There are many actors who had silver spoons at their disposal all through their lives. Bobby Deol, Kumar Gaurav, Mohnish Bahl, and Abhishekh Bachchan in recent times, had opportunities laid out in platters for them, yet the going never really was strong for these starsons.

Aamir too did not have to strive for an opportunity to be a hero in films, at the same time he was humble enough to boost his prospects with talent and a lot of hard work. He started his career in films with a runaway success called Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, a film directed by his cousin, Mansoor Khan.

Aamir has come a long way since QSQT. Even after spending nearly 15 years in the film industry the desi version of Tom Hanks manages to retain freshness in his performances.

There were hits like Dil, Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Rangeela, Raja Hindustaani, Ghulam, Sarfarosh and there were the offbeat, critically acclaimed ones like Raakh, Earth-1947.

A seasoned artiste now, Aamir is slowly turning to production. His first film as a producer is a period film titled Lagaan. The film was done at a huge level and Aamir is said to have spent quite a handful in making the film.

Rajinikanth was born on December 12 1949 in Karnataka, India. He was the fourth child to his parents Ramabai and Ramoji Rao Gaekwad. His original name was Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. He lost his mother at the age of five. He had his schooling at the Acharya Patasala in Bangalore and then at the Vivekananda Balak Sangh, a unit of the Ramakrishna Mission. His mother tongue is Marathi, though he has not done any movie in it.Before starting his career in the film industry, he had to take up all sorts of odd jobs. He served as a bus conductor for Karnataka state transport corporation in Bangalore. It was during this time that he nurtured his acting interests by performing in various stage plays.

Rajini, the real mantra of Tamil Nadu. Rajinikanth, the carpenter-turned-coolie-turned-conductor-turned Super Star says: “I couldn’t have asked God for more.”

A bit of a recluse, Rajni may be. But everyone who’s had the privelege of a darshan with the thalaivar has come away with a spring in his step and a warm glow in the heart. Warm, friendly and affable, he’s the sort who deserves all the superstardom he’s earned. Such men, indeed, are rare…

The evergreen unique actor and the Superstar of Tamil industry, Rajinikanth was introduced by the renowned director, K.Balachandar in the movie Aboorva raagangal as a co-artist. It’s been 25 years, believe it or not, since the Super Star made his debut with an inconsequential role in a Tamil film. From villain and antihero to blockbuster supernova, the gifted actor has made the most of every outing. And he’s deserved every bit of the success. SCREEN analyses why…

It’s a wide angle shot. A man is seen opening a gate, dressed in rags and smoking a beedi. A terminally ill disease writ large on his face. Precisely on that frame appears the Sanskrit term shruthi bedham, coupled with an off screen voice, an undoubtedly inauspicious start to any debutante’s first screen appearance, especially in the maiden frame.

The film was Apoorva Raagangal (1975). The film itself was thick in controversy, and nobody took notice of the young newcomer, who was on screen barely for fifteen minutes, muttered a few apologetic words to the wronged woman and ultimately died an unsung, unheroic death.

No one in the audience, even in his wildest imagination, would have thought this nondescript man, who had won the least attention in the film would ever win over millions of hearts in Tamil Nadu. Or ride the state like a colossus. Or even that his sway over the masses would be so intense that he could rewrite the fate of Tamil Nadu politics, exactly two decades after the release of his first film.

K Balachander, the director who has an uncanny knack of creating stars, first met Rajnikant at the film institute, where he was a student. Balachander glanced at the dark young man and crisply asked him to meet him in his office the next day. When Rajnikant walked into his office gingerly, Balachander informed him he was going to act in his next film. Overwhelmed by the sudden offer from a big director, Rajnikant just could not believe his ears. It’s a feeling Rajni still recounts whenever in the mood of reminiscence.

Later, Balachander confided in his close friend and associate Ananthu, Watch out! There is a fire in the young man’s eyes. One day he will take Tamil Nadu by storm. How true the prediction turned out!

Producers went all out to capitalise on this new wonder called Rajnikant, and a string of films projecting him as an anti-hero, with all his stylish mannerisms in full swing, were released in quick succession. Gayathri had him shooting blue films of his wife without her knowledge, Bhairavi, Shankar Salim Simon and the like. Rajni had, by now, become an indisputable star in his own right, a force to reckon with.

Though Rajnikant persistently refers to K. Balachander as his guru, it was director SP Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajni’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri, as a villain in the first half and a refined man in the second, accepting a woman with a child ditched by her lover. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted SPM to make a mushy melodrama with Rajni as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings, a role ideally tailormade for Sivaji Ganesan! That film was Arulirunthu Arupathu Varai, in which Rajni’s mannerisms were totally missing and he even appeared as an old man in the last few frames. Even while the film was in the making, Rajni had misgivings about whether the audience would accept him in tear jerkers of this kind. But the film got made and its box-office success made Rajni popular among women audiences, too. These two films were a turning point in Rajni’s career he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences, to one who also made them weep. The acceptance of Rajni sans his mannerisms proved he’d at last become an actor from a star. Around this time came Mullum Malarum, directed by J Mahendran, which established Rajni as a hero with a slight tinge of the negative.

