ACTOR
Amitabh Bachchan
251 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (251)
- #001
In a BBC News poll, Amitabh Bachchan was named Male Actor of the Millennium, ahead of leading names such as Charles Chaplin, Sir Laurence Olivier and Marlon Brando.
- #002
Amitabh Bachchan became the first Asian actor to have a wax figure of himself displayed at Madame Tussaud's in London, England.
- #003
According to the Indian trade magazine's box-office figures, the trend of early-morning shows and advance bookings in Indian cinemas began in the mid-1970s because of the craze for Amitabh Bachchan's films. Although ticket windows normally opened at 11 a.m., crowds began queuing from as early as 5 a.m. Queues for Amitabh Bachchan's films stretched as far as 2-3 kilometres and caused traffic jams on the roads. The frenzy among the crowds was so great that police often had to be called in to manage them. Such demand for a star's film had never been seen before and has not been seen since.
- #004
At the age of 58, Amitabh Bachchan jumped from a height of 30 feet for the 2001 film Aks (2001), alongside lead actor Manoj Bajpai.
- #005
Amitabh Bachchan hates the word Bollywood, which defines the Indian film industry.
- #006
On 31 October 2006, Amitabh Bachchan shocked the crew of the upcoming film Shootout at Lokhandwala by shooting 23 scenes in 5 hours. Achieving this feat was unheard of.
- #007
While he was trying to take a break from films, Amitabh Bachchan was told to soften his 'deep' voice. It soon became clear, however, that his deep, rich voice was perfect for narration. He went on to narrate many films.
- #008
Amitabh Bachchan became the first Indian actor to be paid more than Rs 1 million for a film. Until the 1990s, Amitabh Bachchan was the only star paid in crores.
- #009
Amitabh Bachchan's favourite screen name is Vijay, which he has used as a character name in more than 20 films.
- #010
While shooting Coolie (1983), Amitabh Bachchan suffered a near-fatal injury. He was taken to hospital, and the Indian press issued daily bulletins about his health.
- #011
After a near-fatal accident while shooting Coolie (1983), in which he suffered internal bleeding and needed 17 bottles of blood, Amitabh Bachchan became a champion of encouraging more people to donate blood.
- #012
Amitabh Bachchan holds two M.A. (Master of Arts) degrees.
- #013
In the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Amitabh Bachchan is the answer to Jamal's first question in the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Kaun Banega Crorepati? (2000)). The question was: who was the star of the 1973 hit film Zanjeer (1973)? Through Jamal's flashbacks, we see Amitabh Bachchan at work.
- #014
Amitabh Bachchan works with the Indian government's media campaign to publicise National Immunisation Days and encourage people to have their children vaccinated against polio and other deadly diseases.
- #015
Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar are the only Bollywood stars to have had the highest box-office earnings in India's Best Actors rankings for 16 consecutive years (from 1976 to 1991 and from 1948 to 1963 respectively).
- #016
Amitabh Bachchan suffered from a rare muscle disorder known as myasthenia gravis.
- #017
Amitabh Bachchan played dual roles in Adalat (1976), Don (1978), Kasme Vaade (1978), The Great Gambler (1979), Desh Premee (1982), Satte Pe Satta (1982), Aakhree Raasta (1986), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Lal Baadshah (1999) and Sooryavansham (1999). Mahaan (1983) saw him take on a triple role.
- #018
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya married a month before Abhimaan was released. During the shooting of Zanjeer, the cast and crew had decided to travel abroad if the film was a success. Since this was Amitabh and Jaya's first trip together, he asked permission from his father, the poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan. His father asked whether Jaya would be going too. When Amitabh answered yes, he was told to marry her before leaving the country.
- #019
Before settling on Amitabh, which means 'limitless brilliance', his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan had considered naming him 'Inquilab' (meaning 'revolution').
- #020
When Puneet Issar punched him on the set of Coolie, Amitabh Bachchan first bowed before the entire crew for a perfect shot, then minutes later collapsed outside in pain.
- #021
Amitabh Bachchan formed a popular on-screen pair with Rekha.
- #022
Amitabh Bachchan was one of the jury members of the 1995 Miss World beauty pageant.
- #023
Amitabh Bachchan is the son of the famous Indian poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who died in January 2003.
- #024
Singer Sudesh Bhonsle lends his voice to Amitabh Bachchan's songs in many films.
- #025
In 1984, Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the Padma Shri Award by the Government of India for his exceptional contribution to the Indian film industry.
- #026
Amitabh Bachchan won the National Award for Best Newcomer for the film Saat Hindustani (1969).
- #027
Amitabh Bachchan's daughter Shweta is married to Nikhil Nanda, a grandson of Raj Kapoor. (Raj Kapoor's daughter Ritu took the Nanda surname when she married Rajan).
- #028
Amitabh Bachchan won the National Award for Best Actor four times, for the films 'AGNEEPATH', 'BLACK', 'PAA' and 'PIKU'.
- #029
Amitabh Bachchan was the biggest star of Indian cinema in the 1970s and 1980s.
- #030
In 1997, Amitabh Bachchan became a grandfather when his daughter Shweta gave birth to a baby girl named Navya Naveli Nanda.
- #031
Amitabh Bachchan's favourite actor is the Megastar Dilip Kumar.
- #032
Amitabh Bachchan's favourite actress is the Megastar Waheeda Rehman.
- #033
Amitabh Bachchan did a screen test for a film on the set of the 1969 film Sajan. This was before Bachchan had signed any film. The screen test was arranged by Nargis Dutt.
- #034
Amitabh Bachchan was the highest-paid Indian actor from the late 1970s until 1992.
- #035
By 1984, only 13 films had been classified by Trade as "All time earners" (films that crossed the 1 crore mark in every region); nine of them starred Amitabh Bachchan in the lead - Sholay (1975), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Deewaar (1975), Laawaris (1981), Suhaag (1979), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Andhaa Kaanoon (1983), Coolie (1983) and Naseeb (1981). The other films were Jai Santoshi Maa (1975), Dharam Veer (1977), Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981) and Kranti (1981). The 1 crore mark was regarded as the magic reference point for films of the 70s and 80s, and Amitabh Bachchan is the only star whose films consistently crossed the 1 crore threshold in every major region across India.
- #036
Amitabh Bachchan's mother, Teji Bachchan, died on 22 December 2007 at Lilavati Hospital in Maharashtra, Mumbai, India, at the age of 93, after a long illness.
- #037
As of 2008, Amitabh Bachchan was the highest-grossing Indian film star of all time, with cumulative box office earnings of over Rs 3,700 crore according to trade figures. (India Today - 29 May 2008).
- #038
In 1969, Amitabh Bachchan was engaged to a British Airways air hostess. Her name was Maya.
- #039
Amitabh Bachchan's brother Ajitabh Bachchan has two children: a son named Bhim and a daughter named Naina.
- #040
In 1987, Amitabh Bachchan signed on for the film Kartoos alongside Meenakshi. The film's financier backed out because they did not want Amitabh to play a negative character. The film was later restarted with Sanjay Dutt.
- #041
Amitabh Bachchan is the father of actor Abhishek Bachchan and the father-in-law of actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
- #042
He was a former theatre actor, radio announcer and shipping company executive in Kolkata, India.
- #043
He was initially to be named Inquilaab. His mother, Teji Bachchan, was an active participant in the Satyagraha movement and was so committed to the cause even while pregnant that many of the Bachchans' friends joked that the baby would be named Inquilab. That was until his father's friend, the poet and novelist Sumitra Nandan Pant, gave him the name Amitabh, meaning limitless.
- #044
He also sang songs in several films, including Laawaris, Toofan and Silsila.
