AMITABH BACHCHAN

Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan born on 11 October 1942, is an Indian film actor and producer. He first gained popularity in
the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Bollywood cinema, and has since become one of the most prominent figures in
the history of Indian cinema.

BACKGROUND
Born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Bachchan hails from a Hindu-Sikh family. His father, Dr. Harivansh Rai
Bachchan was a well-known Hindi poet, while his mother, Teji Bachchan was a Sikh-Punjabi from Faisalabad . Bachchan
was initially named Inquilaab, inspired from the famous phrase Inquilab Zindabad, during the Indian independence struggle.
However, at the suggestion of fellow poet Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai changed the name to Amitabh which means,
"the light that would never go off." Though his surname was Shrivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Bachchan ,
under which he 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.

Amitabh is the eldest of Harivansh Rai Bachchan's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. 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 now known as
Kolkata, to pursue a career in acting.

Career

 Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as one of the seven protagonists in Saat Hindustani, a film directed by
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and featuring Utpal Dutt, Madhu and Jalal Agha. Though the film was not a financial
success, Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Newcomer.

 Anand (1971) garned him his first Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

 The film, directed and written Indiatimes Movies ranks Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.
Released on 15 August 1975 was Sholay which became the highest grossing film of all time in India, earning INR
2,36,45,00,000 equivalent to US$ 60 million, after adjusting for [Link] played the role of Jaidev. In
1999, BBC India declared it the "Film of the Millennium". In that same year, the judges of the 50th annual
Filmfare awards awarded it with the special distinction award called Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

ACCIDENT

On 26 July 1982, while filming Coolie in the University Campus in Bangalore, Bachchan suffered a near fatal intestinal
injury during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar. The film was released in 1983, and partly due to the
huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film was a box office success.

Later, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. His illness made him feel weak both mentally and physically and he
decided to quit films and venture into politics. At this time he became pessimistic, expressing concern with how a new film
would be received.

AMITABH BACHCHAN IN POLITICS: 1984–1987

In 1984, Bachchan took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend, Rajiv Gandhi.
He contested Allahabad's seat of 8th Lok Sabha against H. N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and won by
the one of the highest victory margins in general election history (68.2% of the vote). His political career, however, was
short-lived: he resigned after three years, calling politics a cesspool. The resignation followed the implication of Bachchan
and his brother in the "Bofors scandal" by a newspaper, which he vowed to take to court. Bachchan was eventually found not
guilty of involvement in the ordeal.

FINANCIAL CRISIS RESULTING FROM THE FAILURE OF ABCL

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 the 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 incident of submission of legal papers by him, stating that he is a farmer.

Producer and acting comeback 1996–1999

Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd.
(A.B.C.L.) in 1996, with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) 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 was produced by the company. Tere Mere Sapne failed to do well at the box office but
launched the careers of actors such as Arshad Warsi and South films star 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, the film was a failure both financially and
critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, Bangalore but lost millions. 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 declared 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.

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. As it did in most other countries where it was adopted, the program found
immediate success. Canara Bank 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. Amitabh Bachchan hosted Bigg Boss 3.

Health

2005 hospitalisation

In November 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's ICU once more, to undergo surgery for
diverticulitis of the small [Link] 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. 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. Before entering the film industry, Bachchan applied for an announcer's job with All India Radio, although he
was rejected.

Controversies and criticism

Barabanki land case

In the runup to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, 2007, Bachchan made a film extolling the virtues of the Mulayam
Singh government. His Samajwadi Party was routed, and Mayawati came to power.

On 2 June 2007 a Faizabad court ruled that he had legally acquired agricultural land designated specifically for landless Dalit
farmers. It was speculated that he might be investigated on related charges of forgery, as he has allegedly claimed he was a
farmer. On19 July 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 the lands that were allegedly
acquired illegally in 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 12 October 2007, Bachchan abandoned his claim in respect of the land at Daulatpur village in Barabanki district. On 11
December 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. After receiving a positive verdict in Barabanki
case, Amitabh Bachchan intimated to Maharashtra government that he did not wish to surrender his land in Maval tehsil of
Pune district.

