Amitabh Bachchan Turns 83: 83 Fascinating Facts Every Fan Should Know

Amitabh Bachchan Birthday:

Amitabh Bachchan needs no special introduction. The Bollywood megastar has carved a niche for himself with roles that speak volumes about his versatility. From making his debut in the 1969 film Saat Hindustani, playing the role of a freedom fighter, to slipping into the shoes of a futuristic rebel in the 2024 sci-fi movie Kalki 2898 AD, Big B has indeed come a long way in his career.

Besides ruling the cinema world with his charm and swagger, Amitabh Bachchan has created a legacy on the small screen as well with the popular quiz-based reality show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, currently in its 17th season.

On the occasion of Amitabh Bachchan’s 83rd birthday today, October 11, let us look at 83 fascinating facts about the megastar.

83 Fascinating Facts About Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan changed his surname from Srivastava to Bachchan to protest casteism, as instructed by his father, poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

The megastar was born in Allahabad.

Do you know Big B was previously named Inquilab?

Upon the suggestion of poet Sumitranandan Pant, the megastar was named Amitbah, meaning “the light that never fades”.

Amitabh Bachchan’s father was from Uttar Pradesh.

The actor’s mother, Teji Bachchan, belonged to a Sikh community in Lyallpur (Faisalabad), Pakistan.

The Zanjeer star completed his schooling at Allahabad’s Gyan Prabodhini Boys High School.

After that, he studied at Sherwood College, Nainital.

He obtained a B.Sc. degree from Kirori Mal College, New Delhi.

Last year on KBC, Amitabh Bachchan revealed that taking up B.Sc was a “big mistake”

“In just 45 minutes, it changed everything. For the first time, I failed. Then with great difficulty, I scored 42 per cent,” he shared.

Amitabh Bachchan started her career as a voice narrator for Mrinal Sen’s film Bhuvan Shome

According to reports, he received only Rs 300

Would you believe he was rejected in the All India Radio audition?

His voice was called heavy with a deep baritone.

The 1973 film Zanjeer became a turning point in his career

He was revered as the angry young man since then

Amitabh Bachchan is 6 ft 2 inches tall.

Due to his height, many heroines reportedly refused to work with him

Amitabh Bachchan was even rejected from the Air Force due to his tall legs

DYK Amitabh Bachchan can write with both his hands?

“Until the age of four or five, I used to write with my left hand” shared Amitabh Bachchan in a past KBC season

He added, “My father then said, ‘Yeh Galat Kaam Hai, write with your right hand’.”

Amitabh Bachchan was also a part of the renowned director Satyajit Ray’s film.

He lent his voice in the 1977 film Shatranj Ke Khiladi.

Although a Bollywood megastar now, Amitabh Bachchan wanted to become an engineer

Iconic comic actor Mehmood Ali was a close associate of Amitabh Bachchan

Reportedly, Big B would steal Mehmood Ali’s impressive car collection to impress women

Amitabh Bachchan called Mehmood his godfather.

Medmood let Big B stay in his place in his struggling years

The legendary comic star got Amitabh Bachchan in the leading role in Bombay To Goa.

The film caught the eye of legendary screenwriter duo Salim-Javed

“The day he picks up speed, he will leave everyone behind” told Mehmood about Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan arrived in Mumbai in the late 1960s

He only had a driver’s license with him

With no steady income, Big B considered becoming a cab driver.

He slept on the benches of the Marine Drive

Despite being offered a Rs 10,000 commercial, he refused

According to Amitabh Bachchan, an advertisement would have hampered his dreams of becoming an actor.

Before moving to Mumbai, he worked at a British firm in Kolkata

The nine-to-five life didn’t satisfy him

In a 1999 interview with Vir Sanghvi, Big B revealed, “Without those difficult days, I would never have valued success the way I do.