Rajnikant’s entry may have been humble, in an insignificant role but the success he achieved in a very short span was unimaginable. A popular Tamil magazine brought out a special supplement at a time when his still on the make, and, he presto, the magazine’s sales doubled with that issue alone.

Such mass adulation, the thunderous rain of applause when Rajni delivered his lines, all put together, made him a phenomenon. It was at this point that Rajni realised the onus had been thrust on him. The fate of producers hinged on him alone. This sudden exposure to the glare of the media and the popularity and money he never imagined would be his, created a lot of stress in his mind. At that crucial time in his career when his market price had just begun to zoom, he decided to opt out of films completely, sending shock waves to his fans. Balachander, Kamalhaasan and his other well-wishers somehow, coaxed him into staying on.

The second phase of his life started with K Balaji’s Billa, a superhit disproving the canard spread by detractors that Rajnikant was finished. He was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits like Pokkiri Raja, Thanikkattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and the all-important Moondru Mugham, in which Rajni essayed a triple role. Even two decades after its release, the last continues to be a box-office draw and Rajni’s fans can never tire of the thalaivar’s verbal clash with villain Senthamarai.
K Balachander’s first home production, Nettrikkam proved to be yet another milestone in Rajni’s career.

An analysis of Rajni’s career graph shows a remarkable absence of fits and starts. It has been a slow and steady rise to the very top. As Rajni sings in a hit song from Badshah, a man’s life may be divided into eight divisions. Rajni’s own career may be divided into three segments. The first as a villain, the second as a hero with negative traits, and the third and present phase, as the reigning czar of Tamil filmdom. With Rajni’s films fetching crores and his market price skyrocketing, the costs of production of his films became unmanageable. And Rajni has since had to stick to a one film per year formula, sometimes, he could do a film once in two years.

The new trend where his films’ collections exceed normal regional film expectations started off with Badshah, followed by Annamalai, Arunachalam, Ejaman, Muthu and Padayappa. It’s now an accepted fact that only a Rajnikant film can break records set by his own films.

As an actor, Rajnikant’s greatest asset, apart from his style is his sense of humour and comic timing. Like Amitabh Bachchan is popular for his drunken soliloquies, Rajnikant is famous for his comic encounters with snakes, repeated umpteen times.

In the early 80s, Rajnikant made a foray into Bollywood with Andhaa Kanoon, a superhit. But Rajnikant could not concentrate on Hindi films because he was already safely ensconced down South. He still made a few films in Hindi, to mention specially Chaalbaaz which had Sridevi in a dual role. Rajni also enjoys a special kind of popularity in Telugu films and his Peddarayudu (remake of Tamil hit Nattammai) seems to have broken all previous records. The Telugu version of Padayappa has been a money-spinner, too. Rajnikant became a trendsetter recently with his Muthu and its songs becoming a rage in Japan and now, Padayappa running to packed houses in the UK and USA.

Basically a religious person, Rajnikant has always owned up his faith. “I was brought up by the Ramakrishna Mission and it’s from there that I have inherited this religious frame of mind,” he keeps saying. Even his films have him openly sharing his faith. In Arunachalam he mouths that famous line, “God decides and Arunachalam executes it.” His public meetings are always spiced with humour and embellished with anecdotes from mythology.

Married to Lata, an English literature graduate, hailing from an elite Iyengar family in 1980, Rajni has two daughters who are carefully kept away from the limelight. Lata herself a versatile singer, now runs a school called The Ashram. The couple indulges in a lot of charity, the latest being converting his Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam into a charitable trust to help the poor and needy.

Ego and starry airs are unknown to Rajnikant. During breaks he hardly ever rushes to his air-conditioned makeup room. Instead, he prefers to sleep on the sets, even without a pillow, merely covering his eyes with a wet cloth. He never comes to functions with a retinue behind him and even prefers to drive his own car.

Rajnikant’s phenomenal success and his sway over the masses make people speculate whether he will follow the footsteps of the late MGR and enter politics. Though there has been a lot of pressure on him to enter politics by the likes of actor turned journalist, Cho Ramaswamy (”Rajnikant is the best choice for chief ministership because he has a basic integrity and simplicity, a quality which is very rare these days”) Rajnikant has persistently maintained a diplomatic silence, except for the fact that he openly supported the ruling DMK in the last assembly elections and discreetly in the recent Lok Sabha elections. When pressed, Rajnikant answers in his own inimitable style, “Yesterday I was a conductor, today I’m a star, tomorrow what I’ll be only He knows!”

A bit of a recluse, he may be at heart, but everyone who’s had the privilege of a darshan with the thalaivar has come away with a spring in his step, and a warm glow in his heart. Warm, friendly and affable, he’s the sort who deserves all the superstardom he’s earned. Such men, indeed, are rare.