Raj Thackeray's criticism

In January 2008 at political rallies, Raj Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, targeted Amitabh Bachchan,
asserting that the actor was "more inclined" towards his native state than Maharashtra. He expressed his disapproval of
Amitabh's inaugurating a girls' school named after his daughter-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, at Barabanki in
Uttar Pradesh, rather than in Maharashtra.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

Apart from National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards and other competitive awards which Bachchan won for his
performances throughout the years, he has been awarded several honours for his achievements in the Indian film industry. In
1991, he became the first artist to receive the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established in the name of
Raj Kapoor. Bachchan was crowned as Superstar of the Millennium in 2000 at the Filmfare Awards. The Government of
India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001. France's highest civilian honour, the
Knight of the Legion of Honour, was conferred upon him by the French Government in 2007, for his "exceptional career in
the world of cinema and beyond".

 In 1999, Bachchan was voted the Greatest Star of stage or screen of the Millennium by BBC online poll where he
defeated many Hollywood legends.
 In 2001, he was honoured with the Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival in
Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema.
 Many other honours for his achievements were conferred upon him at several International Film Festivals,
including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Asian Film Awards.
 In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been immortalised in wax at London's prestigious Madame
Tussauds Wax Museum. Another statue was installed at New York and Hong Kong in 2009.
 In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville. He was honoured with
an Honorary Doctorate by the Jhansi University in 2004, the Delhi University in 2006, the De Montfort
University in Leicester, UK in 2006, the University Brandan Foster by the Leeds Metropolitan University in
Yorkshire in 2007. Another an Honorary Doctorate was conferred by the Queensland University of Technology in
Australia in 2009. But he turns down the honour as mark of protest to racial attacks on Indian students.

BOOKS WRITTEN ON AMITABH BACHCHAN

Severals books have been written about Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan: the Legend was published in 1999, To be or not to
be: Amitabh Bachchan in 2004, AB: The Legend: (A Photographer's Tribute) in 2006, Amitabh Bachchan: Ek Jeevit
Kimvadanti in 2006, Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar in 2006, Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan and Me in
2007 and Bachchanalia in 2009. Bachchan himself has also written a book in 2002: Soul Curry for you and me - An
Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life.

Personal life

Bachchan is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri. They have two children, Shweta Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan. Abhishek is
also an actor and is married to actress Aishwarya Rai.

AS A Producer

Year Film
1996 Tere Mere Sapne
Ullasam
1997
Mrityudaata
1998 Major Saab
2001 Aks
2005 Viruddh
2006 Family - Ties of Blood

Playback singer
Year Film
The Great Gambler
1979
Mr. Natwarlal
Lawaaris
1981 Naseeb
Silsila
Mahaan
1983
Pukar
1984 Sharaabi
Toofan
1989
Jaadugar
1992 Khuda Gawah
1998 Major Saab
1999 Sooryavansham
Aks
2001
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
2002 Aankhen
Armaan
2003
Baghban
Dev
2004
Aetbaar
2006 Baabul
Nishabd
2007
Cheeni Kum
2008 Bhoothnath
Aladin
2009

Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan born on 2 November 1965, sometimes credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor and a
prominent Bollywood figure, as well as a film producer and television host. Khan began his career appearing in several
television serials in the late 1980s. He made his film debut in Deewana (1992). Since then, he has been part of numerous
commercially successful films and has earned critical acclaim for many of his performances. Khan has won thirteen Filmfare
Awards for his work in Indian films, seven of which are in the Best Actor category, thus establishing himself as one of the
Leading actors of Hindi Cinema. In 2005, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions
towards Indian Cinema.

Khan's films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Chak De India (2007), Om Shanti
Om (2007) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, while films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie
Gham (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010)
have been top-grossing Indian productions in the overseas markets, making him one of the most successful actors of India.
Since 2000, Khan branched out into film production and television presenting as well.

