Jaya Bachchan
Born	Jaya Bhaduri (1948-04-09) April 9, 1948 (age 64) Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Occupation	Actress, Politician
Years active	1963, 1971–1981, 1998–present
Spouse	Amitabh Bachchan (1973–present)
Children	Abhishek Bachchan Shweta Nanda

Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan (Bengali: জয়া ভাদুড়ী বচ্চন, Hindi: जया बच्चन; born Jaya Bhaduri on 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician. She is an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Bachchan is the wife of Amitabh Bachchan, and the mother of Shweta Bachchan-Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan. Bachchan is recognised as one of the finest Hindi film actresses of her time, particularly known for reinforcing a naturalistic style of acting in both mainstream and "middle-of-the-road" cinema.^[1][2]

Making her film debut as a teenager in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (1963), Bachchan's first screen role as an adult was in Guddi (1971), directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, with whom she would collaborate in several films. She was noted for her performances in films including Uphaar (1971), Koshish (1972), Kora Kagaz (1974), among others.She appeared alongside her husband Amitabh Bachchan in films such as Zanjeer (1973), Abhimaan (1973), Chupke Chupke (1975), Mili (1975) and Sholay (1975).

Following her marriage and the birth of her children, Bachchan restricted her film work for some years, and after her appearance in the 1981 film Silsila, she took an indefinite sabbatical from films. She returned to acting with Govind Nihlani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa in 1998. Since then, she has appeared in such films as Fiza (2000), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), which garnered her several awards and nominations.

During her career, she has won six competitive Filmfare Awards: three for Best Actress and three for Best Supporting Actress, which makes her the overall most-awarded performer in the female acting categories, along with Nutan. She was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.^[3]

Early life[link]

Jaya Bhaduri was born in a Hindu Bengali family to Indira and Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, writer, journalist and stage artist in Jabalpur. She studied in St. Joseph's Convent School, Bhopal. She was awarded the Best All-India N.C.C. Cadet Award, during the Republic Day celebrations in 1966.^[4] She later studied at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, completing her graduation there as a gold medalist.

Career[link]

She started her career with a supporting role in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film, Mahanagar at the age of 15, with Anil Chatterjee and Madhabi Mukherjee. Prior to this, she had appeared in two Bengali films: a 13-minute short film, Suman,^[5] and a Bengali comedy Dhanni Meye (1971), as Uttam Kumar's sister-in law.^[6]

Inspired by her experience with Ray, she decided to join Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune to learn acting, and passed out with the gold medal,^[7] and she was also picked out to play the eponymous role of Guddi in the 1971 Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, Guddi in which she played a schoolgirl obsessed with film star Dharmendra.^[8] Guddi was a success,^[6] and she moved to Bombay and soon picked other roles, however her role of a 14 year-old school girl, aided by her petite looks, created the girl-next-door image for her, which she was often associated with through the rest of her career. Though she tried to break out of the mould with glamourous roles as in Jawani Diwani (1972)^[1] and a negative character of the heroine faking amnesia, in Anamika (1973), she was mostly recognised for roles of this sort, which were credited with epitomising middle-class sensibility and which she played amiably in films of "middle-cinema" directors like Gulzar, Basu Chatterjee and indeed Hrishikesh Mukherjee.^[9] These films include Uphaar (1971), Piya Ka Ghar (1972), Parichay (1972), Koshish (1972) and Bawarchi (1972), with marked sensitivity.^[8][10] By now, she was a popular star.^[6]

In Gulzar's Koshish (1973), Bhaduri and Sanjeev Kumar played a deaf couple who struggle through their difficulties as handicapped people. She described the film as a "a learning experience" which motivated to do social work in future.^[11]

She first acted with her future husband Amitabh Bachchan in the film, Bansi Birju (1972), followed by B.R. Ishara's Ek Nazar also in the same year.^[6] Amitabh had undergone a string of flops, and when most lead heroines refused to work him, in Salim-Javed scripted, Zanjeer (1973), she stepped into the film. The film turned out to be blockbuster and gave rise to Amitabh Bachchan's angry-young-man image.^[12] This was closely followed by their pairing in films like Abhimaan (1973), Chupke Chupke (1975) and Sholay (1975).

Her daughter Shweta was born while Jaya and Amitabh were working on Sholay. Following this she retired from films and focused on raising her children. Her last film as a lead actress was Silsila (1981), opposite her husband. During the late 1980s she wrote the story for the film Shahenshah which starred her husband in the lead.

After a gap of film appearances for 18 years, she returned to acting with Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998), a film about the Naxalite movement. In 2000 she starred in Fiza for which she received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her work. She also starred in Karan Johar's family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) with her husband. She then starred in Karan Johar's next film, Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). She played the role of Preity Zinta's mother, Jennifer, for which she again received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.^[13]

In 2007 Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, she appeared with son Abhishek Bachchan.