Rajinikanth-Bio-Data

Name Rajinikanth

Real Name Shivaji Rao Gaikwad

Date of Birth 12.12.1950

Time of Birth 11:54 P.M.

Place of Birth Bangalore

Star/Rasi Sirvana/Magaram

Color Black
Height 5 feet 9 inch
Weight 70 Kg
Name of Spouse Mrs. Latha Rajinikanth, Principal,The Ashram
Date of Marriage 26.02.1981 4:30 A.M
Place of Marriage Thirupathi
Date of Reception 14.03.1981 6:00 A.M
Place of Reception Taj Coromandal, Chennai
Names of Children Aishwarya & Sowandarya
Address 18, Raghava Veera Avenue,Poes Garden, Chennai-86
Father’s Name Ramoji Rao
Mother’s Name Rambhai
Brother’s Name Sathya Narayana Rao & Nageshwara Rao
Guru K.Balachandar
Spiritual Guru Satchithananda Swamiji
Favourite God Shri Raghavendra
Favourite Books Books written by Shri Ramana Maharishi
Favourite City Chennai
Favourite Colour Black
Favourite Drinks Juice & Curd
Favourite Foods Chicken & Mutton items
Happiest Moments To be alone
Worst Moments Left the job of Conductor
Worst Period 1978 – 1981
Favourite Dress White Kurtha
Favourite Place Himalaya
Favourite Place in House Pooja Room
Favourite work Self-driving
Unforgettable Man K.Balachandar
Unforgettable Function Baasha Silver Jubilee Function
Unforgettable Friend Sri Priya
First Film Aboorva Ragangal
50th Film Tiger (Telugu)
100th Film Shri Raghavendra
125th Film Rajathi Raja
150th Film Padyappa
Favourite Hollywood Actor Sylvester Stallone
Favourite Indian Actor Kamalhaasan
Favourite Actress Rekha (Hindi)
Favourite Role Romantic Roles
Most Valuable Item Appreciation Letter from K.Balachander for the
film “Mullum Malarum”
Favourite Language English
Favourite Films Hollywood Films
Favourite Novel Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan & T. Janakiraman’s Amma
Vanthal
Favourite Cinema Scene Duet Scene
Favourite Writer Jayagandhan
Favourite Poet Kannadasan
Favourite Musician Illayaraja
Favourite Speaker Vattal Nagaraj
Favourite Songs Songs sung by Chandrababu
Favourite Film Veera Kesari (Kannada)
Favourite Politician Singapore President Lee Quan-u
Unforgettable Leader Mahatma Gandhiji
About Mahatma Gandhiji Form of Truth; Great Yogi
About Bharathiar Real Rebel Poet
About Kamarajar Real “Padikatha Methai”
About Periyar Real Spiritualist
About Annadurai Great Leader
About Kalaingnar The only leader for Tamil Community
About M.G.R Guardian to Tamil Cinema
About Shjivaji Ganeshan Dictionary of Tamil Cinema
About Jayshankar Sportiveness
About Shivakumar Punctuality
About Kamalahaasan Sincerity
Message to Fan Live & Let Live
About Rajinikanth I live for myself ; I don’t care for anybody but i respect everybody

Rajinikanth-Acting career

He joined the Madras Film institute in 1973 with the help of a friend and completed a basic course in acting.

1975-1979

Rajnikanth’s first film was in Kannada, Katha Sangama directed by Puttanna Kanagal in the year 1976. In Tamil cinema he was initially cast in the supporting roles, the first being that of a cancer patient in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), directed by the director K. Balachander. Though Rajinikanth persistently refers to K. Balachander as his “guru” or mentor, it was director S. P. Muthuraman who actually revamped Rajinikanth’s image entirely. Muthuraman first experimented with him in a positive role in Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977), as a villain in the first half and a do-gooder in the second, accepting a woman with a child abandoned by her lover.Around this time Mullum Malarum (1978), directed by J. Mahendran, established Rajinikanth on the Tamil film arena. The success of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri prompted Muthuraman to make a mushy melodrama with Rajinikanth as a hero sacrificing everything for his siblings in Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai (1979). Even while the film was in the making, Rajinikanth had misgivings about whether the audience would accept him in tear jerkers of this kind[citation needed]. But its box-office success made Rajinikanth popular among women audience[citation needed]. These films were the turning points in Rajinikanth’s career — he changed from an actor who merely enthralled the audiences, to one who could also make them cry. The acceptance of Rajinikanth sans his mannerisms proved he had at last become a “star” from a “common actor.” His film roles were mainly as a villain during the period 1975 to 1977, frequently with Kamal Hassan as the hero, in movies like Pathinaaru Vayadhinilae , Moondru Mudichu and Avargal (all 1977).