PRODUCER:

He is the founder/owner of two production companies, Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment. Khan is today
considered to be the world's most successful movie star, with a fan following numbering in the billions and a net worth
estimated at over Rs 2500 crore (US$ 540 million). In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in
the world.
Biography

Khan was born in 1965 to Muslim parents of Pathan descent in New Delhi, India. His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, was an
Indian independence activist from Peshawar, British India. Growing up in Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood, Khan attended St.
Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama, and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual
award given to the student who best represents the spirit of the school. Khan later attended the Hansraj College (1985–1988)
and earned his Bachelors degree in Economics (honors). Though he pursued a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at
Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to make his career in Bollywood.

After the death of his parents, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991. In that same year, before any of his films were released, he
married Gauri Chibber, a Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991. They have two children, son
Aryan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Allah, he also values his
wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu deities.

In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh
Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the
outer world of his work.

BOOK ON SHAHRUKH KHAN:

The book Still Reading Khan, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, King
of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema, was released in 2007. It describes the world of
Bollywood through Khan's life.

FILM CAREER

Background

Khan studied acting under celebrated Theatre Director Barry John at Delhi's Theatre Action Group . Khan made his
acting debut in 1988 when he appeared in the television series, Fauji, playing the role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai. He
went on to appear in several other television serials, most notably in the 1989 serial, Aziz Mirza's Circus, which depicted the
life of circus performers The same year, Khan also had a minor role in the made-for-television English-language film, In
Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, which was based on life at Delhi University and was written by Arundhati Roy.

Khan's success continued with a few more highly popular films. One of his most successful works was the multiple award-
winning 2007 film, Chak De India, about the Indian women's national hockey team. Earning over Rs 639 million, Chak De
India became the third highest grossing movie of 2007 in India and won yet another Filmfare Best Actor Award for Khan.
The film was a major critical success.

AS A PRODUCER

FAILURES:

Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz
Mirza in 1999. The first two of the films he produced and starred in: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Asoka (2001)
were box office failures. However, his third film as a producer and star, Chalte Chalte (2003), proved a box office hit

In 2004, Khan set up another production company, Red Chillies Entertainment,

Apart from film production, the company also has a visual effects studio known as Red Chillies VFX. It has also ventured
into television content production, with shows like, The First Ladies, Ghar Ki Baat Hai', and Knights and Angels.
Television advertisements are also produced by the company.

In 2008, Red Chillies Entertainment became the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the BCCI-backed IPL cricket
competition.

Television host
In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third series of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati,
the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The previous had hosted the show for five years from 2000–05. On
22 January 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host and later ended on 19 April 2007.

On 25 April 2008, Khan began hosting the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You
Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, whose last episode was telecasted on 27 July 2008, with Lalu Prasad Yadav as the special
guest.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Khan has been awarded several honours which includes the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award from the
Government of India in 2005. In April 2007, a life-size wax statue of Khan was installed at Madame Tussauds Wax
Museum, London. Another statue was installed at the Musée Grévin in Paris, the same year. During the same year, he was
accorded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award by the French government for his
“exceptional career”. There are also statues in Hong Kong and New York

In October 2008, Khan was conferred the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka which carries the honorific Datuk (in similar fashion to
"Sir" in British knighthood), by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, the head of state of Malacca in
Malaysia. Khan was honoured for "promoting tourism in Malacca" by filming One Two Ka Four there in 2001. Some were
critical of this decision. He was also honoured with an honorary doctorate in arts and culture from Britain's University of
Bedfordshire in 2009.

PRODUCER

 Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000)

 Asoka (2001)
 Chalte Chalte (2003)
 Main Hoon Na (2004)
 Kaal (2005)
 Paheli (2005)
 Om Shanti Om (2007)
 Billu (2009)
 [Link] (2011)

PLAYBACK SINGER

 Main to hoon Pagal - Baadshah (1999)

 Apun Bola - Josh (2000)
 Khaike Paan Banaraswala - Don - The Chase Begins Again (2006)
 Ek Hockey Doongi Rakhke - Chak De India (2007)
 Sattar Minute - Chak De India (2007)

STUNTS DIRECTOR

 Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

 Main Hoon Na (2004)
 Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
 Chak De India (2007)
 Om Shanti Om (2007)
 Oye! It's Friday! (2009)  ... Guest
 Tere Mere Beach Mein (2009)  ... Guest
 Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2010)  ... Guest