As of January 2011, she is set to appear in a Bangladeshi film titled Meherjaan starring with Victor Banerjee and Humayun Faridi. The film is based on a Bangaladesh-Pakistan love story in the backdrop of 1971 Bangladesh atrocities. Its a story of Meherjaan (played by Jaya Bachchan), a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with a Pakistani army officer who refuses to join the war and saves her from being raped by other Pakistani troops who do not however spare her cousin Neela and kill her father.^[14]

Political career[link]

Bachchan was elected as a Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament, representing Rajya Sabha, and in February 2010 she stated her intent to complete her term.^[15]

Controversies[link]

Drona Music release speech controvsery[link]

Bachchan's speech during the music launch of film Drona, were critizied some sections of politicians in Maharashtra. In response to the film's director, Goldie Behl, making his introductory speech in English, she said "Hum UP ke log hain, isliye Hindi mein baat karenge, Maharashtra ke log maaf kijiye " (We are from UP, so we will speak in Hindi. People of Maharashtra, please excuse). Subsequently, she also encouraged actress Priyanka Chopra to speak in Hindi.^[16]

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackray commented that Jaya had no business alluding to all the people of Maharashtra in that statement. He threatened to ban all Bachchan films unless Jaya apologised in a public forum for hurting Maharashtrians. MNS workers began to attack theatres screening The Last Lear starring her husband, Amitabh Bachchan. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also criticized her statement saying: "After making all your success and fortune in Mumbai, if you feel like saying that, we are from UP, its very unfortunate." Amitabh Bachchan tendered an apology for her statements on her behalf.^[17]

Personal life[link]

On 3 June 1973, she married actor Amitabh Bachchan. The couple have two children: Shweta Bachchan-Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan, who is also an actor. Shweta is married to industrialist Nikhil Nanda in Delhi, and has two children, Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda,^[18] while Abhishek Bachchan is married to Aishwarya Rai, also an actor who recently gave birth to a baby girl (Aaradhya Bachchan) ^[19]

Awards and recognition[link]

Filmfare Awards[link]

Winner

• 1972 - Filmfare Special Award for Uphaar
• 1974 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Abhimaan
• 1975 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Kora Kagaz
• 1980 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Nauker
• 1998 - Filmfare Special Award for her contribution to the film industry.
• 2001 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Fiza
• 2002 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
• 2004 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Kal Ho Na Ho
• 2007 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominated

• 1972 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Guddi
• 1972 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Uphaar
• 1974 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Koshish
• 1976 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Mili
• 1982 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Silsila

International Indian Film Academy Awards[link]

Winner

• 2001 - IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award for Fiza
• 2002 - IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
• 2004 - IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award for Kal Ho Na Ho

Other film awards[link]

Winner

• 1972 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards: Special Award (Hindi film) for Guddi ^[20]
• 1999 - Anandalok Awards: Special Editor Award
• 2001 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards: Best Actress in Supporting Role for Fiza ^[21]
• 2001 - Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female for Fiza
• 2002 - Best Actress in a supporting role for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham at the Sansui Viewers Choice Awards ^[22]

Honours and recognitions[link]

• In 1992, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India.
• In 1998, she was honoured with the Omega Award for Excellence: Lifetime Achievement.^[23]
• She is a recipient of the "Yash Bharati Samman", UP state's highest award from the Government of Uttar Pradesh.^[24]
• 2000, Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image, an award for her "abiding contribution to Cinema".^[25]
• 2004, Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sansui Awards.^[26]
• 2010, Lifetime Achievement Award at the "Tongues on Fire" film festival in London^[27][28]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of Indian film actresses
• List of Bengali actresses

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Banerjee, Shampa; Anil Srivastava (1988). One Hundred Indian Feature Films: An Annotated Filmography. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-8240-9483-2. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=zX4GY37rG8kC&pg=PA93&dq=Jaya+Bhaduri&lr=&cd=13#v=onepage&q=Jaya%20Bhaduri&f=false. 
• Gulzar, .; Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema. Popular Prakashan, Encyclopaedia Britannica (India). ISBN 81-7991-066-0. 
• Dawar, Ramesh (2006). Bollywood Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow. Star Publications. ISBN 1-905863-01-2. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=TO6Fmi8FraUC&pg=RA1-PA22&dq=Jawani+Diwani&hl=en&ei=KQ0rTNP1OYaZrAefqqjdBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Jawani%20Diwani&f=false. 
• Peter John, Ali. "Jaya is aback, Jaya Hey!". Screen India. Express India. http://www.screenindia.com/old/nov19/film4.htm. Retrieved 2011-02-14. 