- #045
Before his first major hit, Zanjeer (1973), he had 10 releases, including 8 flops, one hit (Anand) and one above-average earner (Bombay to Goa). Zanjeer made him a star and marked the beginning of the "Amitabh Bachchan Phenomenon".
- #046
In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan was voted 'Sherwoodian of the Century' in a poll among Old Sherwoodians. On 10 November 2000, at a reunion of Old Sherwoodians, he received the 'Old Sherwoodians Millennium Outstanding Achievement Award' at Sherwood College boarding school in Nainital, where he had studied.
- #047
In 1999, Amitabh Bachchan was chosen Megastar of the Millennium (male) on the Star Plus channel after a year-long public poll on the cinema-based TV show Kinetic Mega Show.
- #048
His mother's birth name was Tejwant Kaur Suri.
- #049
Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan hold the Guinness World Record as the only father-son duo to play reversed roles on screen, in the film Paa (2009).
- #050
His father's first wife was named Shyma.
- #051
At university, Amitabh was in a relationship with a girl named Karuna. His closest friend, Raj Saroagi, was in a relationship with Karuna's sister. Years later, in 1985, Amitabh bought a house in Delhi from Raj Saroagi.
- #052
The face of the Indian comic book character 'Supremo' is based on him.
- #053
Amitabh Bachchan was Rakesh Roshan's first choice for Kral Amcasının (1993). However, as the actor was not signing films at the time, Roshan opted for Jackie Shroff.
- #054
Vidhu Vinod Chopra wanted Amitabh Bachchan to play the lead role of Inspector Inayat Khan in Mission Kashmir (2000). Amitabh Bachchan turned the role down because of his commitment to Yash Chopra's Mohabbatein (2000).
- #055
With 42 nominations in total, he is the most nominated actor in all major acting categories at the Filmfare Awards (33 nominations for Best Actor - a record; 9 nominations for Best Supporting Actor - also a record). He also has a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Playback Singer (male) for the song "Mere Paas Aao Mere Doston" from Mr. Natwarlal (1979) and a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Film Producer for Paa (2009).
- #056
During Amitabh's early struggling days, he had signed a film titled "Pathjad" opposite Asha Parekh. This was in 1973. The film was to be produced by Babubhai, Asha Bhosle's secretary. At the mahurat, Asha Parekh refused to pose for a photograph with Amitabh. A few weeks later, Asha Parekh called Babubhai and said, "Mujhe us hero ke saath nahin kaam karna hain. Woh bahut hi lamba hain aur flop hain." The film was later restarted in 1974 as Rina Films' "Aan Milo Preetam" (Talaq), directed by Mukul Dutt. The film then featured Waheeda Rehman, Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Sharmila Tagore, Padma Khanna, Prakash Thappa, Rajni Bala, Lolita Chatterjee, music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, producer Y. R. Kanwar and Pran Airy. The film was eventually shelved. Asha Parekh denied the entire story of her refusal, saying the false story was invented by Babubhai. Asha Parekh claims she learned only by reading the newspaper that her part in the film had been changed. She said Babubhai left and told Amitabh the false story that caused the misunderstanding. She never explained her side of the story because she thought it would be pointless.
- #057
His cousin is named Harvinder Kaur. She is the daughter of Amitabh's mother's sister. Harvinder is 5 years younger than Amitabh. Her mother's name was Govind Kaur.
- #058
His cousins are named Kishore Srivastava and Ashok Srivastava. They are the sons of Amitabh's father's brother (Shaligram Shrivastava).
- #059
He has a niece named Namrita Bachchan (Ajitabh's daughter), who is a well-known artist.
- #060
He has 2 nephews. They are the children of actor Rajeev Verma, who is married to Jaya's sister Rita. The first nephew is named Shiladitya Verma. He is a painter living in Bhopal. He is married to Poorvi Karanwar. The other nephew is named Thathaghat Verma. He is a software engineer living in Mumbai. He is married to Darshika Mahajan.
- #061
Amitabh Bachchan was cast in Raju Patel's shelved film "Tandoor" (2005), playing an NRI gourmet chef in New York. He was to appear opposite a Hollywood actress playing his lawyer. Nagesh Kukunoor was set to direct. The film was shelved due to a budget dispute between Nagesh and Raju Patel.
- #062
Amitabh Bachchan's maternal grandparents were named Khazan Singh Suri and Amar Kaur Sodhi.
- #063
Amitabh Bachchan's maternal great-grandfather was named Sunder Singh Suri.
- #064
Amitabh Bachchan's daughter Shweta's birth name is "Shvetambara," which means Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning.
- #065
Amitabh Bachchan had sent his photographs to the Filmfare Madhuri contest. His pictures were rejected, but Mr. Arvind Kumar of Madhuri was certain it was a star's face. He sent the photographs to Suni Dutt's office at Ajanta Arts. Suni Dutt was impressed by the pictures and circulated them among his colleagues for their opinions. All responded negatively, and many criticized his face and height, but Suni Dutt felt there was something special about Amitabh.
- #066
Amitabh Bachchan made guest appearances in both Gol Maal (1979) and its remake Bol Bachchan (2012).
- #067
Chhoti Bahu was known for Amitabh Bachchan taking Sharmila Tagore's autograph on film sets. In those days he was a big fan of Sharmila and was struggling.
- #068
Amitabh Bachchan attended Sherwood College, a boarding school in the hill station of Nainital, and from there went to Delhi University, where he earned a double master's degree.
- #069
Amitabh Bachchan was cast in the shelved film "Kutumb" (2004). The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Irrfan Khan. It was produced by Firoz Nadiadwala and directed by Vikram Bhatt (replaced by Mahesh Manjrekar). The film was adapted from The Godfather.
- #070
On his 61st birthday, Amitabh Bachchan revived ABCL as AB Corp. ABCL had been forced to shut down after debts of more than millions of rupees, but Amitabh decided to restart it with a name change.
- #071
Actress Nirupa Roy mostly played his mother, and last appeared in the film Lal Baadshah (1999).
- #072
Although Amitabh Bachchan's Immaan Dharam (1977) was a disaster, the producer carried on and announced Asmaan, with Mohan Kumar in the director's chair and starring Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. Salim-Javed, who wrote the screenplay for Immaan Dharam, were also writing the screenplay for Asmaan. However, the film was later shelved.
- #073
Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar first appeared together on screen in Ramesh Sippy's Shakti (1982). However, long before Shakti materialized, Eagle Films had signed Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan for new projects to be directed by Yash Chopra. The project, however, never came to fruition.
- #074
In 1976, Amitabh Bachchan was to appear in Manoj Kumar's Naya Bharat; alongside Amitabh, the film was to star Manoj Kumar, Hema Malini, Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman and Rishi Kapoor. The film was later shelved.
- #075
Amitabh Bachchan was to play one of the lead roles in Shashi Kapoor's Utsav (1984), but Amitabh withdrew from the film and Shashi Kapoor replaced him.
- #076
Kader Khan wanted to direct him as the protagonist of Jaahil, but unfortunately the film was never made.
- #077
After Janasheen, Feroz Khan was to begin a film titled "Nasha." The film was to star Feroz Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Lopsang. However, Feroz decided to shelve the film and remake Kurbani instead.
- #078
Amitabh Bachchan's niece is named Naina Bachchan (Ajitabh's daughter). She is married to actor Kunal Kapoor.
- #079
Amitabh Bachchan's nephew is named Ravi Srivastava. He is the son of his cousin Kishore Srivastava.
- #080
Amitabh Bachchan's niece is named Nilima Bachchan (Ajitabh's daughter). She holds a doctorate in aeronautical engineering in the UK.