1980-1989

During this phase of his career when he was reaching dazzling heights, Rajinikanth abruptly chose to quit acting, but was coaxed back.[11] He started again with Billa, which was a remake of Amitabh Bachchan starrer Don. With its phenomenal success he was accepted as a full-fledged hero. Billa was followed by a row of hits like Murattukaalai,Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and Moondru Mugam. K. Balachander’s first home production, Netrikan proved to be yet another milestone in Rajini’s career. . He even acted as himself alongside Meena, who was a child actor then, in the movie Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984). More box-office hits dominated the 80’s with Padikkathavan, Thee, Velaikkaran, Dharmathin Thalaivan, Mr. Bharath, Maaveeran, few of them were re-makes of hit Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan starrers.[12] In his 100th movie, Sri Raghavendra, he played the Hindu saint Raghavendra Swami.

1990 to present

Most of his movies during the nineties were also successful, like Mannan, Muthu,[13] Baashha, Annamalai , Veera and Padayappa. Rajinikanth wrote his first screenplay for the film Valli (1993). His film Muthu was the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese as Muthu: The Dancing Maharajah and became very popular in Japan.[14][15] When he was 53, Baba released amidst much fanfare. Although the film grossed enough to cover its budget, it was viewed as one of the miserable movies in his career. It fell short of market expectations and high bids reportedly accumulating to heavy losses for the distributors. It is also rumoured that Rajinikanth repaid the losses incurred by the distributors who laid immense faith in him.[16][17] His latest film, Sivaji: The Boss, directed by S. Shankar released on June 15, 2007, has become the first Tamil movie to make the UK and South Africa Top 10. Rajnikanth will now be lending his voice to the lead character (based on himself) in an animation film for Adlabs titled Sultan:The Warrior to be directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth. The movie is scheduled for a 2008 release. Rajnikanth’s next movie with Kavithalaya Productions and produced by his mentor director K.Balachander.This movie is named as “Kuselan”. Rajnikanth is going to make another film with Shankar. Robot will be produce by Ayngaran International and EROS.

Other work

Apart from acting in Tamil, Rajinikanth has acted in 173 movies, including Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and Bengali. Rajinikanth made a foray into Bollywood with Andha Kanoon but couldn’t make as much of an impact as he had in the south. He still made a few films in Hindi, like Chaalbaaz with Sridevi, ‘Uttar Dakshin’, Girafthar and Hum. He also had a brief stint in Hollywood with the movie Bloodstone in 1988.

First Experience of RajiniKanth

Rajini’s First Language Movies* Tamil – Aboorva Raagangal (18.08.1975)
* Kannadam – Katha Sangama (23.01.1976)
* Telugu – Anthuleni Katha (27.02.1976)
* Malayalam – Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum (14.04.1979)
* Hindi – Andhaa Kaanoon (07.04.1983)
* English – Bloodstone (07.10.1988)
* Bengali – Baghya Devatha

Rajini’s First

* Positive Role Movie – Kavikuyil (1977)
* Colour Film : 16 Vayathinelle (1977)
* Silver Jubilee Film Anthu Leni Katha (Telugu) (1976)
* Tamil Silver Jubilee Film 16 Vayathinile (1977)
* Solo Hero Movie & also “Superstar Title” – Bairavi (1978)
* Film shot in overseas – Priya (1978)
* Film with Sivaji Ganesan – Justice Gopinath (1978)
* Double Role – Billa (1980)
* Cinemascope – Pollathavan (1980)
* Film without moustache – Thillu Mullu (1981)
* Triple Role – Moondru Mugam (1982)
* Own Production : Maveeran (1986)
* Song sung by Rajini : Adikuthu Kuliru (Mannan) (1992)
* Own Screenplay and Story : Valli (1993)

Co-Stars who produced Rajini Movies

* Thiyagarajan – Mathu Thapitha Maga (Kannada)
* K. R. vijaya – Naan Vazavaipen
* Balaji – Billa, Thee, Viduthalai
* Sripriya – Natchathiram (Guest)
* Dwarakish – Adutha Varisu, Ganguvaa (Hindi), Nan Adimai
* IllaiVijay Kumar- Kai Kodukum Kai
* Ravichandran – Padikathavan, Natuku Oru Nallavan
* Rakesh Roshan – Begawan Dada
* Krishna – Maaveeran
* Chiranjeevi – Maapillai
* Prabhu – Mannan
* Mohan Babu – Peddarayadu
* Ilayaraja – Rajathi Raja

Producer’s First Movies

* Valli Velan Movies – Bairavi
* P.A. Arts Production – Aarilirundu Arubadu Varai
* Vidhya Movies – Pollathavan
* Kavithalayam – Netrikkan
* Maya Arts – Sivapu Sooriyan
* Ragavendira’s – Kai Kodukum kai
* S.D. Combines – Anbulla Rajnikanth
* Dwarakish Chithra – Adutha Varisu
* Lakshmi Productions – Naan Sigapu Manithan
* Eswari Productions – Padikathavan
* Geetha Arts – Mapillai
* Rasi Kala Mandir – Darmadorai
* Visalam Productions – Pandiyan
* Chandamama Vijaya Combines – Uzaippali
* Devyank Arts – Tyaagi
* Annamali Cine Combine – Arunachalam
* Arunachala Cine Creations -Padayappa
* Lotus International – Baba