External links[link]

• Jaya Bachchan at the Internet Movie Database

Karisma Kapoor
Karisma Kapoor at Xtra Innings IPL V, 2012.
Born	Karishma Kapoor (1974-06-25) 25 June 1974 (age 38) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Other names	Lolo
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1991–2003, 2011–present
Spouse	Sanjay Kapoor (2003–present) 2 children

Karisma Kapoor (born on 25 June 1974), often informally referred to as Lolo,^[1] is an Indian actress appearing in Bollywood films. Born into a family where her parents, Randhir Kapoor and Babita, were actors, Kapoor made her acting debut at the age of seventeen with Prem Qaidi in 1991. She subsequently featured in several commercially successful films such as Jigar (1992), Anari (1993), Raja Babu, Suhaag (1994), Coolie No. 1, Gopi Kishan (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural & Jeet (1996).

In 1996, Kapoor earned her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Raja Hindustani, her biggest commercial success, and later received the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the romantic drama Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). She went on to play the lead female role in the critically acclaimed projects, Fiza (2000) and Zubeidaa (2001), for which she earned the Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics) trophies at the Filmfare ceremony. Having done so, Kapoor has established herself as one the leading actresses of Hindi cinema.

During her career, Kapoor has received one National Film Award and four Filmfare Awards, among six nominations. In addition to acting in films, Kapoor has played the leading role in the television series, Karishma: The Miracle of Destiny (2003) and has also featured as a talent judge for the reality shows, Nach Baliye and Hans Baliye. Following a high-profile relationship with actor Abhishek Bachchan, Kapoor married Sanjay Kapoor in 2003, with whom she has two children. She subsequently took a sabbatical from acting after her marriage before featuring in Dangerous Ishhq (2012).

Early life[link]

Kapoor was born in Mumbai to Randhir Kapoor, an actor popular during the 1970s and 80s, and actress Babita. She is the granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, great-granddaughter of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, grand-niece of actors Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, sister of actress Kareena Kapoor, niece of actors Rishi Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor, and first-cousin of actor Ranbir Kapoor.^[2] Kapoor studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai until grade six.

Career[link]

Debut & Breakthrough (1991–1995)[link]

Kapoor made her debut in the 1991 movie Prem Qaidi, which was a semi-hit. Although most of her multiple releases from 1992–1996 failed to do well at the box office, she had some success with films like Jigar (1992), Anari (1993), Raja Babu & Suhaag (1994), Coolie No. 1 & Gopi Kishan (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural & Jeet (1996) Judwaa & Hero No. 1 (1997).^[3]

Success & Critical Acclaim (1996–2002)[link]

In 1996, Kapoor played the female lead in Dharmesh Darshan's Raja Hindustani opposite Aamir Khan. The movie was the highest grossing film of the year^[4] and she won her first Filmfare Best Actress Award. The following year, she won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Yash Chopra's super-hit,^[5] Dil To Pagal Hai opposite Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Kapoor took a year break from films in 1998. Her diminutive comeback in 1999 proved to be good as she took part in the year's most successful films. Kapoor starred in four absolute hits. David Dhawan's comedy Biwi No.1 opposite Salman Khan became the biggest hit of the year. She proved to have success with comedy films, as David Dhawan's another film Haseena Maan Jaayegi did fairly well at the box office.^[6]

Kapoor also collaborated for the first time with the Rajshri Productions banner with Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United which also resulted in a hit. Her last release, Jaanwar opposite Akshay Kumar, was another box office hit, making her the most successful actress of the year.^[7]

In 2000, she won her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Khalid Mohammed's Fiza. Her performance in the film was highly acclaimed and several critics noted her for showing great emotional range and depth. Mimmy Jain of The Indian Express, in a positive review, wrote, "As the young girl who is sick of the suspense and disruption that her brother's disappearance has caused in her family's life, as the obstinate daughter who will not listen to her mother's plea to let her keep hoping for her son, as the determined sister who keeps on in her hunt for her brother despite all odds and then seeks to keep him on the right path, this is a new Karisma, and one that delivers a superbly flawless performance."^[8][9]

In 2001, She also achieved critical acclaim for her role in the film, Zubeidaa. Her performance was appreciated with film critic Taran Adarsh who believed that she "looks every bit the character she is portraying and the effort is laudable. She essays the multifaceted character with flourish and scores every time she comes on screen."^[10] The Tribune complimented her by arguing that she "has surpassed herself as the passionate, defiant, wilful and troubled Zubeidaa, the truly modern woman."^[11] For her work, she was awarded the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

In 2002, Her performance in Shakti - The Power, was highly appreciated. Kapoor's performance was applauded by critic Taran Adarsh who wrote, "the power clearly belongs to Karisma Kapoor. Breathing fire and venom to win back her son from the clutches of a despot, the actress gives it all to the character of a helpless mother and proves what a virtuoso performer she is. Playing the part of a wounded tigress, this is one performance that overshadows all the performances the year has seen so far",^[12] and earned her many nominations in the Best Actress category.