- #081
Apache Indian referenced Amitabh Bachchan in his 1990 song "Movie Over India".
- #082
Amitabh Bachchan's granddaughter Navya Naveli was born on 6 December 1997. Jaya Bachchan wanted to name her Garima.
- #083
While researching for the film Razia Sultan, Kamaal Amrohi found a book about Razia Sultan in Paris, France. The film took 8 years to complete. After Pakeezah, Kamal Amrohi started the film and also produced it. Amitabh Bachchan was to play Dharmendra's role and Kabir Bedi was to play Vijendra's role. Later A. K. Mishra took over production and shooting began with Dharmendra. After 8 years, Kamal Amrohi went to Hollywood for the film's special effects. Kabir Bedi was surprised when he saw Kamal there and saw that the film was still not finished.
- #084
Producer Debesh Ghosh, director Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachchan worked together a great deal. The same team had previously made 'Jurmana' and 'Bemisaal'. The same team was to make their 3rd film together. It was released in 1982 and was titled 'Auqaat', Shri Lokenath Chitramandir's "Auqaat". Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Pradha, Raj Kiran, Anita Raaj, A. K. Hangal, Karan Razdan, Adi Irani; Music: Adi Irani; Producer: Debesh Ghosh; Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It was shot for a week but was shelved due to the accident Amitabh had on the sets of 'Coolie'.
- #085
In 1986, Ramesh Sippy had released a film called "Laadla" with Amitabh Bachchan, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Sangeeta Bijlani (replacing Amrita Singh). A. G. Nadiadwala was producing it. Unfortunately the film was shelved after Ramesh Sippy and Nadiadwala fell out over money. Habib Nadiadwala took over the project and signed Tinnu Anand to direct the film. The title "Alishan" was chosen with Dimple Kapadia, Meenakshi and Kimi Katkar in the lead. The film was cancelled for the making of Main Azaad Hoon. The script was finally made as "Rajkumar" with Anil Kapoor.
- #086
Amitabh Bachchan's paternal great-great-grandfather's name was Munshi Ishwari Prasad (Amitabh's grandmother's father).
- #087
Amitabh Bachchan's great-great-grandfather's name was Bhola Nath Shrivastava (Harivansh Rai Bachchan's grandfather).
- #088
Amitabh came to Bombay in the late '60s to meet producers and hoping to do a screen test. After that he was to return to his job at Bird & Company in Calcutta. He was screen-tested by Mohan Segal on the sets of Sajan. Amitabh had impressed Manoj Kumar. Manoj managed to get Amitabh the role of Nutan's husband in Yaadgar. But by then Amitabh had returned to Calcutta. When Manoj made Roti Kapda Makaan years later, he decided to cast Amitabh.
- #089
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film "Kartoos" (1987). Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Meenakshi Sheshadri (replacing Amrita Singh), Naseeruddin Shah (replacing Vinod Khanna), Sujata Mehta. Produced by Firoz Nadiadwala, directed by Ketan Mehta. The film was shelved because financiers and distributors disliked the idea of Amitabh playing a negative role. Years later, in 1996, it was announced that the film would be "Kissa Kartoos" starring Sanjay Dutt. The project was shelved once again. It was finally made as Mangal Pandey - The Rising with Aamir Khan.
- #090
In 1990, Mahesh Bhatt wanted to make a film with Amitabh Bachchan and Anu Aggrawal. The film was not made.
- #091
Indian adult film actor "Ameatabh Bachan" took this screen name because he was a big fan of the legend.
- #092
In 1999, Tinnu Anand wanted to make a film with Nafisa Ali's 11-year-old daughter Zia and Amitabh Bachchan. It was based on a child befriending a criminal. It was based on the Hollywood film The Professional. He later abandoned all his plans. The script was actually to be made for Mrityudaata by Mehul Kumar. Mehul decided to make a more patriotic film. The Professional was later made as Bichoo with Bobby Deol.
- #093
Before trying his luck in Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan visited All India Radio's studios many times to become a radio announcer, but failed to get the break because Ameen Sayani could not clear him.
- #094
Amitabh Bachchan starred in two films titled "Deewar".
- #095
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Jayeeta Movie Arts film "Rocky" (1975). Starring Ashok Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha; Written by K. A. Narayan; Music by Rahul Dev Burman; Producer and Director: Biswajeet.
- #096
In 2003, Amitabh Bachchan made a B-grade film called 'Boom'. And the reason he did it was financial crisis and bankruptcy.
- #097
Amitabh Bachchan was the first choice to act in the film Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai (2003); he refused and the role was eventually played by Om Puri.
- #098
Amitabh Bachchan had close ties with former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi (also Prime Minister), and was elected to parliament from his hometown Allahabad by a large majority. However, his stint in politics did not last long, and Rajiv Gandhi became embroiled in the famous Bofors gun deal scandal in Sweden along with the UK-based Hinduja brothers and others. Amitabh Bachchan was later cleared of charges of involvement in the scandal, as former Swedish police chief Sten Lindstrom confirmed that Amitabh Bachchan's name had been 'planted' in the Bofors case by Indian agencies.
- #099
Rakesh Kumar, who directed Khoon Pasina (1977), Mr. Natwarlal (1979), Do Aur Do Paanch (1980) and Yaarana (1981), turned producer and announced Charlie, with Amitabh Bachchan in the lead. Padmini Kolhapure was to star opposite Big B. However, the project was never made.
- #100
Amitabh Bachchan, Parveen Babi, Mithun Chakraborty (who replaced Amjad Khan) and Rati Agnihotri came together for Uttam Chitra's Tala Chabi (1978/1981), produced by Romu Sippy, directed by Raj N. Sippy and scored by Rahul Dev Burman. Pran, one of the leading character actors of the time, was signed to play the main villain. An official announcement was made in April 1982. The film was never released, and it was restarted in 1989 with Vinod Khanna and Sanjay Dutt.
- #101
Prakash Mehra planned to make Chankaya Chanddragupta and had signed Amitabh Bachchan for the lead role. The film was shelved.
- #102
Amitabh Bachchan's daughter Shweta was born on 17 March.
- #103
Amitabh Bachchan is the brother-in-law of actor Rajeev Verma, who is married to Jaya Bachchan's sister Rita Badhuri (not an actress).
- #104
Feroz Khan initially approached Amitabh Bachchan for the role of Amar in Kurban. Amitabh's dates were blocked for Shaan and the deal fell through.
- #105
Amitabh Bachchan's niece is named Leena Singh (the daughter of his cousin Harvinder Kaur).
- #106
Amitabh Bachchan's brother-in-law is named Harbhajan Singh (the husband of his cousin Harvinder Kaur).
- #107
Amitabh Bachchan was to star opposite Chandrachur Singh in the ABCL film Dariya, directed by Priyadarshan, with Amitabh playing a fisherman. The film was shelved. This was in 1998, and it was based on the novel The Old Man and the Sea.
- #108
Amitabh Bachchan was offered the role played by Sunny Deol in Dacait, but he turned it down.
- #109
Subash Ghai was offered the role played by Jackie Shroff in Saudagar. He declined because he felt the role was too small.
- #110
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Prakash Mehra's shelved PMP Productions film Kaayar, which also featured Anita Raaj and Raj Babbar. This was in 1981, and it was produced by Satyendra Pal Chaudhary. Prakash Mehra shelved the film because he felt it closely resembled Manoj Kumar's Sanyasi. He restarted it in 1987 with Rajesh Khanna, Hema Malini, Sanjay Dutt, Raj Babbar, Sabia, Farha Naaz, Suresh Oberoi and Sumeet Saigal (replaced by Vishal). It was cancelled once again. Prakash Mehra restarted the film once more with Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar (Puru Rajkumar later took over Akshay's role and Jeetendra took over Sanjay Dutt's role). The film was shelved again due to its similarities to Hum Dono (1995).
