Skip to main content

Amitabh Bachchan Biography Quotes 6 Report mistakes

6 Quotes
Occup.Actor
FromIndia
BornOctober 11, 1942
Age83 years
Early Life and Family
Amitabh Bachchan was born on October 11, 1942, in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh, into a household steeped in letters and public life. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a celebrated Hindi poet associated with the Chhayavaad movement and known worldwide for Madhushala, and his mother, Teji Bachchan, was a Punjabi Sikh who engaged in theatre and social work. The family adopted the pen name Bachchan as a surname, a choice that would become emblematic in Indian culture. He grew up alongside his younger brother, Ajitabh, and received schooling at Sherwood College in Nainital before graduating from Kirori Mal College at the University of Delhi. Before films, he worked briefly in Kolkata in the corporate sector and, in an oft-recounted turn of fate, was rejected by All India Radio for his baritone voice that later became his signature.

Entry into Cinema
Amitabh arrived in Bombay cinema in the late 1960s, making his debut with Khwaja Ahmad Abbas's Saat Hindustani (1969). His early breakthrough came as the introspective friend in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Anand (1971), opposite Rajesh Khanna, a role that earned him widespread notice. Over several collaborations with Mukherjee, including Abhimaan (1973) and Mili (1975) with Jaya Bhaduri, he began shaping an on-screen persona that combined sensitivity with simmering intensity. His resonant voice found parallel expression as a narrator for distinguished works, including Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977), a precursor to later voiceovers such as Lagaan (2001).

Rise of the Angry Young Man
The early 1970s ushered in a new social mood in India, and writers Salim-Javed crystallized that sentiment in characters that Amitabh embodied. Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer (1973) exploded on the screen, replacing the reigning romantic idiom with moral fury and a sparse stoicism. In Deewaar (1975), directed by Yash Chopra, he gave perhaps the quintessential portrayal of the disillusioned urban proletarian. Ramesh Sippy's Sholay (1975), with Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Sanjeev Kumar, Jaya Bhaduri, and Amjad Khan, cemented him as a star of unrivaled magnetism. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a torrent of successful films with directors Manmohan Desai and Mehra, including Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978), Trishul (1978), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), and Kaala Patthar (1979). He showed range in romances like Kabhi Kabhie (1976) and in the father-son confrontation of Shakti (1982) opposite Dilip Kumar. Frequent co-stars included Shashi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Parveen Babi, and Smita Patil, while veteran screen presences like Pran and Amjad Khan sharpened his conflicts on screen.

Stardom, Vulnerability, and Return
At the height of his popularity, tragedy struck on the set of Coolie (1983) when a stunt accident left him critically injured. The nation followed his recovery with fervent prayers, and his eventual return further deepened his bond with audiences. The mid-1980s also saw experiments with genre and tone, and although he remained the industry's central figure, the landscape was shifting. In 1984 he briefly entered politics, winning a parliamentary seat from Allahabad with the support of family friend Rajiv Gandhi, only to resign in 1987. After a partial hiatus from acting, he returned in the late 1980s with films such as Shahenshah (1988) and in 1990 delivered a stark, acclaimed performance in Agneepath, a role that would be enshrined among his career landmarks.

Enterprise, Setback, and Reinvention
In the mid-1990s, he founded Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd. (ABCL), seeking to build a modern Indian entertainment conglomerate. The venture ran into severe financial difficulties, and a string of underperforming films compounded the pressure. His return to acting with Mrityudaata (1997) did not reverse the trend. Reinvention came decisively with Yash Raj Films' Mohabbatein (2000), where Aditya Chopra positioned him as a dignified patriarch opposite Shah Rukh Khan, and on television with Kaun Banega Crorepati from 2000, which transformed Indian prime time and restored his household ubiquity. After a season hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, he resumed anchoring KBC in 2010, continuing for multiple seasons and redefining the place of cinema stars on Indian television.