Sabbatical (2003–2010)[link]

After her film Baaz: A Bird in Danger and Karishma: The Miracle of Destiny, released in 2003, she took a sabbatical from full time acting for three years. In 2006, Kapoor was seen in two delayed films Mere Jeevan Saathi opposite Akshay Kumar and Ameesha Patel, in which she played a negative role, and Zamaanat starring alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Arshad Warsi. In 2007, Kapoor was seen on Karan Johar's chat show Koffee with Karan, with her sister Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor, she also won the Koffee Award for Best Supporting Appearance. In 2008, alongside actor Arjun Rampal and director/choreographer Farah Khan, Kapoor began judging the dance show Nach Baliye 4, and continued the following year with Hans Baliye alongside David Dhawan. In addition, she made a cameo role, along with numerous other Bollywood stars in 2007's Om Shanti Om. She was also seen as guest on the reality TV show Wife Bina Life (2010). Kapoor also voiced the role of Chhaya in the Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer Bodyguard.

Return To Films (2011–present)[link]

In 2011, Kapoor officially announced she is returning to movies in Vikram Bhatt's next, a 3D film titled Dangerous Ishhq. Her performance was appreciated with film critics Komal Nahta commented: "Karisma Kapoor who makes a comeback is profiled in almost every possible manner and given almost every range of acting in this film. Directors notice please! So you have the age-defying mother of two in real life, hopping around in big heals, is eternally decked up with proper make-up and hair romancing, weeping, gun-totting, turning Punjabi, Rajasthani and even Islamic all with stressful accents throughout the film". Mansha Rastogi commented: "Karisma Kapoor who makes a comeback is profiled in almost every possible manner and given almost every range of acting in this film. Directors notice please! So you have the age-defying mother of two in real life, hopping around in big heals, is eternally decked up with proper make-up and hair romancing, weeping, gun-totting, turning Punjabi, Rajasthani and even Islamic all with stressful accents throughout the film". Taran Adarsh commented: "Karisma Kapoor puts forth her best efforts, getting to deliver lines in varied dialects. She gets the dialects right, especially Urdu and Rajasthani". Filmfare commented: "Full marks to Karisma for her conviction though. She’s as powerful and confident as any of her earlier performances". Times of india commented: "After long, Karisma Kapoor is reincarnated onscreen. Between panic-struck moments and over dramatic emotions, in almost every frame, she seems stuck in the 90s. There are moments of brief intensity where she performs well, but nothing that jumpstarts us back to life". Mumbai Mirror commented: "Karisma Kapoor makes an ‘entry’ like the stars of old-school Bollywood as she walks the ramp. The fact that you also see her eventually as a Rajput dasi in the 1500s with several avatars in between is testament to the fact that she’s worked hard. Acting is a skill you can lose without practice".

Kapoor will be featured in the remake of Satte Pe Satta opposite Sanjay Dutt which started filming in January 2012.^[13] Karisma Kapoor endorsed Babyoye.com, an online portal that sells baby care products, at Taj Lands End in Bandra.^[14]

Personal Life[link]

Karisma Kapoor with younger sister Kareena Kapoor.

Hailing from a family deeply involved in the Bollywood film industry, Kapoor faced the media spotlight from a very young age.[16] As a child, Kapoor regularly attended award ceremonies and events with her mother Babita and father Randhir Kapoor.

Karisma was engaged to Abhishek Bachchan. The engagement was announced in October 2002 on the 60th birthday of Abhishek's father, Amitabh Bachchan. Four months later in February 2003, they split up.^[15] On 29 September 2003, she married industrialist Sanjay Kapur, CEO of Sixt India. In typical Kapoor tradition, Karisma was married at the home of her grandfather (the late Raj Kapoor): R K Cottage. They opted for an hour-long Sikh wedding ceremony.^[16] The couple's daughter Samaira was born on 11 March 2005. After the birth of her daughter, there was considerable rift between her and her husband. The couple has subsequently patched-up. She gave birth to their second child, son Kiaan Raj Kapoor on 12 March 2010.^[17]

Stage Performances[link]

Kapoor has been part of several stage shows and world tours since 90's. The Heartthrobs: Live in Concert, was successfully performed across the United States and Canada alongside Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, and Aftab Shivdasani.

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Karisma Kapoor

• Karisma Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database

This article is an autobiography, or has been extensively edited by the subject or an institution related to the subject. Please help edit it to conform to Wikipedia's neutral point of view, in line with the discussion on the talk page. (December 2011)

Madhur Bhandarkar (मधुर भांडारकर)
Madhur Bhandarkar at Kangana Ranaut 24th Birthday Bash
Born	(1968-08-26) August 26, 1968 (age 43) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Film Director, screenwriter, producer
Years active	1995 - present
Spouse	Renu Bhandarkar

Madhur Bhandarkar (Marathi: मधुर भांडारकर) (born August 26, 1968) is a National Award-winning Indian film director, script writer, and producer. He is best known for his films such as Chandni Bar (2001), Page 3 (2005), Traffic Signal (2007), and Fashion (2008). He won the National Award for Best Director for Traffic Signal.