- #111
In 1975 Amitabh Bachchan starred in Pramod Chakravorty's shelved film Teen Farishtey, which was to be headlined by Dharmendra and Vinod Khanna. It was later remade as Jagir.
- #112
Amitabh Bachchan starred in producer Bunty Walia's shelved film Just Punjabi, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, with Sanjay Dutt in the lead. The film's story resembled Jo Bole So Nihal.
- #113
Amitabh Bachchan starred alongside Akshay Kumar in I Dream Productions' shelved film Chanakya. This was in 2004.
- #114
Amitabh Bachchan starred in ABCL's shelved film Happy Diwali (2001). The leads were Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherjee, and the film was to be directed by Mansoor Khan.
- #115
Producer Vicky (Abhay) Chopra and Sohail Khan were planning a film called Sena (2004). The leads were to be Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan, with Vicky Chopra directing. The film was shelved in order to start Fight Club.
- #116
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film DOGS (2004), which was to feature Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor in the lead roles. Many actresses were approached for the female lead: Sushmita Sen, Diana Hayden and Rani Mukherjee. Mukul Abhyankar was to direct. The story was about two brothers. Amitabh was to play a dog trainer banned from a dog training academy because of his violent behaviour, while Rishi Kapoor was his mentally unstable younger brother. The trouble begins when Rishi Kapoor becomes involved with a prostitute, who over time grows more interested in Amitabh than in Rishi.
- #117
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Somnath Sen's shelved film about a professor and a musician. The leads were Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu (who replaced Madhuri Dixit) and Boman Irani. Fardeen Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Karan Nath were in talks for the second lead. This was in 2004.
- #118
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film "Raftaar - No Way Out", alongside John Abraham in the lead roles. The film was directed by Sriram Raghavan. This was in 2004.
- #119
Amitabh Bachchan starred in BMB Productions' shelved film "Bada Bhai" (1999). The lead roles were played by Amitabh Bachchan, Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff and Tabu. KC Bokadia served as both producer and director.
- #120
Amitabh Bachchan starred in RituParno Ghosh's shelved untitled film. The lead roles were played by Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Farhan Akhtar and Aishwarya Rai. The story was about a father who overshadowed his son. This was in 2004.
- #121
Aishwarya Rai was to be paired with Ajay Devgan in a film to be produced by Amitabh Bachchan's production company ABCL. The yet-untitled project was based on a family-oriented subject in which Jaya Bachchan played Ash's mother. Actor Vinod Khanna and Mrs. Bachchan were reported to play a separated couple in the film. Amitabh Bachchan himself was not seen as an actor in this film, which ABCL was producing in partnership with Spice Team Entertainment. The film was to be directed by Sharbani Deodhar. Amitabh Bachchan chose not to play the lead opposite Jaya because the two older characters in the film are not shown as married to each other. Vinod Khanna's name for the role was suggested only by Big B. The film was expected to release in September 2005. It was shot in Mumbai and London. The film was shelved after the announcement.
- #122
Amitabh Bachchan is the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
- #123
Pran's son Sunil Sikand tried his luck at film production. Sikand first announced "Karishma" in the late 70s; it was a remake of "Reincarnation of Peter Proud" with Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, Praveen Babi and Danny Denzongpa. Tina Munium was also approached for a role. This was even before "Karz" was shelved 3 months later. Sunil Sikand later turned "Farishta" into a remake of "Oliver Twist", starring Pran. In 1991, Pran co-produced "Lakshmanrekha" for his son.
- #124
Amitabh Bachchan suffers from vitiligo.
- #125
Amitabh Bachchan's favourite screen name is Vijay. He has played a character named Vijay 19 times.
- #126
Amitabh Bachchan was considered for the role of Sameer Khan in Gomti Ke Kinare.
- #127
The first Amitabh Bachchan remix album released to date was titled "Garma Garam Amitabh Volume 1". It premiered in 1990, and the remixes were done by British DJ Amit and San J of X-Zecutive. The album consisted of several remixed songs of Amitabh and many dialogues mixed with dance music. The dialogues were from the films "Amar Akbar Anthony", "Sholay", "Naseeb", "Ek Nazar", "Ganga Ki Saugandh", "Kaalia" and "Satte Pe Satta". The album was a big favourite of nightclubs abroad in the 1990s.
- #128
The Sundar Popo song "Chadar Bichawo Balma" was one of the songs Amitabh Bachchan included in his medleys during his live stage performances in 1982/83. The song appears on the Amitabh Bachchan album along with Kalyanji Anandji - Live Tonight (1982).
- #129
Amitabh Bachchan's niece Namrita Bachchan (Ajitabh's daughter) took part in a charity swimming marathon with music composer legend Biddu.
- #130
Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited produced the shelved film "Loveria" (1998). The lead roles were played by Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Mohnish Bahl, Ashok Saraf, Reema Lagoo, Reeta Bhadhuri, Rajiv Verma, Paresh Rawal and Rajesh Joshi; music by Jatin-Lalit; director: Kundan Shah.
- #131
Amitabh Bachchan's paternal grandparents were named Pratap Narayan Shrivastava and Saraswati Devi Shrivastava.
- #132
Amitabh Bachchan's uncle was named Shaligram Shrivastava. In 1937 he wrote the famous book "Prayag Pradeep". It was based on the political history of Allahabad.
- #133
Amitabh Bachchan's great-uncle was named Bindeshwari Prasad. He was the brother of Saraswati Devi Shrivastava (Harivansh Rai Bachchan's mother).
- #134
Amitabh Bachchan's great-grandfather was named Bhola Nath Shrivastava. He was the father of Pratap Narayan Shrivastava (Amitabh's grandfather).
- #135
Tulsa Shrivastava was the sister of Amitabh Bachchan's grandfather Pratap Narayan Shrivastava.
- #136
The song "Chota Sa Aadmi Hoon, Amitabh Nahin Hoon" from the 1986 film Chotta Aadmi mentions Amitabh's name in its lyrics.
- #137
Amitabh Bachchan starred in "Bandhua" (1988/1989), a shelved Nadiadwala Son presentation by H. A. Nadiadwala. The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Waheeda Rehman, Naseeruddin Shah, Pooja Bedi (replacing Shilpa Shirodkar), Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Paresh Rawal and Avtar Gill, with art by Ratnakat Phadke, action by Bhiku Verma, editing by Deepak Wirkud, cinematography by Nirmal Jani, lyrics by Hassan Kamal, music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, produced by H. A. Nadiadwala, and written and directed by J. P. Dutta.
- #138
Amitabh Bachchan sang the song "Mehenga Rupaiya" on an album he released with Aby Baby and Bally Sagoo. Amitabh had first sung the song in 1982 on the album "Amitabh Bachchan with Kalyanji Anandji - Live Tonight".
- #139
In 1969, Sawan Kumar Tak was to make a film titled Mirza Ghalib. The film was to star Amitabh Bachchan and Leena Chandarvarkar, but it was shelved due to lack of funds.
- #140
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film Chanakya-Chandragupt (1977), directed by Prakash Mehra and starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. The film was shelved because its script was incomplete.
- #141
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film "Aasman" (1977). The lead roles were played by Waheeda Rehman, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, and the film was directed by Mohan Kumar.
- #142
Amitabh Bachchan starred in S. S. Movietone's shelved film "Ghazab" (1978). The cast included Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Rishi Kapoor, Rakhee, Parveen Babi, Rekha (replacing Zeenat Aman) and Neetu Singh (Tina Munium was approached first), with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, produced by Subhash Desai and directed by Manmohan Desai. The film was shelved because it went over budget.