Before Zanjeer, some of his films flopped, unable to strike the right chord with the masses

The 83-year-old opened up about his financial struggles in a KBC 15 episode

Amitabh Bachchan shared that his father’s monthly income was Rs 400-500 a month.

“We couldn’t afford a pen with it,” he told the contestant back at that time.

Amitabh Bachchan, in an old interview with journalist Vir Sanghvi, talked about the time when his company, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), went bankrupt.

In the 1990s, he had 55 legal cases against him with a debt of a whopping Rs 90 crore.

“There were creditors at the door every day. Very embarrassing, very humiliating,” he admitted.

It was Yash Chopra who came to Amitabh Bachchan’s rescue back then

The filmmaker gave Big B’s career a second lease by offering him the 2000 film Mohabbatein.

Amitabh Bachchan’s son and actor Abhishek Bachchan became his father’s support during the tough times

In an interview with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, Abhishek Bachchan shared that he dropped out of college in Boston to be with his family

In the same year as Mohabbatein’s release, Amitabh Bachchan hosted the first season of Kaun Banega Crorepati

Do you know, even legendary actor-director Sunil Dutt found Amitabh Bachchan’s voice unpleasant?

In fact, Sunil Dutt found Amitabh Bachchan’s voice, resembling a crow.

Actor Akashdeep Sabir, in a conversation with Lehren Retro, said that Sunil Dutt had “heard about an interesting actor and he wanted to cast him as a second hero in Reshma Aur Shera

After watching Big B’s Saath Hindustani, Sunil Dutt revealed, “This boy is intense, par yeh pahaadi kauwe ki awaaz ka kya karunga? (But what do I do about his crow-like voice?)”

Hence, Amitabh Bachchan was given the role of a mute person in Reshma Aur Shera

Big B was one of the judges for the 1995 Miss World beauty pageant.

Do you know, he played a triple role in the 1983 action thriller Mahaan?

Amitabh and his wife Jaya Bachchan’s love story dates back to 1970

The 1971 musical drama Guddi marked their first film

Amitabh Bachchan played a side character in the film, with Dharmendra being in the lead role

The pair were once again cast in Ek Nazar and hence forged a deeper bond

In the 1980s, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s love story took the world by storm

During the shoot of the 1981 film Laawaris, Amitabh Bachchan was reportedly smitten by an Iranian dancer.

According to reports, Rekha was angered by the rumours and rushed to the film sets

If reports are to be believed, the confrontation turned heated and Amitabh Bachchan allegedly slapped Rekha

Amitabh Bachchan even lost his temper at Jaya during the promotions of their 1981 blockbuster Silsila, also featuring Rekha

Big B and Jaya Bachchan attended an interview with journalist Karan Thapar, where they were asked about the megastar’s affair with Rekha.

Both of them denied, but Karan Thapar in his book Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story wrote how Amitabh Bachchan got angry at his wife at the dinner table post the interview.

He got upset over Jaya Bachchan serving him rice instead of rotis.

“Stop it. Just stop it, I’ve said I don’t want rice and I’m happy to wait for the rotis. Can’t you understand that? What’s the matter with you? Why can’t you just listen to what I’m saying?” he yelled at Jaya Bachchan, as quoted in the book.

But Jaya Bachchan or Rekha weren’t Amitabh Bachchan’s first love.

Author and film historian Hanif Zaveri, on the Meri Saheli podcast, revealed that Amitabh Bachchan’s first love blossomed in Kolkata.

Apparently, he was in love with a girl named Maya.

She used to work with British Airways

They used to meet at Amitabh Bachchan’s previous bungalow on Juhu 7th Road

But their relationship didn’t last long, as reportedly, the two had opposite personalities.

Amitabh is known to suffer from asthma

He developed a muscular disorder called myasthenia gravis (MG) while shooting for the 1985 film Mard

Amitabh Bachchan celebrates his second birthday on August 2, since it felt like a rebirth after his near-fatal accident while filming Coolie (1982).