Biography[link]

Career[link]

Madhur Bhandarkar worked in a video cassette library in Khar, a suburb of Mumbai. This gave him access to a large collection of movies and he studied film-making through it.

After trying his skills at production and various other stints including as assistant to film director Ashok Gaikwad, Bhandarkar landed up as an assistant to Ram Gopal Varma. He even played a small role in his 1995 film Rangeela. In the same year he made a pilot episode of a TV serial 'Apne Rang Hazaar' but did not find success. A couple of years later he made his directorial debut with Trishakti which took more than two years to make and released in 1999. The film had a relatively low key cast and was largely ignored at the box office. After two years he directed Chandni Bar (2001) starring Tabu and Atul Kulkarni. The film was a critically acclaimed success, which took Bhandarkar into the top league of filmmakers in Bollywood. He received his first National Award for this film and there on won National awards for his films Page-3 and Traffic Signal. Three National Awards winning director Madhur Bhandarkar has recently added one more feather to his cap. Madhur was conferred PL Deshpande Award a.k.a. Zenith Asia Award for significantly shaping the film making culture in his unique works and he has been described as The Film Maker of The First Decade of 21st Century. On the Silver Jubilee Year of Aashay Film Club, this award ceremony took place on 16th Nov at National Film Archive Theatre during 8th ‘Pulotsav – An Art Festival’ in Pune. PL Deshpande was a renowned writer, stage and film actor and his literary works are still revered in Maharashtra and others parts of the world. In his honour, Zenith Asia Award was given to Madhur Bhandarkar and his film Chandni Bar was also screened during the fest amongst landmarked 25 films from the world cinema.

Also recently, National Film Archive of India (NFAI) which falls under Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India preserved all the films of renowned Indian Film-Maker Madhur Bhandarkar. Chandani Bar, Page-3, Corporate, Traffic Signal, Fashion and Jail, are all the films of the realistic film-maker which will now find space in Government’s Archival data for Indian Films.

The nature of job of National Film Archive of India is to safeguard the heritage of Indian Cinema for posterity and act as a centre for dissemination of a healthy film culture in the country. Promotion of film scholarship and research on various aspects of cinema also form part of its Charter. Familiarizing foreign audiences with Indian Cinema and to make it more visible across the globe is another declared objective of the Archive.

Personal life[link]

Bhandarkar is a school dropout. His father was an electric contractor. When he was about twelve years old, his father's business suffered heavy losses. As a result, Madhur had to take up jobs. He worked at a video store as an errand boy and dropped off cassettes to people from many walks of life including dance bar girls and film stars. He also sold chewing gum at traffic signals and worked as an assistant to small time directors for a paltry salary of Rs. 1000. He also travelled to Dubai where his only sibling, elder sister was based in search of work. At time of his struggle, he travelled by bus and sometimes those who had done bit roles in his films would give him seat only to embarrass him. (Times of India- 27 September 2009 as told to Sudeshna Chatterjee by Bhadarkar himself) He is a great devotee of the Hindu God Siddhivinayak and would walk barefoot from his residence in Khar to Prabhadevi on Tuesdays when in town. According to him, the film Corporate was his most difficult film as people in corporate world would shun him after he bared page 3 culture in his earlier film. He took inspiration for Corporate from the Coke - Pepsi controversy. He has been invited to deliver lectures on corporate issues to management students after the release of Corporate. (Interview to TV channel IBN Lokmat on 26 November 2008) Bhandarkar married his girlfriend Renu Namboodiri-Bhandarkar on 15 December 2003 in Mumbai. They have a daughter named Siddhi. Madhur is the life member of International Film and Television Research Centre of Asian Academy of Film & Television, Noida.

Directorial style[link]

In most of his films, Bhandarkar's protagonist is female. (Tabu in Chandni Bar, Raveena Tandon in Satta, Konkona Sen Sharma in Page 3, Bipasha Basu in Corporate, Priyanka Chopra in Fashion and Kareena Kapoor in the upcoming Heroine.) He has also depicted gay characters in his movies like Page 3, Traffic signal and Fashion.

In an interview with Sanjay Ram of Businessofcinema.com he said "My movies are not exposes, maybe they just hold up a mirror to society. My movies are not judgmental; I just show what happens in our society, sometimes there could be a solution and sometimes there may be none. Life goes on."

Controversy[link]

In July 2004, he was accused of rape and criminal intimidation by small time actress Preeti Jain. Jain stated that she had intercourse with Bhandarkar between 2000 and 2003 under the false pretenses of marriage and a lead role in a movie.^[1] Madhur has also been charged for threatening the aspiring model.