- #143
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film Shiva (1978). The lead roles were to be played by Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Danny Denzongpa and Romesh Sharma, with Prakash Mehra producing and Rakesh Kumar directing. Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was also to appear in a guest role. The film was shelved because its script was incomplete. Announced 40 years earlier as Shiva on 28 July 1978, the film was to launch Amitabh Bachchan but never got past this stage; Rakesh Kumar was to be the ship's captain, Prakash Mehra the producer, the genre action-thriller, with Rekha in the lead and Romesh Sharma in the supporting cast. The reason for the film being shelved was the incomplete script. Amitabh Bachchan was to play Big Brother in his trademark angry young man avatar, while Romesh Sharma played the younger brother opposed to violence in this traditional typical lost-and-found masala. One of the film's notable features was the guest appearance of the famous boxer Muhammad Ali.
- #144
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film "Aar Paar" (1978). The cast included Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman, Neetu Singh and Sulakshna Pandit, with Mushir Riaz producing, Rahul Dev Burman providing the music and Shakti Samanta directing.
- #145
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film Sarfarosh (1979/1980/1981). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan (double role), Anita Raj (replacing Parveen Babi), Utttam Kumar, Rishi Kapoor, Ranjeeta Kaur (replacing Bindiya Goswami), Shakti Kapoor, Mukri Pran and Kader Khan, with K. K. Shukla writing, Subash Desai producing and Manmohan Desai directing. The film was shelved due to many problems in the script. It was restarted in 1983 with Amitabh and Anita Raj, and was shelved once again. Many believe the script was changed and later used for Jeetendra's film 'Sarfarosh'.
- #146
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film "Tiger" (1980). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha and Waheeda Rehman; producer Tito Juneja, director Rakesh Kumar. In 1992 a remake of the film with Ajay Devgan was discussed.
- #147
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film "Gulli Danda" (1982), sharing top billing with Vinod Mehra, under director Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film was shelved because of Amitabh's Coolie accident.
- #148
Amitabh Bachchan played the lead in the shelved film Fauladi (1986), starring alongside Amrita Singh under director Prayag Raj. The film was shelved because Amitabh entered politics.
- #149
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Nadiadwala Son's shelved "Alishaan" (1988). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Kimi Katkar (who replaced Archana Puran Singh) and Shakti Kapoor. The film was to be a remake of "Scaramouche"; Kimi's role was offered to Anu Aggarwal, but she did not want to act in films at that point. The film was to be produced by Habib Nadiadwala, written by Javed Akhtar, with music by Kalyanji Anandji and direction by Tinnu Anand. It was shelved when Amitabh and Tinnu decided to make the unusual Main Azaad Hoon instead. Alishan's script had earlier been directed by Ramesh Sippy under the title "Ladlaa", with Amitabh Bachchan, Sangeeta Bijlani and Amrita Singh signed. Alishaan's script later leaked and, years afterwards, was made as "Rajkumar" with Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. The roles of the other two heroines were ultimately dropped.
- #150
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Raam Raj Kalamandir's shelved film "Rudra" (Mahakaal) (1988). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapdia, Rajnikanth and Amrish Puri, with writing by Prayag Raj, music by Bappi Lahiri, and S Ramanathan as producer and director. The film was shelved because of Amitabh's health problems.
- #151
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Shanaakht (1988). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Madhuri Dixit, Madhavi, Sujata Mehta and Paresh Rawal, with music by Amar Uptal and direction by Tinnu Anand. The film was shelved because of its many similarities to Ganga Jamuna Saraswati.
- #152
The film Duniya Ka Mela began under the title Apna Paraya, with Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha in the lead roles. After a month of shooting, the director replaced Amitabh; the director's reasoning was Amitabh's flop status at the time, as no distributor would buy the film. Amitabh had even shot a song with Rekha. Sanjay Khan replaced Amitabh and the film's title was changed to "Duniya Ka Mela". The film failed, while Amitabh's Zanjeer became a box-office hit. The song featuring Amitabh can be seen on YouTube. It is often confused with another shelved Amitabh Bachchan film, "Ek Tha Chander Ek Thi Sudha."
- #153
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved "Patthar Ke Log" (1980). The cast included Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini, Reena Roy, Poonam Dhillon, Ranjeeta Kaur and Kanwaljeet, with writing by Salim and Javed, production by Romu Sippy and direction by Raj. N. Sippy. The film was shelved because of its high budget, and Shatrughan Sinha left the film because his role was cut. Amitabh later left the film when he realised the focus was on Kanwaljeet. There were reports that it restarted with Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborthy, Poonam Dhillon, Ranjeeta Kaur and Bindiya Goswami, but it was shelved again. Raj Sippy then decided to make Satte Pe Satta. Years later the actor-producer Rajan Sippy wanted to revive the script and make the film; the film, titled Sipahi, was to star Dharmendra, Jeetendra and Shatrughan Sinha, but it was cancelled again.
- #154
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Gotrantar (1971), with Jaya Bhadhuri in the lead roles, producer Arun Kaul and director Mrinal Sen. The film was based on a short story by Subodh Gosh. It was restarted as "Ek Adhuri Kahani" with Shekhar Chaterjee and Aarati Bhattacharya.
- #155
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved "Devaa" (1987). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Raaj Kumar, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Shammi Kapoor and Ila Arun, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal and direction by Subhash Ghai. The film was shelved because of various ego clashes between Amitabh and Subhash Ghai. Boney Kapoor also kept advising Ghai that Devaa would be a very expensive film and that he would not get his money back, and that he should start Ram Lakhan with Anil Kapoor instead because it would be a financially better film.
- #156
Prakash Mehra had a script with him for many years. In the 1980s he began a film called "Kaayar" with Amitabh Bachchan, Anita Raaj and Raj Babbar that drew a great deal of attention. The film was shelved because it was too similar to Manoj Kumar's Sanyasi. Prakash Mehra later restarted Kaayar with Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Kumar on a different subject. Akshay accepted the film but asked Prakash Mehra to replace Sanjay Dutt, saying he would be uncomfortable working with Sanjay Dutt because of the problems he had during the making of Amaanat. Prakash Mehra decided to replace Akshay with Puru Raajkumar. Sanjay Dutt also left the film and Jeetendra was signed. The second half of the film was identical to Rishi Kapoor and Nana Patekar's Hum Dono, so he again had to shelve the film. Prakash Mehra then decided to make a new film; he chose the subject of Bal Brahmachari and decided to launch Puru Raj Kumar in a solo-hero film.
- #157
Chetan Anand first conceived a project in the 1970s as Salim-Anarkali; his muse Priya Rajvansh was to play the courtesan and the rising star of the time, Amitabh Bachchan, was to play Salim. The music was to be composed by Madan Mohan, but he died in 1975 while working on the soundtrack. Anand then shelved the film. In 1982 he tried to revive it with Rishi Kapoor and Padmini. In the 1990s it was to be made as Mallika-e-Hind with Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan, but that project also failed.
- #158
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Ram Ki Seeta Shyam Ki Geeta (1989). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan and Sri Devi (both in double roles), Satish Shah, Anupam Kher, Mushtaq Merchant, Ajay Wadekar and Pradeep Choudhary, with writing by Salim Khan, lyrics by Anand Bakshi, music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, production by G. P. Sippy and direction by Ramesh Sippy. The song Jhooma Chumma was first recorded for this film; when the film was shelved, Mukul Anand asked to use the song for Hum. The film's original idea came to Ramesh Sippy during the final comic-strip scene of Seeta Aur Geeta.