Director’s First Movies

* Vayathinile – Bhrathiraja
* Bairavi – M. Bhaskar
* Mullum Malarum – Mahendran
* Aval Appadithan – Rudraya
* Billa – R. Krishnamoorthy
* Naan Pota Saval – Purthchidasan
* Anbulla Rajnikanth – K. Natraj
* Naan Admai Illai – Dwarakish (In Tamil only)

Highest Remake Movies is from Amitabh Bachchan and they are

* Billa – Don
* Ram Robert Rahim – Amar Akbar Antony
* Thee – Diwar
* Naan Vazavaipen – Majboor
* Padikkathavan – Khuddar
* Mr. Bharath – Trisool
* Maaveeran – Mard
* Siva – Khoon Pasina
* Velaikkaran – Namak Halal
* Panakkaran – Laawaris
* Badsha – Outline of HUM
* Dharmathin Thalivan – Kasme Vaade

YEAR	FILM	TYPE	AWARD
1977	16 Vayathinile	Best Actor	Arima Sangam
1977	Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri	Best Supporting Actor	Thirai Kathir
1978	Mullum Malarum	Best Actor	Tamil Nadu Government
1978	Mullum Malarum	Best Actor	Arima Sangam
1979	Aarilirundu Arubadhu Varai	Best Actor	Filmfans Association
1979	Aarilirundu Arubadhu Varai	Best Actor	Devar Award
1982	Moondru Mugam	Best Actor	Tamil Nadu Government
1982	Engeyo Ketta Kural	Best Actor	Tamil Nadu Film Fans Association
1984	Nallavanuku Nallavan	Best Actor	Filmfare Awards
1984	Nallavanuku Nallavan	Best Actor	Cinema Express
1984	Nallavanuku Nallavan	Best Actor	Filmfans Association
1984	-	KALAIMAMANI AWARD	Tamil Nadu Government
1985	Sri Raagavendirar	Best Actor	Filmfans Association
1985	Sri Raagavendirar	Best Actor	Cinema Express
1985	Sri Raagavendirar	Best Actor	Filmalaya
1987	Velaikkaran	Best Actor	Sunflash Award
1988	Blood Stone	Best Achiever Award	Cinema Express
1989	-	MGR AWARD	Tamil Nadu Government
1991	Thalapathy	Best Actor	Cinema Express
1991	Thalapathy	Best Actor	Filmfans Association
1992	Annamalai	Best Actor	Cinema Express
1992	Annamalai	Best Actor	Ambika Awards
1993	Valli	Best Story Writter	Cinema Express
1993	Valli	Best Story Writter	Filmfans Association
1993	Valli	Best Film Producer	TamilNadu Murpokku Sangam
1995	-	KALAICHELVAM AWARD	Nadigar Sangam
1995	Peaddarayadu	Best Actor	Screen Awards
1995	Baadsha	Best Actor	Cinema Express
1995	Baadsha	Best Actor	Filmfans Association
1995	Muthu	Best Actor	Cinema Express
1995	Muthu	Best Actor	Kalasagar Award (Bombay)
1995	Muthu	Best Actor	Filmfans Association
1995	-	OSHOBISMIT AWARD for his Spirituality	Rajinish Ashram Award
1999	Muthu	Best Actor	Tamil Nadu Government
1999	Padayappa	Best Actor	Tamil Nadu Government
2000	-	PADMABHUSHAN AWARD	Central Government of India

Born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Bachchan hails from a Hindu Kayastha family. His father, Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a well-known Hindi poet, while his mother, Teji Bachchan, was a Sikh from Karachi-Pakistan^. Bachchan was initially named as Inquilab, inspired from the phrase Inquilab Zindabad, during the Indian independence struggle. He was re-christened Amitabh which means, the light that would never go off. Though his last-name was Srivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Bachchan, under which was published all his works. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films, and, for all public purposes, it has become the surname of all members of his current family.

Born in the middle of World War II, Amitabh is the elder of Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s two sons, the second being Ajitabh. Even today, Bachchan emphasizes that he can never be the man his father was. His mother was very fond of stage and was also offered a role in a film, but she preferred to become a quintessential homemaker. She was reasonably responsible for Amitabh’s career because she always wanted him to take the centre stage. Bachchan’s father passed away in 2003, and his mother—on December 21, 2007.

Bachchan has a double M.A. (Master of Arts) degree. He attended Allahabad‘s Jnana Prabodhini and Boys’ High School (BHS), followed by Nainital‘s Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream. He later went on to study at Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Science degree. In his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Calcutta, to pursue a career in acting.

He married actress Jaya Bhaduri on June 3, 1973 according to Bengali rites. The couple have two children: daughter Shweta and son Abhishek.

Career

1969-1983

Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as one of the seven protagonists in Saat Hindustani. The movie was not a financial success but Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Newcomer. The critically acclaimed and commercially successful Anand (1970) followed, where he starred alongside Rajesh Khanna who was the leading popular actor at the time. Bachchan held his own despite playing a supporting role, and won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance.