In September 2005, Jain was arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder. Police alleged that she paid gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli's one time aide Naresh Pardesi Rs. 75,000 to have Bhandarkar killed.^[2] She was later released on bail.^[3]

In 2009, Jain moved the Andheri court with her complaint after which the police submitted a report stating that there is no evidence of rape against the director. The trial was stayed, after which Preeti moved a local court in Mumbai.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

1. ^ "Madhur Bhandarkar faces trial for rape". Times Of India. 20 September 2011. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-20/news-interviews/30179247_1_b-summary-report-legal-notice-jain. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 
2. ^ "Bhandarkar case: Starlet Preeti Jain gets bail". Rediff.com. http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/04preeti.htm. 
3. ^ "Preeti Jain gets bail after three weeks of custody". outlookindia.com. http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?326861. Retrieved 27 September 2011. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Madhur Bhandarkar

• Madhur Bhandarkar at the Internet Movie Database

Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan in 2009
Born	Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan (1942-10-11) 11 October 1942 (age 69) Allahabad, United Provinces, British India
Residence	Prateeksha, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, producer, singer, television presenter
Years active	1969–present
Spouse	Jaya Bhaduri (1973–present)
Children	Abhishek Bachchan Shweta Nanda
Website
bigb.bigadda.com

Amitabh Bachchan ([əmɪtaːbʱ bəttʃən] ( listen), born Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan on 11 October 1942) is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades.^[1][2] Bachchan is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.^[3][4][5]

Bachchan has won numerous major awards in his career, including three National Film Awards as Best Actor, and fourteen Filmfare Awards. He is the most-nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 37 nominations overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and television presenter. He also had a stint in politics in the 1980s. He has received both the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan civilian awards from the Indian government.

Early life[link]

Bachban was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a Hindi poet, and his mother, Teji Bachchan, was a Sikh from Faisalabad (now in Pakistan).^[6] 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 (meaning child-like in colloquial Hindi), 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 family. Bachchan's father died in 2003, and his mother in 2007.^[7]

Amitabh is the eldest of Harivansh Rai Bachchan's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and had been offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage.^[8] He attended Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School (BHS), followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream.^{[citation needed]} He later went on to study at Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Science degree.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Early work: 1969–1972[link]

Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award winning film Bhuvan Shome. Thereafter he got his first acting role 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.^[9]

Anand (1971) followed, where he starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. Bachchan's role as a doctor with a cynical view of life garned him his first Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He then played his first negative role as an infatuated lover-turned-murderer in Parwaana (1971). This was followed by several films including Reshma Aur Shera (1971). During this time, he made a guest appearance in the film Guddi which starred his future wife Jaya Bhaduri. He narrated part of the film Bawarchi. In 1972, he made an appearance in the road action comedy Bombay to Goa, directed by S. Ramanathan. Many of his films during this early period did not do well, but that was about to change.^[10]

Rise to stardom: 1973–1983[link]

Director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for the film Zanjeer (1973) as Inspector Vijay Khanna. The film 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" of Bollywood cinema.^[2] He earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor. Filmfare considers this one of the iconic performances of Bollywood history.^[10] The year 1973 was also when he married Jaya, and around this time they appeared in several films together; not only in Zanjeer but in films such as Abhimaan which followed and was released only a month after their marriage. Later, Bachchan played the role of Vikram in the film Namak Haraam, a social drama directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and scripted by Biresh Chatterjee addressing themes of friendship. His supporting role won him his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.^{[citation needed]}

In 1974, Bachchan made several guest appearances in films such as Kunwara Baap and Dost, before playing a supporting role in Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. The film, directed and written by Manoj Kumar, addressed themes of honesty in the face of oppression and financial and emotional hardship. Bachchan then played the leading role in film Majboor, released on 6 December 1974, which was a remake of the Hollywood film Zigzag. The film was only a moderate success at the box office.^[11] In 1975, he starred in a variety of film genres from the comedy Chupke Chupke, the crime drama Faraar to the romantic drama Mili. 1975 was the year when he appeared in two films which are regarded as important in Hindi cinematic history. He starred in the Yash Chopra directed film Deewaar, opposite Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, and Neetu Singh, which earned him a Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number 4.^[12] Indiatimes Movies ranks Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.^[13] Released on 15 August 1975 was Sholay (meaning flames), 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 inflation.^[14] Bachchan played the role of Jaidev. In 1999, BBC India declared it the "Film of the Millennium" and like Deewar, has been cited by Indiatimes movies as amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.^[13] 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.