- #159
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved "Captain" (1990), which was to star Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Aamir Khan, Amrita Singh and Sonu Walia, and was to be produced and directed by Rakesh Roshan.
- #160
It was rumoured that Amitabh would play a small role in Siddhartha. It did not work out.
- #161
Before Amitabh's accident on Coolie, Amjad Khan was to make a film with Amitabh titled "Lambai Chaudai" (a Bud Spencer-Terrence Hill type film). Amitabh then entered politics and the film was shelved.
- #162
After Meri Jung, Subhash Ghai had announced a film titled Sher Bahadur with Amitabh. The film was shelved because of Amitabh's sudden illness.
- #163
Before Ram Lakhan, Subhash Ghai had shelved "Devaa" (1987), starring Amitabh Bachchan, Raaj Kumar, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Shammi Kapoor and Ila Arun, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal and Subhash Ghai as producer and director. The film was shelved because of various ego clashes between Amitabh and Subhash Ghai. Subhash Ghai felt Amitabh was not behaving professionally: he kept arriving late on set and then would leave saying he was ill. Amitabh genuinely did feel ill and Ghai could see it. Amitabh would promise to make up the lost time the next day but would go back on his word. The next day Habib Nadiadwala called Subhash Ghai and shouted at him for shooting Amitabh while he was ill. Ghai did not like this and was fed up. Amitabh's secretary Sheetal would negotiate and speak with Subhash Ghai, which Ghai hated; he wanted to deal with Amitabh directly. Amitabh later shot for only a few days and then cancelled the other dates given. Subhash Ghai felt Amitabh was not concentrating enough on the film, and he felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime film that needed proper attention. Subhash Ghai was also very upset with the film's co-producer Habib Nadiadwala, who constantly spoke on Amitabh's behalf even though Amitabh was very ill and shouted at Ghai for making Amitabh shoot. Subhash noted that Amitabh had cancelled some dates and given them to other producers; he would not have minded, but he felt Amitabh was not being entirely honest. Subhash felt a certain distance from Amitabh and felt their relations were not good; he needed a family-like atmosphere. Subhash finally flew to Madras, where Amitabh was shooting for Shahenshah, and gave him the news. Amitabh thought Ghai had perhaps shelved the film because of the Bofors scandal; Ghai denied this and said he shelved it because of the stress he experienced while making it. Amitabh, for his part, did not like Ghai's attitude and was unhappy with his working style. Boney Kapoor also kept advising Ghai that Devaa would be a very expensive film and that he would not get his money back, and that he should start Ram Lakhan with Anil Kapoor instead because it would be a financially better film.
- #164
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Choudhary Enterprises' shelved "Ghar Ka Bhedi" (1990). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Rajnikanth, with producer Satyen Pal Choudhary and director Prakash Mehra. The film was shelved after the announcement.
- #165
Manmohan Desai signed Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and Zeba Bhaktiar for the film "Ramaiya", to be directed by Ketan Desai, in 1988/1989. After Amitabh decided in 1991 that he no longer wanted to work on another film, the project was shelved.
- #166
In 1978 Amitabh Bachchan signed on to Lambu Dada alongside Rekha, Rakesh Roshan and Mehmood. The film was shelved shortly afterwards. In 1990 it was revived with Kabir Bedi and Madhavi.
- #167
Amitabh Bachchan played dual roles in 15 films made up of six fathers and their lookalike sons (including the triple role in Mahaan (1983)).
- #168
Amitabh Bachchan signed the lead role in Shalimar but withdrew for unknown reasons.
- #169
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in the shelved Bhavana's Kala Mandir's Shaktimaan (1978). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Moushami Chatterjee, Arujna Irani, Pran, Farida Jalal, Asrani, Madan Puri and Sulochana. The music was by Kalyanji Anandji, the producer was B. R. Pachisia and the director was Prakash Mehra.
- #170
In Paa (2009) Amitabh Bachchan played the son of his own son's character.
- #171
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Monty Nath's shelved film "Luv Kush" (1988). The film starred Mithun Chakraborthy (in a double role), Dimple Kapadia, Madhavi and Amitabh Bachchan in a special appearance. The music was by Rahul Dev Burman/Anu Malik, the producer was Monty Nath and the directors were Mukul Anand/Monty Nath. The film was shelved because Rakesh Roshan was making Kishen Kanhiaya with the same script.
- #172
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Satya Chitra International's shelved untitled film (1984). The cast included Waheeda Rehman, Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi, Danny Denzongpa, Ranjeet, Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor, with writing by Kader Khan. The music was by Rahul Dev Burman, the producer was Satya Narayana and the director was S. Ramanathan.
- #173
Amitabh Bachchan signed a Bengali film in 1975: Srirum Chitra's Koyeler Kachhya. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan and Saira Banu and was directed by Agradoot.
- #174
In 1973 Deven Verma became producer and director of the film "Naam Bade". The leads were Amitabh Bachchan, Deven Verma, newcomer Mona and Nirupa Roy. After two months of shooting Deven decided to turn the script into an action film. He scrapped Naam Bade and dropped Mona. He then began Besharam.
- #175
In 1989 Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Lakshmi Productions' shelved film. The film had no title. The leads were Amitabh Bachchan and Bhanupriya, the producer was A. Purnachandra Rao and the director was T. Rama Rao. The film was shelved because it was a remake of a southern film about domestic servants, and they felt the script would not suit Amitabh.
- #176
In 1979 Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Bhagyalaxmi Chitra's shelved untitled film. The leads were Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor and Hema Malini, and it was written by Sachin Bhowmick. The music was by Laxmikant Pyarelal, the producer was Satram Rohera and the director was Rakesh Kumar.
- #177
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yashraj Films' shelved film "Gardish" (Zindagi Ki Rang) (1973). The leads were Amitabh Bachchan and Parveen Babi, the producer was Yash Chopra and the director was Pran Mehra. The film was shelved in order to start Deewar.
- #178
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Priti Chitra's shelved film "Maan Apmaan" (1971). The leads were Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Badhuri, and the story was adapted from Narayan Sanyal's Bengali novel Neel May Neel. The producer was M. Nasuralah Khan, the lyrics were by Gulzar, the music was by Dulal Sen and the director was Anil Ghosh (Hrishikesh Mukherjee's partner).
- #179
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in an untitled shelved film at Cine Kraft's Productions. This was in 1971. The leads were Amitabh Bachchan and Anupama.
- #180
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in the shelved "Sahebzaade Salim Anarkali" (1982). The leads were Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Amitabh Bachchan and Reena Roy, the music was by Naushad, and the producer and director was Sultan Ahmed.
- #181
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in F. C. Mehra's shelved film, starring alongside Dilip Kumar and Amjad Khan. The director was Yash Chopra. This was in 1980.
- #182
In 1978 Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Manav Filmi Mandir's shelved film. The leads were Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman. The music was by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The director was Chandra Barot.
- #183
After Dostana, Yash Johar signed Amitabh Bachchan for the film Gareeb (1981), to be directed by Ramesh Talwar. The film was shelved.
- #184
Yash Chopra signed Amitabh Bachchan for the film Aakhree Sawaal, to be directed by Ramesh Talwar. Amitabh later withdrew from the film and was replaced by Shashi Kapoor. The title was later changed to Sawaal.
- #185
In 1981, Yash Johar signed Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborthy (replacing Randhir Kapoor) and Kamal Haasan (replacing Rishi Kapoor) for the film John Jani Janardhan (Ringo). The film was shelved after it was announced. Manmohan Desai was to direct.
- #186
Amitabh Bachchan was the first choice for the film Himalay Se Ooncha.
