Happy birthday, Mr Amitabh Bachchan: What you may not know about India’s biggest star

Two: Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri were joined connected June 3, 1973. The ceremonial took spot connected the terrace of Skylark, a gathering successful Malabar Hill belonging to S Pandit of Philips India. The lone gifts that were exchanged were the wedding rings. The impermanent database included Sanjay Gandhi, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, K A Abbas, and Farida Jalal, among others. The archetypal clip Mr Bachchan and his spouse acted unneurotic was successful the movie Bansi Birju.

Three: His six favourite actors are Al Pacino, Dilip Kumar, Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Sivaji Ganesan, and Uttam Kumar.

Four: Here is what 2 of the top Indian directors had to accidental astir him: “Hindi movie directors person utilized hardly 10 per cent of his imaginable capableness arsenic an actor” — Hrishikesh Mukherjee. “An histrion similar Amitabh Bachchan tin beryllium exceptionally good” — Satyajit Ray.

Five: There are immoderate numbers which person go arsenic iconic arsenic his films. #786 was the porter’s badge fig helium wore successful Coolie, and was besides his recognition fig cum bully luck charm successful Deewar. #MYB3047 was his motorcycle nameplate successful Sholay. #N23 was the fig of his speedboat successful The Great Gambler.

Six: Many of his films person been inspired by real-life persons and events. The liberation of Goa from the Portuguese successful 1961 served arsenic the backdrop for his films Saat Hindustani and Pukar. The movie Kaala Patthar was based connected the 1975 Chasnala mining calamity wherever 572 miners died erstwhile a h2o vessel burst. Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava was India’s astir notorious assurance trickster successful the 1970s. His exploits inspired the movie Mr Natwarlal.

Seven: He has played treble roles successful galore films. Don, Kasme Vaade, Satte Pe Satta, Toofan, Sooryavansham, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Bemisal, Desh Premee, Aakhree Raasta, The Great Gambler, among others. Mahaan was 1 movie wherever helium played a triple relation (the begetter and his 2 sons)!

Eight: The accumulation unit had a caller thought for the opus ‘Sara Zamana’ for Yaarana. Instead of hiring extras, get mean radical to travel and beryllium spectators. Over 12,000 radical were successful attendance astatine the Netaji Indoor Stadium successful Kolkata during the shoot. Almost 3 times that fig were waiting extracurricular hoping to get a glimpse of the magic. This was not the lone clip Mr Bachchan filled stadiums. He has besides performed astatine the Wembley Stadium successful London, and Giants Stadium successful New Jersey, to packed crowds during his satellite circuit successful 1990.

Nine: Five actors person besides directed Mr Bachchan. Actor Sunil Dutt, who was Sheriff of Bombay, and a Member of Parliament, starred successful and directed Reshma Aur Shera. Manoj Kumar acted and directed Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. Shashi Kapoor, Mr Bachchan’s co-star successful galore films, directed the lavish Indo-Russian accumulation Ajooba. Comedian Deven Verma acted and directed Besharam. The prolific movie and tv histrion Tinnu Anand directed 3 films featuring Mr Bachchan, Kaalia, Shahenshah, and Main Azaad Hoon.

Ten: The French shaper Alain Chamas tried to motion him for the movie Crossings other Jon Voight and Richard Dreyfuss. But erstwhile the logistics of the dates were explained to him, the shaper was some amazed and exasperated. Alain famously remarked, “This antheral is not conscionable a star. Amitabh Bachchan is an industry.”

Eleven: He has the favoritism of being the archetypal Indian movie prima to look successful a comic, courtesy Diamond Publishers.

Twelve: Mr Bachchan has besides featured galore times successful Amul’s topical advertizing campaign. Here are a fewer examples. The pun “Roti Kapda Aur Makhan” needs small explaining. “Utterly Butterly De De” was followed by the enactment “Jumma Se Jumma Le Le”. And the iconic dialog from Shahenshah inspired “Rich Taste Se Hum Sabke Baap Lagte Hain, Naam Hai Amultabh Makkhan”.

Thirteen: A little-known, heartwarming story. In 1979, Mr Bachchan received a telephone from a doc successful Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital, who told him astir a young miss successful a coma. She kept mumbling the sanction “Anthony”. The doc realised that this was the sanction of Mr Bachchan’s quality from the movie Amar Akbar Anthony. When the miss came retired of the coma, the doc contacted Mr Bachchan. He personally came to the infirmary and the miss had her archetypal mouthful of nutrient lone aft helium fed her.

Fourteen: Six of Mr Bachchan’s favourite directors are Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, and Satyajit Ray.

Fifteen: Three of his favourite poets are Rabindranath Tagore, William Shakespeare, and his precocious begetter Harivansh Rai Bachchan.

P.S. During my clip arsenic a quizmaster and publisher, 1 of the archetypal books we published was the Amitabh Bachchan Book of Lists. It has been much than 3 decades since Joy Bhattacharya, Anirudha Bhattacharjee, and Amitava Chatterjee sat astir my eating array astatine location to probe this treasure trove of trivia.

The writer is MP and leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party (Rajya Sabha)