Bachchan starred in comedies such as Chupke Chupke (1975) and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and in films such as Kabhie Kabhie (1976). In 1976, he was once again cast by director Yash Chopra in his second film, Kabhi Kabhie, a romantic tale in which Bachchan starred as a young poet named Amit Malhotra who falls deeply in love with a beautiful young girl named Pooja played by actress Rakhee Gulzar. The film saw him again nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 1977, he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Amar Akbar Anthony where he played the third lead opposite Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Anthony Gonsalves. In 1978 he starred in all four of the highest grossing films of India in that year.^[15] He once again resumed double roles in films such as Kasme Vaade as Amit and Shankar and Don playing the characters of Don, a leader of an underworld gang and his look alike Vijay. His performance won him his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. He also performed in Trishul and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar which both earned him further Filmfare Best Actor nominations. He was billed a "one-man industry" by the French director François Truffaut.^[16]

In 1979, for the first time, Amitabh was required to use his singing voice for the film Mr. Natwarlal in which he starred alongside Rekha. His performance in the film saw him nominated for both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and the Filmfare Best Male Playback Awards. In 1979, he also received Best Actor nomination for Kaala Patthar (1979) and then went on to be nominated again in 1980 for the Raj Khosla directed film Dostana, in which he starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman. Dostana proved to be the top grossing film of 1980.^[17] In 1981, he starred in Yash Chopra's melodrama film Silsila, where he starred alongside his wife Jaya and rumoured lover Rekha. Other films of this period include Ram Balram (1980), Shaan (1980), Lawaaris (1981), and Shakti (1982) which pitted him against legendary actor Dilip Kumar.^[18]

[edit] 1982 injury while filming Coolie

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.^[19] Bachchan was performing his own stunts in the film and one scene required him to fall onto a table and then on the ground. However as he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table struck his abdomen, resulting in a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant amount of blood. He required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in hospital for many months, at times close to death. The public response included prayers in temples and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him, while later, there were long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating.^[20] 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 partly due to the huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film was a box office success.^[21]

The director, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of 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.^[20]

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 and stated before every release, "Yeh film to flop hogi!" ("This film will flop").^[22]

Politics: 1984–87[link]

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 one of the highest victory margins in general election history (68.2% of the vote).^[23] 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.^[24]

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.^[25] 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.^[26]

A 15 year press ban against Bachchan was imposed during his peak acting years by Stardust and some of the other film magazines. In his own defense, Bachchan claimed to have banned the press from entering his sets until late 1989.^[27]

Slump and retirement: 1988–1992[link]

In 1988, Bachchan returned to films, playing the title role in Shahenshah, which was a box office success due to the hype of Bachchan's comeback.^[28] 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, for which he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, 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 first National Film Award for Best Actor, for his 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.^[29]

Producer and acting comeback 1996–99[link]

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 Mrityudata, 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.^[30]

Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998),^[29] and received positive reviews for Sooryavansham (1999)^[31] but other films such as Lal Baadshah (1999) and Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) were box office failures.

Return to prominence: 2000–present[link]

Bachchan at the IIFA Awards in 2006

In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra's box-office hit, Mohabbatein, directed by Aditya Chopra. He played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of Shahrukh Khan. His role won him his third Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. 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 perform in a range of characters, receiving critical praise for his performances in Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Khakee (2004) and Dev (2004). One project that did particularly well for Bachchan was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005). The film starred Bachchan as an aging teacher of a deaf-blind girl and followed their relationship. His performance was unanimously praised by critics and audiences and won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor and fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award. Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh began 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 were successful at the box office.^[32][33] His later releases in 2006 and early 2007 were Baabul (2006),^[34] Ekalavya and Nishabd (2007), which failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics.^[35]

In May 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, while Cheeni Kum picked up after a slow start and only had average success.^[36] A remake of his biggest hit, Sholay (1975), entitled Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, released in August of that same year and proved to be a major commercial failure in addition to its poor critical reception.^[36] The year also marked Bachchan's first appearance in an English-language film, Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2007. He received positive reviews from critics who hailed his performance as his best ever since Black.^[37] Bachchan was slated to play a supporting role in his first international film, Shantaram, directed by Mira Nair and starring Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead. The film was due to begin filming in February 2008 but due to the writer's strike, was pushed to September 2008.^[38] The film is currently "shelved" indefinitely.^[39] Vivek Sharma's Bhoothnath, in which he plays the title role as a ghost, was released on 9 May 2008. Sarkar Raj, the sequel of the 2005 film Sarkar, released in June 2008 and received a positive response at the box-office. Paa, which released at the end of 2009 was a highly anticipated project as it saw him playing his own son Abhishek's Progeria-affected 13-year-old son, and it opened to favourable reviews, particularly towards Bachchan's performance. It won him his third National Film Award for Best Actor and fifth Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2010, he debuted in Malayalam film through Kandahar, directed by Major Ravi and co-starring Mohanlal.^[40] The film was based on the hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814.^[41] Bachchan did not receive any remuneration for this film.^[42]

Television career[link]

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. He has hosted all but one of the seasons of the show. Canara Bank withdrew its law suit against Bachchan in November 2000. Bachchan hosted KBC till November 2005, when he fell ill. At that time he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's ICU once more, to undergo surgery for diverticulitis of the small intestine.^[43] During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including KBC.^[44] He has hosted all but one season of the show. Its success set the stage for his return to film popularity. In 2009 Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire in the first question of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contest "Amitabh Bachchan" was the correct answer to the question "Who was the star of Zanjeer? Feroz Abbas Khan performed as Amitabh Bachchan in a scene in the movie while Anil Kapoor performed as the host of the contest. Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show Bigg Boss in 2009.^[45]