Anand was followed by many unsuccessful films such as Reshma Aur Shera (1971) and Parwaana (1971). In 1972 he had a hit with the multi-star road comedy Bombay to Goa. Then came 1973 and the start of the road towards the status he would eventually come to hold.

Bachchan’s first solo film to achieve box office success came when director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for his film Zanjeer (1973). The movie was a sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it and established Amitabh in a new persona – the “angry young man” action hero of Bollywood. The next decade catapulted him to the pinnacle of Bollywood superstardom. He churned out at least one major hit every year, including Deewaar (1975), Sholay (1975) Trishul (1978), Muqaddar Ka Sikander (1978), Don (1978), Kasme Vaade (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979), Mr. Natwarlal (1979), Ram Balram (1980), Shaan (1980), Lawaaris (1981), and Shakti (1982). In fact, in 1978, the top four grossing films of India starred Amitabh Bachchan . On account of this unprecedented run and stature he enjoyed, he was billed a “one-man industry” by the French director Francois Truffaut.

Although the above-mentioned films cemented his status as Bollywood’s pre-eminent action hero, Amitabh displayed a flair for more than just action roles. His remarkable comic timing was on display in such hits as Chupke Chupke (1975), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and Namak Halaal (1982). He was also successful as a romantic lead, with particularly notable performances in Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and Silsila (1981). In 1982 he nearly fatally injured his intestines while filming Coolie. His accident received wider world coverage and hit the headlines in the UK something unheard of at the time and many Indians prayed in temples or offered to sacrifice their own limbs to save him. Nevertheless he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation. The film was released in 1983 and due to the huge publicity of Bachchan’s accident the film was a box office success.

Political career: 1984-1987

In 1984, Amitabh took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad’s Parliament seat against H. N. Bahuguna, a well-known politician, and won his MP candidacy by the highest victory margin ever for a parliamentary candidate in Indian history (68.2% of the vote). His political career, however, was short-lived: He resigned after three years, leaving his term incomplete. The resignation followed Bachchan’s implication and that of his brother in the ‘Bofors scandal‘ by a newspaper which he vowed to take to court. Bachchan was eventually found not to be guilty of involvement in the ordeal. His old friend Amar Singh helped him during a financial crisis due to the failure of his company ABCL. Therefore Bachchan started to support Amar Singh’s political party, the Samajwadi party. Jaya Bachchan joined Samajwadi Party and became a Rajya Sabha Member. Bachchan has continued to do favors for the Samajwadi party, including advertisements and political campaigns. These activities have recently gotten him into trouble again in the Indian courts for false claims after a previous fiasco of submission of legal papers by him stating that he is a farmer.

The 15-year press ban

Very few are aware of the somewhat self-imposed press ban on Bachchan. Stardust and some the film magazines got together to form an association that banned Bachchan for 15 years during his peak. They decided not to print anything about Bachchan in any of their publications. Bachchan had said that he had banned the press from entering his sets almost till the end of 1989. However, he had nothing personal against any particular magazine. It has been said that Bachchan had banned certain publications because he disliked what was being published about him and as such he vetoed them in an attempt to get them to conform this.

Slump and retirement: 1988-1992

In 1988, Bachchan returned to films after a three year stint in politics and played the title role in Shahenshah, which was a box office success due to the hype of Bachchan’s comeback. After the success of his comeback film however, his star power began to wane as all of his subsequent films failed at the box office. The 1991 hit film Hum looked like it might reverse this trend, but the momentum was short-lived as his string of box office failures continued. Notably, despite the lack of hits, it was during this period that Bachchan won his second National Film Award, for his memorable performance as a Mafia don in the 1990 film Agneepath. These years would be the last he would be seen on screen for some time. After the release of Khuda Gawah in 1992, Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years. In 1994 one of his delayed films Insaniyat was released but was also a box office failure.

Career as a producer and acting comeback 1996-1999

Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period and setup Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (A.B.C.L.) in 1996 with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) India’s premier entertainment company by the year 2000. ABCL’s strategy was to introduce products and services covering the entire section of the India’s entertainment industry. Its operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, celebrity and event management. Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film produced by the company was Tere Mere Sapne which failed to do well at the box office but launched the careers of actors such as Arshad Warsi and South films superstar Simran. ABCL produced a few other films none of which did well.

In 1997, Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film Mrityudaata, produced by ABCL. Though Mrityudaata attempted to reprise Bachchan’s earlier success as an action hero, like most of ABCL ventures, the film was a failure both financially and critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the The 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, Bangalore and lost millions due to the poor management of the event. The fiasco and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event, coupled with the fact that ABCL was reported to have overpaid most of its top level managers, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went into administration and was later on declared as a failed company by Indian Industries board. The Bombay high court, in April 1999 restrained Bachchan from selling off his Bombay bungalow ‘Prateeksha’ and two flats till the pending loan recovery cases of Canara Bank were disposed of. Bachchan had, however, pleaded that he had mortgaged his bungalow to Sahara India Finance for raising funds for his company.

