Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan has been married to actress Jaya Bachchan since 1973. They have two children, Shweta Bachchan-Nanda and actor Abhishek Bachchan.

His parents were poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. His family also includes his grandchildren Aaradhya Bachchan, Navya Naveli Nanda, and Agastya Nanda. His daughter-in-law is actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Bachchan began his professional life as a business executive in Calcutta and performed in theatre before pursuing films. His deep baritone voice helped him obtain narration and voice-over work, including on Bhuvan Shome and Bawarchi. He made his film debut in Saat Hindustani in 1969 and received his first Filmfare Award for his supporting performance in Anand in 1971.

His early career included a series of box-office failures, and he considered leaving acting after 11 unsuccessful films. His breakthrough came with Zanjeer in 1973, which established him as a major Hindi film star. He then appeared in successful films such as Deewaar, Sholay, Trishul, and Don.

Bachchan's rise was closely associated with the screenwriting partnership of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, known together as Salim-Javed. Their scripts helped shape the brooding, defiant “angry young man” character that became central to his image. He also demonstrated a wide range in films such as the comedy Chupke Chupke, the romance Kabhi Kabhie, the crime caper Hera Pheri, and the drama Amar Akbar Anthony.

In Sholay (1975), Bachchan played Jai, a former criminal hired to help capture the bandit Gabbar Singh. Dharmendra played his partner Veeru, while Jaya Bachchan played Radha, Jai's tragic romantic interest. Bachchan's restrained performance and his character's friendship with Veeru made him the emotional center of the film.

The success of Sholay helped Bachchan's fame surpass that of the rest of the cast and cemented his status as one of India's leading stars. The film remained the highest-grossing Hindi film for 19 years and became a landmark of Indian cinema.

Bachchan frequently worked with major contemporary actors, including Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor, and Rishi Kapoor. His performances combined action, drama, romance, comedy, singing, and dancing, while his characters were often named Vijay.

Bachchan entered politics in 1984 and was elected to India's parliament from Allahabad as a Congress party candidate. He resigned his seat in 1989. During this period and afterward, his film career went through a prolonged slump, although films such as Shahenshah and Hum were successful.

He established Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd. as an entertainment company involved in film production, distribution, and event management. The company organized the 1996 Miss World pageant in Bengaluru and produced the sitcom Dekh Bhai Dekh, but it later went bankrupt. Bachchan's return film, Mrityudaata, was unsuccessful, while Bade Miyan Chote Miyan helped restore his commercial standing.

His renewed success came with Mohabbatein in 2000 and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... in 2001. He won National Film Awards for Agneepath, Black, Paa, and Piku, making him the only Indian star to win the award for Best Actor four times. He also made his Hollywood debut as Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby in 2013.

He hosted a season of Bigg Boss in 2009 and played the lead in the miniseries Yudh in 2014. His later films include Piku, Pink, Uunchai, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva, and Kalki 2898 AD.