- #187
In 1989, Masood Pucky Ali (Mehmood's eldest son) was to produce a film directed by Amjad Khan. The film was to star Pucky Ali (Ali Masood), Farha and Amala, with Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan appearing in special appearances as themselves. The film was shelved.
- #188
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved film "Satrangi" (1983). The leads were Amitabh Bachchan and Parveen Babi.
- #189
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Koncord International's shelved film Teen Farishte. The leads were Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna (replacing Rishi Kapoor). The film was produced by Tarun Guru Dutt and directed by Pramod Chakravorthy. The mahurat was held on 6 November 1976. The film was later made in 1984 as Jagir.
- #190
In 1982, actor Ranjan signed Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth for a film. Shyam Benegal was to direct. The film was ultimately shelved because of Amitabh's accident.
- #191
The film Zamana was first planned in 1980. Salim and Javed wrote the script for Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan. But the two later fell out with Amitabh, and even vowed never to work with him again. The problem lay with the film "Mr. India". Bachchan turned the film down.
- #192
All the scenes planned for Prakash Mehra's Zameen (starring Amitabh Bachchan, Mohammed Ali, Zeenat Aman and Prem Nath) were present in Manoj Kumar's Kranti. The reason was that writer Harbance Kumar stated he had been inspired by the TV series ROOTS. Salim Javed had also seen ROOTS and took several ideas from it and put them into Kranti. This upset Mehra greatly. The film was shelved. In 1979/1980 he tried to restart the film with Sunil Dutt (stepping into Prem Nath's role) and Sanjay Dutt. Neelu Arora was competing to be the third lead. The film was scrapped because of the release of Rocky.
- #193
In 1996, ABCL (Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited) was producing a film titled "Gayak". The leads included Daboo (Krish) Malik. The music was by Anu Malik and the director was Ravinder Peepat. The film was shelved after ABCL ran into financial trouble. The music premiered under the BIG B Audio label.
- #194
Amitabh was signed in 1988 for Rahul Rawail's Mast Kalandar. For unknown reasons he left, and Dharmendra was signed instead.
- #195
In 1981, Mukul Anand wanted to make the film Sultanat. He approached Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor. Both agreed to do the film, but Amitabh wanted an established director for it. Mukul Anand refused to part with his script and eventually made it in 1986 with Sunny Deol and Karan Kapoor.
- #196
Pyar Ka Mausam was famous for the story of Nasir Hussain throwing Amitabh Bachchan out of the dubbing studio. Amitabh was calling Shashi Kapoor. Amitabh's family had been friends with Prithviraj Kapoor since his Delhi days. Nasir asked Amitabh why he was there and then threw him out. This was a major reason Amitabh refused to work with Nasir Hussain in later years.
- #197
In 1974, M. G. Ramachandran planned a major film to be made in Hindi and Tamil. He wanted a star cast of Raj Kapoor, Sydney Poitier, Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman. M. G. Ramachandran was to direct the Tamil version and K. Shankar the Hindi version. It was to be made in Nairobi and was based on the subject of racial problems. Sydney Poitier heard the subject and agreed to work for free. The project ultimately fell through.
- #198
The shelved film "Jadh" (1997), starring Jackie Shroff, Arjun Rampal, Tabu and Smriti Mishra, was an adaptation of Marathi writer Anil Barve's book Thank You, Mr. Glad. A year earlier, when a stage adaptation of the book was staged, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan bought the film rights to the book, in which they played the old and young man roles. The older character was a jailer and the younger character was a doctor accused of murder.
- #199
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Emkay Films P. LTD's shelved film "Arjun" (1975). The leads were played by Amitabh Bachchan, with Mohan Kumar producing and Ashok Roy directing.
- #200
Amitabh Bachchan starred in S. S. Movietone's shelved film "Khuda Gawah" (1978). The leads were Amitabh Bachchan (double role), Parveen Babi, Rishi Kapoor, Bindiya Goswami, Uttam Kumar, Komila Virk, Mehmood, Mukri, Sushma Verma, Pran and Amjad Khan, written by Prayag Raaj, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, produced by Subhash Desai and directed by Surendra Mohan.
- #201
In 2008, Ravi Chopra was planning a film titled "Pocket Maar" with Amitabh Bachchan and Shahid Kapoor. The film was shelved after the announcement.
- #202
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Veena Films' shelved film "Zabaan" (1977). The leads were Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, written by Salim-Javed, with music by Kalyanji Anandji, produced by Jagdish Sharma and directed by Ravi Tandon.
- #203
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Tirupati Pictures Combine's "Paani" (1976). The cast included Jeetendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and one more hero; the film was written by Salim - Javed, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, produced by Prasan Kapoor and directed by Dulal Guha.
- #204
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in an untitled Manav Movie Mandir film that was shelved in 1976. It starred Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, produced by Ram Talwar and directed by Chandra Barot.
- #205
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in an untitled Eagle Films film that was shelved in 1976. It starred Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan, and was directed by Yash Chopra.
- #206
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in an untitled Aashirwad Pictures film that was shelved in 1976. It starred Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and one more hero, with music by Kalyanji Anandji, produced by Rajni Desai and directed by Chandra Barot.
- #207
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in the shelved Sippy Films "Three Musketeers" (1974/1975). It starred Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, was written by Salim and Javed, had cinematography by Dwarka Divecha, was produced by G. P. Sippy and directed by Ramesh Sippy. The film was restarted with Dharmendra, Amitabh and Vinod Khanna, with producer Tarun Guru Dutt and director Pramod Chakraborthy, and stalled once again. It finally began in 1979 as Jagir with Dharmendra, Mithun and Danny Denzongpa.
- #208
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Sathya Movies' untitled film in 1974. It starred Amitabh Bachchan and was directed by Jairam.
- #209
In many of Amitabh Bachchan's iconic films he played a character with the same name — Vijay (the personality may differ and the accents may differ, but the name stays the same).
- #210
In 1980, Amitabh Bachchan signed Dulal Guha's "Devdoot". It was written by Kamleshwar. The story was about a street child involved in child trafficking whose aim was to help poor children and childless wealthy couples. The film was shelved.
- #211
Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi gave a major concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey in 1990. It had a capacity of 40,000 people. Kalyanji Anandji, Rajnikant, Neelam, Sonam, Shakti Kapoor and Anupam Kher also performed at the concert.
- #212
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Bipin Art International's untitled film, which was shelved in 1978. It starred Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Amjad Khan and Bindu, with music by Laxmikant Pyarelal, produced by Jagdish Chander and directed by Ravi Tandon.
- #213
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in the shelved Sultan Productions film "Too Bhi Sucha Main Bhi Sucha" (1978/1983). It starred Ashok Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Jeetendra (who replaced Amitabh Bachchan), Reena Roy, Vijayendra Ghatge and Amjad Khan, with music by Naushad, produced and directed by Sultan Ahmed.
- #214
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in the shelved International Arts film "Brindaban Ki Radha" (1988). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Pradha and Santosh Bala, with music by Bappi Lahiri and direction by K. Bapaiah.
- #215
Director Tanvir Ahmed first wrote the film Mahatma for Amitabh in 1988. Amitabh heard the script and agreed, but his dates were committed to other films. Tanvir then changed the script into the story of a mafia don and approached Raaj Kumar. He accepted the film, but many problems led to it being shelved.
- #216
Amitabh Bachchan was offered the film Mela (1971), but the distributors opposed the idea and it was signed with Sanjay Khan instead.
- #217
In 1980, Gulshan Rai was to produce "Vijay", starring Amitabh Bachchan and directed by Yash Chopra.
