| www.amitabhbachchan.net Born 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 but 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 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 elder of Harivansh Rai Bachchan's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. Even today, Bachchan has a high degree of respect for his father, and has proclaimed that "he can never be the man his father was". His mother had a keen interest in the theatre and was also offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Amitabh's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage. Bachchan's father passed away in 2003, and his mother—on December 21, 2007. Bachchan has a double MA (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 ... |