Voice[link]

Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer and presenter for numerous programmes.^{[citation needed]} Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan's voice, that he decided to use his voice as commentary in Shatranj Ke Khilari since he could not find a suitable role for him.^[46] In 2005, Bachchan has lent his voice to the Oscar-winning French documentary March of the Penguins, directed by Luc Jacquet.^[47]

Controversies and criticism[link]

Barabanki land case[link]

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.^{[citation needed]}

On 2 June 2007 a Faizabad court ruled that he had legally acquired agricultural land designated specifically for landless Dalit farmers.^[48] It was speculated that he might be investigated on related charges of forgery, as he has allegedly claimed he was a farmer.^[49] On 19 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.^[50] 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.^[51] 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. 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".^[52][53]

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.^[54]

Raj Thackeray's criticism[link]

Bachchan featured on an advert in shopping mall in India

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.^[55] According to media reports, Raj's censure of Amitabh, whom he admires, stemmed out of his disappointment of not being invited to Amitabh's son Abhishek's marriage to Aishwarya, despite invitations to his estranged uncle Bal and cousin Uddhav.^[56][57]

Responding to Raj's accusations, the actor's wife, SP MP Jaya Bachchan, said that the Bachchans were willing to start a school in Mumbai, provided the MNS leader donated the land to build it. She told the media, "I heard that Raj Thackeray owns huge properties in Maharashtra, in Mumbai—Kohinoor Mills. If he is willing to donate land, we can start a school in the name of Aishwarya here."^[58] Raj responded to it saying, "Jaya bachchan claims she does not know me then how come she knows how much property I own?". Amitabh abstained from commenting on the issue. However, he apologized to Raj for controversial remarks from Jaya in some other incidence. "^[59]

Bal Thackeray refuted the allegations, stating, "Amitabh Bachchan is an open-minded person, he has great love for Maharashtra, and this is evident on many occasions. The actor has often said that Maharashtra and specially Mumbai has given him great fame and affection. He has also said that what he is today is because of the love people have given him.^{[citation needed]} The people of Mumbai have always acknowledged him as an artiste.^{[citation needed]} It was utter foolishness to make these parochial allegations against him. Amitabh is a global superstar. People all over the world respect him. This cannot be forgotten by anyone. Amitabh should ignore these silly accusations and concentrate on his acting."^[60]

On 23 March 2008, more than a month and half after Raj's remarks, Amitabh finally spoke out in an interview to a local tabloid saying, "Random charges are random; they do not deserve the kind of attention you wish me to give."^[61] Later, on 28 March at a press conference for the International Indian Film Academy, when asked what his take was on the anti-migrant issue, Amitabh said that it is one's fundamental right to live anywhere in the country and the constitution entitles so.^[62] He also stated that he was not affected by Raj's comments.^[63]

Awards, honours and recognitions[link]

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.^{[citation needed]} 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^[64] and the Padma Bhushan in 2001.^[65] 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".^[66] In 2011, actor Dilip Kumar blogged that Black should have been nominated for an Oscar. Kumar added: "If any Indian actor, in my personal opinion, deserves the world's most coveted award, it is you."^[67]

In 1999, Bachchan was voted the "greatest star of stage or screen" in a BBC Your Millenium online poll. The organisation noted that "Many people in the western world will not have heard of [him] ...[but it] is a reflection of the huge popularity of Indian films."^[68] 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.^[69] 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.^[70]

In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been immortalised in wax at London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.^[71] Another statue was installed in New York ^[72] and Hong Kong in 2009.^[73]

In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville.^[74] He was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Jhansi, India, in 2004,^[75] the University of Delhi in 2006,^[76] the De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, in 2006,^[77] the University Brandan Foster by the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire, UK, in 2007,^[78] and the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, in 2011.^[79]

Severals books have been written about Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan: the Legend was published in 1999,^[80] To be or not to be: Amitabh Bachchan in 2004,^[81] AB: The Legend: (A Photographer's Tribute) in 2006 ^[82]/, Amitabh Bachchan: Ek Jeevit Kimvadanti in 2006,^[83] Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar in 2006,^[84] Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan and Me in 2007 ^[85] and Bachchanalia in 2009.^[86] Bachchan himself also wrote a book in 2002: Soul Curry for you and me – An Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life.^[87] In the early 80s, Bachchan authorized the use of his likeness for the comic book character Supremo in a series titled The Adventures of Amitabh Bachchan.^[88]

Personal life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2012)

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.

Filmography[link]

Latest films[link]

Producer[link]

Playback singer[link]

Further reading[link]

• Mazumdar, Ranjani. Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007.

References[link]