Bachchan later attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998) and received positive reviews for Sooryavansham (1999) but most, however, then believed that Bachchan’s glory days were over as all his other films such as Lal Baadshah (1999) and Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) were box office failures.

Television career

In the year 2000, Bachchan stepped up to host India’s adaptation of the British television game-show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? entitled, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). As it did in most other countries where it was adopted, the program found immediate and profound success, in no small part due to Bachchan’s charisma. It is believed that Bachchan charged a whopping Rs 25 lakhs (2.5 million Indian Rupees, approximately US$60,000 ) per weekly episode which strengthened Bachchan and his family both financially and morally after the setbacks that he had to cope after ABCL’s collapse. The Canara Bank also withdrew its law suit against Bachchan in November 2000. Bachchan hosted KBC till November 2005, and its success set the stage for his return to film popularity.

Return to prominence: 2000-present

In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan regained his prominence when he appeared in Yash Chopra‘s box-office super hit, Mohabbatein directed by Aditya Chopra, in which he played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of India’s current heartthrob, Shahrukh Khan. Audiences appreciated Bachchan’s work, as he played a character whose age approximately mirrored his own and also because his character in the movie very much matched his pre-established image of angry-(no-longer)young-man. Other hits followed, with Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love (2001), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Baghban (2003). As an actor, he continued to exploit a range of characters suiting with his profile, receiving critical acclaim for his performances in Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Khakee (2004), Dev (2004) and Black (2005). Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh started endorsing a variety of products and services, appearing in many television and billboard advertisements. In 2005 and 2006 he starred with his son Abhishek in the hit films Bunty Aur Babli (2005), the Godfather tribute Sarkar (2005), and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006). All of them have been very successful at the box office.^[20][21] His later releases in 2006 and early 2007: Baabul (2006), Eklavya and Nishabd (2007) failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them have been appreciated by critics. He also made a guest-appearance as himself in the Kannada movie Amruthadaare directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar.

On May 25, 2007 two of his films Cheeni Kum and the multi-starrer Shootout at Lokhandwala were released. Shootout at Lokhandwala did very well at the box office and was declared a hit in India and Cheeni Kum picked up after a slow start and has been declared an overall average hit.

On 31 August 2007, a remake of his biggest hit Sholay (1975) which was titled Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag released and had him play the role of the villain Babban Singh (originally Gabbar Singh) who was played by the late actor Amjad Khan in the 1975 original. The film proved to be a disaster at the box office and was also poorly received by critics.

His first English language film Rituparno Ghosh‘s The Last Lear premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2007. He received positive reviews from critics who hailed his performance as his best ever since Black.

Bachchan is also going to play a supporting role in his first international film titled Shantaram which is directed by Mira Nair and stars Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead.

His upcoming releases for 2008 include Sarkar Raj, a sequel to Sarkar and Bhootnath.

Health

1982 injury during filming Coolie

While filming Coolie in 1982, Bachchan was seriously injured during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar. He was in the hospital with a ruptured intestine for months, and at times was close to death. A remarkable outpouring of support and concern by his fans and the nation in general followed. After recovering, Bachchan resumed shooting for Coolie, and it finally released as a huge success owing to its pre-release publicity.

The director, Manmohan Desai altered the ending for Coolie after Bachchan’s accident. Bachchan’s character was originally intended to have been killed off but after the change of script, the character lived in the end. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen. Also, in the released film the footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears onscreen marking this as the instant of the actor’s injury and the ensuing publicity of the accident. While filming an action scene, Bachchan was doing his own stunts. He had to fall onto a table and then on the ground. But when he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table hit his abdomen. He had a splenic rupture and lost a large amount of blood. He was flown out and needed urgent operation (splenectomy) and was critically ill for a while. A rumor spread that he had died from the accident. The nation mourned. Later there were mile-long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating.

Illness

Later, he was struck with an illness called Myasthenia gravis. This happened either because of the heavy medication that he took during his Coolie accident or because of the blood transfusion that he had received. This illness made him feel weak both mentally and physically and he decided to quit films. He had become very pessimistic about everything and just couldn’t handle the pressure of a new film’s release every Friday. Before every release he would say, “Yeh film to flop hogi!” (“This film will flop”).

2005 Hospitalisation

In November 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital’s ICU once more, to undergo surgery for diverticulitis of the small intestine. This occurred after Bachchan complained of pains in his abdomen some days prior. During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including the television show he was in the process of hosting, Kaun Banega Crorepati. India also appeared to come to a standstill, with celebrity after celebrity visiting him to offer well-wishes and prayers. News of the incident saturated coverage across Newspapers and TV news channels. Amitabh returned to work in March 2006.

Voice

Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer and presenter for numerous programmes. Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan’s voice, that he decided to use his voice as commentary in Shatranj Ke Khiladi since he did not find any suitable role for him. Before entering the film industry, Bachchan applied for a job with All India Radio for the post of a news announcer.