- #218
Amitabh Bachchan starred in Satya Chitra International's shelved film "Number 1" (1983). It starred Amitabh Bachchan, with a story by Prayag Raj, produced by Satyanarayana and Suryanarayana and directed by S. Ramanathan.
- #219
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in the shelved Art India Movies film "Pooja" (1974). It starred Amitabh Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore, with music by Sonik-Omi, produced by Ashok Roy and directed by Basu Chatterji.
- #220
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Rupam Chitra film "Inspector General" (1974). It starred Amitabh Bachchan, with music by Madan Mohan, produced by N. C. Sippy and directed by Gulzar.
- #221
Amitabh Bachchan appeared in the shelved Navketan film "Purana Paapi" (1991). It starred Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Anupam Kher, with music by Bappi Lahiri, and was written, produced and directed by Dev Anand.
- #222
In 1993, Rajiv Rai had a ready script for Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. The film was titled "Dada Thakur" and centred on a grandfather and his grandson. The screenplay was written by Anees Bazmee. Amitabh turned it down because he wanted to stay retired and felt Abhishek Bachchan was too young to join films.
- #223
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved RGV Factory film "Time Machine" (2007), produced and directed by Ram Gopal Varma, alongside Abhishek Bachchan (replacing Shah Rukh Khan) and Aishwarya Rai (replacing Kareena Kapoor).
- #224
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Navjeevan Films film "Dynamite" (1982). The cast included Amitabh Bachchan and Pran; writer: Inder Raj Anand; music: Rajesh Roshan; producers: Tony Juneja and Tito Juneja; director: Tinnu Anand.
- #225
Amitabh Bachchan's estimated net worth is 400 million US dollars.
- #226
Khem Singh Bedi (1832-1904) had two sons, Kartar Singh Bedi and Gurbaksh Singh Bedi. Gurbaksh Singh's granddaughter was Teji Kaur, Amitabh Bachchan's mother.
- #227
For his contributions to the arts, the Government of India awarded Amitabh Bachchan the Padma Shri, its fourth-highest civilian honour, in 1984; the Padma Bhushan, its third-highest civilian honour, in 2001; and the Padma Vibhushan, its second-highest civilian honour, in 2015.
- #228
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Mehul Movies PVT. LTD film "Aye Watan Tere Liye" (1998). The leads were Amitabh Bachchan, Dimple Kapadia, Rani Mukherjee, Arshad Warsi, Mohan Joshi and Mahesh Anand; music: Nadeem Shravan; writer, producer and director: Mehul Kumar.
- #229
Amitabh Bachchan signed the film "Anjaana Safar" (Do Shikaari) in 1970. He was replaced by Bhushan Tiwari.
- #230
Amitabh Bachchan starred in the shelved Jhamu Sughand Productions film "Adaa" (1998). The leads were Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan; music: A. R. Rahman; producer: Jhamu Sughand; writer and director: Tanvir Ahmed.
- #231
In 2013, on the eve of Indian cinema's centenary celebrations, Bachchan was named the greatest Bollywood star of all time by Britain's Eastern Eye Magazine; his favourite actor Dilip Kumar came second and the era's leading superstar Shahrukh Khan came third. Rajesh Khanna, whom Bachchan had replaced as India's leading film star, placed ninth in the compilation. Film critic and journalist Asjad Nazir, who had previously questioned Bachchan's stardom when compared with Rajesh Khanna or Shahrukh Khan, wrote that if longevity, body of work and impact are considered together, Bachchan may well be the greatest film star in global cinema history.
- #232
In a 2019 poll by India Today magazine, Amitabh Bachchan was voted the 6th most powerful person in India.
- #233
In 2019, Amitabh Bachchan received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour in Indian cinema, from President Ramnath Kovind.
- #234
According to Forbes' 2015 publication, Bachchan, along with his superstar colleague Salman Khan, was the 9th highest-paid film actor in the world, with accumulated earnings of 33.5 million US dollars. At 73, he was also the oldest celebrity on the list.
- #235
Bachchan, who won his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for ANAND (1972), is as of May 2022 the only actor to receive at least one Filmfare nomination in 6 different decades (the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s), his most recent nomination coming for GULABO SITABO in 2021. The next best is the late Dilip Kumar, whose 19 Best Actor nominations spanned 5 separate but consecutive decades (the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s) before he finally retired in 1997. Bachchan is also the only actor who remained a bona fide film star throughout all the decades mentioned, even during the 90s, when he was partly on leave and bankrupt.
- #236
The story of his post-bankruptcy resurrection, his return to the top of the Indian cinema hierarchy as both actor and film star, and his continued relevance in the 21st century is a subject widely studied by filmmakers as well as aspiring actors.
- #237
The 1980s were the only decade in which Bachchan won neither a Filmfare nor a National Film Award, whether as lead or supporting actor; however, during that decade he received 9 Filmfare nominations for Best Actor and one nomination for Best Playback Singer.
- #238
Amitabh began with Lakshmi Productions' shelved film "Bada Aadmi" (1989). The film starred Amitabh Bachchan and Bhanupriya, was produced by A. Purnachandra Rao and directed by T. Rama Rao. It was shelved because it was a remake of a southern film about domestic servants, and they felt the script would not suit Amitabh.
- #239
He published his autobiography, Soul Curry for You and Me – An Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life, in 2002.
- #240
In 2012 he was voted the 27th greatest Indian since independence. Among the 50 original nominees, Bachchan was the highest-ranked film figure.
- #241
In a Filmfare poll of Bollywood's most stylish men, he placed 5th, behind Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Feroz Khan.
- #242
In an interview, he said one of his greatest regrets was that he did little during his time as a Member of Parliament for his home constituency of Prayagraj from 1984 to 1987.
- #243
He was the first recipient of the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, given in memory of the legendary actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor. Bachchan received the honour at the 1992 ceremony. At 49, he is also, as of 2023, the youngest person to be recognised with the title.
- #244
Counting his leading and prominent supporting roles as of December 2023, Bachchan has appeared in 5 films that won the Filmfare Best Film Award. Yet he was honoured for only two of them: ANAND (1971), which earned him his first Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award, and BLACK (2005), which brought him his fourth Filmfare Best Actor nomination as well as his second Best Actor Filmfare (Critics) Award. He was also nominated for Best Actor for DEEWAR (1975) and SHAKTI (1982), and for Best Supporting Actor for VEER ZAARA (2004).
- #245
J. Om Prakash never directed Amitabh Bachchan. Asked why he never worked with Amitabh, Prakash said in Screen in November 1988 that he had invited Amitabh to his home to discuss the possibility of working together. However, he realised he could not do full justice to Amitabh's image because he did not make action films.
- #246
In an interview published in Screen India in August 1993, N. N. Sippy said that when Subhash Ghai told him about Kalicharan, he immediately wanted Amitabh Bachchan for the film. But when he realised Amitabh had played a similar dual role in Don, he decided to go with Shatrughan Sinha.
- #247
On 23 May 1999 he gave a stage concert at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Amitabh was accompanied by Govinda and Sunil Shetty. Unfortunately, it was the night WWE superstar Owen Hart died at the Over The Edge pay-per-view.
- #248
He appeared in the shelved film "Happy Anniversary". It starred Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, with producer Gaurang Doshi and director Prahlad Kakkar.
- #249
For the Indian financial year 2024-25, his earnings were reported to be an estimated 3.5 billion INR (40 million US dollars).
- #250
Amitabh agreed to take a special role in Kabhi Ajnabi The but had to cancel it because of the accident he suffered on the sets of Coolie.
- #251
He founded a multi-faceted business venture known simply as Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited, or ABCL. ABCL operates in production, distribution and all other areas of the entertainment industry. It was the first initiative of its kind in India aimed at corporatising the entertainment industry.
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