC), he spoke about his tryst with Hepatitis B. He said that he had lost 75% of his liver due to late diagnosis of the disease, which he contracted through a blood transfusion after the Coolie accident. He also said that he was infected with Tuberculosis (TB) on the set of KBC in 2000. However, after proper treatment, he is now free from Tuberculosis (TB). Amitabh was also appointed the UNICEF ambassador of the hepatitis B awareness campaign.
- In 1984, he took a break from acting and entered politics to support his friend Rajiv Gandhi. He also contested for the Allahabad seat in the 8th Lok Sabha elections against H.N. Bahuguna and won with the highest victory margin in the history of the general elections (68.2% of the vote).
- After 3 years in politics, he resigned, calling politics a cesspool.
- Reportedly, when his company- ABCL (Amitabh Bachchan Corporation) failed, his friend, Amar Singh, had helped him financially, following which, Amitabh started to support Amar Singh and his party- Samajwadi Party.
- He won his First National Film Award for the Best Actor for his role as a Mafia Don in the 1990 film- Agneepath.
- After the box-office failure of his film- Insaniyat (1994), he didn’t appear in any film for 5 years.
- In 1996, he formed his film production company- Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL). ABCL was also the main sponsor of the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant at Bangalore but lost millions.
- His career and fame were revived in 2000 when he made his television debut with a game show- Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
- In June 2000, he became the First living Asian whose statue was modelled at the London’s Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
- He can write evenly well with both of his hands.
- On 24 September 2019, the Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced through a tweet that Mr. Bachchan would be conferred the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award. The award came in the year that marked Mr. Bachchan’s golden jubilee in cinema since his debut in 1969 with Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’ Saat Hindustani. Interestingly, the Dadasaheb Phalke award itself was first presented in the year of Mr. Bachchan’s debut. It was introduced by the government in 1969 to commemorate the “father of Indian cinema” who directed Raja Harischandra(1913), India’s first feature film, and it was awarded for the first time to Devika Rani, “the first lady of Indian cinema.”
- When a KBC contestant asked him about his real name, he shared an interesting story behind his name. He said, during Quit India Movement in 1942 (his birth year), people used to organize rallies. His mother Teji Bachchan, who was eight-month pregnant at that time, joined one of the rallies. Unable to find her at the house, the family members got worried and searched for her at the rally. When they brought her back, one of Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s friends joked about Teji Bachchan’s patriotism and said that the baby (Amitabh Bachchan) should be named Inquilab. He added that later his father’s close friend Sumitra Nandan Pant, who visited the family on the same day Big B was born, came up with the name Amitabh.