Mature Roles and New Collaborations
The 2000s and 2010s witnessed a renaissance. He headlined and enriched ensembles in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) for Karan Johar and delivered tender gravitas in Baghban (2003). With Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005), Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar (2005), and Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli (2005), he showed startling versatility. He took risks with Cheeni Kum (2007), incarnated unusual physicality in Paa (2009), partnered with Shoojit Sircar on Piku (2015) and Gulabo Sitabo (2020), brought courtroom conscience to Pink (2016) with director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, and worked with Sujoy Ghosh on Badla (2019). He made a brief Hollywood appearance in The Great Gatsby (2013) and joined Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra Part One: Shiva (2022). Directors and composers from across generations, from Yash Chopra and R.D. Burman to Vishal-Shekhar and Amit Trivedi, found in him a performer able to bridge eras.

Personal Life and Collaborators
Amitabh married Jaya Bhaduri in 1973, an artist of formidable talent and a key collaborator in films like Abhimaan, Zanjeer, Mili, and Sholay. They have two children: Shweta Bachchan Nanda, who later married Nikhil Nanda, linking the family to the Kapoor lineage through Ritu Nanda, and Abhishek Bachchan, an actor who has worked alongside his father in films including Sarkar and Bunty Aur Babli. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek's spouse, joined the family as an internationally recognized actor. Amitabh's on-screen pairing with Rekha produced enduring classics and public fascination, while long-standing friendships and professional bonds with colleagues such as Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, and Vinod Khanna marked an era of ensemble excellence. His relationship to his father's poetry is a constant presence; he has recited and recorded verses, and contributed to popular music with songs like Rang Barse from Silsila.

Voice, Public Presence, and Health
His baritone voice has been central to his identity, used to narrate epics, documentaries, and film prologues with unmistakable authority. Beyond cinema, he has been a visible public figure in national causes, notably as an ambassador for polio eradication, tuberculosis awareness, and civic campaigns. Health challenges revealed a private resilience: he survived the Coolie accident, disclosed a battle with myasthenia gravis, lived for years with the consequences of a hepatitis B infection reportedly contracted during transfusions, and recovered after a COVID-19 diagnosis in 2020. His daily writings online and sustained engagement with audiences across platforms testify to a discipline and curiosity that have kept him relevant.

Awards and Honors
Amitabh Bachchan's body of work has been recognized with some of India's highest honors. The Government of India conferred on him the Padma Shri (1984), Padma Bhushan (2001), and Padma Vibhushan (2015). He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Indian cinema's highest laurel for lifetime contribution, in 2019. Internationally, he has been honored by France with the Legion of Honour. Among numerous competitive awards, his performances in Agneepath, Black, Paa, and Piku earned him multiple National Film Awards for Best Actor, while Filmfare and other guild recognitions span decades and genres. In a turn that captured public imagination, a BBC poll at the century's cusp named him "Star of the Millennium", a popular accolade that reflected his global fan base.

Legacy and Influence
Amitabh Bachchan's journey mirrors the transitions of Hindi cinema: from the moral certainties of early post-independence storytelling, through the rebellious syntax of the 1970s, to the multiplex era's layered character studies. The "Angry Young Man" archetype conceived by Salim-Javed, realized by directors like Prakash Mehra, Manmohan Desai, Yash Chopra, and Ramesh Sippy, and animated by co-actors including Shashi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rekha, and Smita Patil, reshaped how Indian films imagined masculinity, justice, and social aspiration. His later work with filmmakers such as Aditya Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ram Gopal Varma, Shoojit Sircar, Sujoy Ghosh, and Ayan Mukerji demonstrated a willingness to evolve, mentoring younger ensembles while guarding the craft's classic virtues.

The constellation of people around him, from parents Harivansh Rai and Teji Bachchan, to partner Jaya Bachchan, to children Shweta and Abhishek, to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the extended film fraternity, illuminates a life lived at the intersection of art, family, and public service. Across more than five decades, Amitabh Bachchan has remained a North Star for Indian popular culture, an exemplar of reinvention, and a performer whose voice, presence, and discipline continue to shape the grammar of stardom in South Asia and beyond.

Our collection contains 6 quotes who is written by Amitabh, under the main topics: Faith - Life - Work - Humility - Vacation.

6 Famous quotes by Amitabh Bachchan