Controversies and Criticism

Barabanki Land Scam

In the runup to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, 2007, Amitabh Bachchan made a film extolling the virtues of the Mulayam Singh government. His Samajwadi Party was routed, and Mayawati came to power. On June 2, 2007, a Faizabad court ruled that he had illegally acquired agricultural land designated specifically for landless Dalit farmers. He may also be investigated on related charges of forgery. As he has allegedly claimed he was a farmer. If he does not qualify as the owner of agricultural land elsewhere, he may also lose a 20 acre farmhouse property he had purchased at Maval near Pune.^[36] On July 19, 2007, after the scandal broke out, Bachchan surrendered the land acquired in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh and Pune. He wrote to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to donate away the lands illegally acquired by him and his son Abhishek. In Barabanki and Pune. However, the Lucknow Court has put a stay on the land donation and said that the status quo on the land be maintained.

On October 12, 2007, Bachchan abandoned his claim in respect of the land at Daulatpur village in Barabanki district. On December 11, 2007, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave a clean chit to Bachchan in a case pertaining to alleged fraudulent allotment of government land to him in Barabanki district. Giving a clean chit to Bachchan, a single Lucknow bench of Justice said there was no finding that the actor “himself committed any fraud or manipulated any surreptitious entry in the revenue records”.

Filmography

Actor

Date of Death
13 October 1987, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (heart attack)

Birth Name
Abhas Kumar Kunjilal Ganguly

Height
5′ 8½” (1.74 m)

Mini Biography

Abhas Kumar Ganguly was born on August 4, 1979, in Khandwa, now in Madhya Pradesh. His dad’s name was Kunjilal, a lawyer by profession, and his mom’s name was Gouri Devi, who came from a wealthy family. Kishore was the youngest in the Ganguly family, preceded by Ashok, Sati, & Anoop. Sati was married to Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was the brother of film-maker Subodh Mukherjee, and Bollywood actors Joy & Deb Mukherjee. Sati’s son, Shomu, went on to marry Tanuja Samarth, and who subsequently gave birth to Kajol and Tanisha. Tanuja is the sister of Nutan Behl, who, in turn, is the mother of actor Mohnish Behl. Tanuja and Nutan are the daughters of the famed Shobhna Samarth. Sati was also aunt-by-marriage to Ram Mukherjee, who would subsequently marry and give birth to Raja and Bollywood actress, Rani Mukherjee. Ashok’s daughter is noted Bollywood actress, Preeti Ganguly, who is married to comedian and character actor, Deven Verma. Ashok’s grand-daughter is actress, Anuradha Patel.

While Ashok went on to become a successful actor, Abhas, who was renamed Kishore, shunned acting, and preferred singing and mimicking Kundanlal Saigal. His brother, Anoop, while struggling to make a name himself, noticed this, and encouraged Kishore to sing in his own voice. When Sachin Dev Burman happened to visit Ashok, he heard Kishore singing, and immediately signed him to sing for Bollywood movies. After Sachin’s passing away, his son, Rahul took over and openly favored Kishore over other male singers.

He always wanted to be a singer, but acting was thrust upon him, and he did his best to live up to it. A Leo, Kishore was also known for his mad-cap comedy movies, and for his eccentricity as he used to ‘talk’ to his trees in his home, and having put up a sign ‘Mental Hospital’ right outside his residence in Khandwa. He was also parsimonious, so much so that he was in arrears to the Indian Income Tax authorities, yet never missed a chance to make fun of them (Aur Peechey Pad Gaya Income Taxum, Jai Govindam Jai Gopalam).

When he refused to endorse former Indian Prime Minister’s 20 point Programme during the 1975-1977 Emergency, he was banned from the Government-controlled media namely All India Radio and Vividh Bharati. Even duets with his voice were censored. He was not the only one in Bollywood, as others like Inder Sen Johar, Dev Anand, Shatrughan Sinha openly condemned Mrs. Gandhi’s regime.

He refused to lend his voice to Bollywood mega-star Amitabh Bachchan, when the later refused to do a guest appearance in a Kishore-produced film.

His marriages to some of the most popular and attractive Bollywood actresses (Madhubala, Yogeeta Bali, Leena Chandavarkar) not only raised eyebrows, but added to his popularity. He introduced his son, Amit, to sing, often along with him, and then amazed his fans by marrying widowed Leena Chandavarkar, who was just two years older than Amit.

In the comedy ‘Badti Ka Naam Dadhi” he included the song ‘Karne Chaley Shaadi Meri, Khud Ban Baithey Dulha’, sung by Amit in the movie hilariously chastising his dad for getting married, instead of searching for a bride for his son.

Through Leena he sired another son, Sumit. Leena and his marriage was intact until he unexpected passing on October 13, 1987, due to heart failure.

Kishore has not only been immortalized by his songs, but also by his talents as an Actor, Producer, Director, Script-Writer, & Lyricist. His movies continue to be popular even now on TV, as do his songs on both TV and radio.