Living Legend Amitabh Bachchan Turns 80: How He Got His First Film, Who Was Big-B’s First Love

 

Mumbai: Today is birthday of Hindi cinema’s biggest superstar Amitabh Bachchan. He turned 80 on Tuesday.

Bachchan has been working for over five decades in showbiz and has not only worked in various film industries, but has successfully tried his hand in nearly all mediums, including TV. Big B has constantly managed to reinvent himself over the years and keep himself relevant in a business which changes rapidly.

Amitabh is the owner of 4 luxurious bungalows in Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan, who once saw the era of poverty, today has 4 luxurious bungalows in Mumbai, whose names are Jalsa, Janak, Pratiksha, Vats. Amitabh's house is also in Allahabad. Amitabh lives with his family in Jalsa, Juhu, which has a market value of Rs 120 crore. This house was given to him by Ramesh Sippy as a fee when the film Satte Pe Satta became a hit. Apart from this, Amitabh also has property in many countries including France.

How Big-B got his first film: Amitabh was interested in acting since childhood, but his parents wanted him to do a job. One day while traveling from Mumbai to Delhi by train, Amitabh's brother Ajitabh came to know from the boy sitting next to him that Khwaja Abbas was looking for a new face for his film. He quickly took out the brother's picture and handed it over to the boy. The very next day Khwaja Abbas called Amitabh to meet him. Amitabh came to Mumbai from Delhi. Amitabh arrived wearing a white churidar, a white kurta with a Nehru jacket. 

When Khwaja Abbas came to know that Amitabh is the son of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, he asked – Have run away from home. Amitabh said no in reply. Despite this, Khwaja Abbas wrote a letter to Harivansh Rai Bachchan asking if he did not mind if his son appeared in films. When consent was received in response to the letter, Khwaja signed Amitabh by paying 5 thousand rupees. On 15 February 1969, Amitabh signed the film which released on 7 November 1969.

Big-B's first love: In 1963, 21-year-old Amitabh came to Kolkata from Allahabad in search of work. Interested in acting, he used to do theater in his spare time. While living in Kolkata, Amitabh also worked in the ICI company, where he met a girl, Chandra, who was a Maharashtrian. Amitabh's salary was 1500 and Chandra's was 400 rupees. Chandra, who was his colleague, was Amitabh's first love. He also wanted to get married, but the girl refused. To overcome the grief of heartbreak, Amitabh quit his job first, then the city. Later the same girl became the wife of a famous Bengali actor. After leaving Kolkata, Amitabh reached Mumbai, the city of dreams. The quest to find work started again.

There cannot be another Amitabh Bachchan: Wishing Amitabh Bachchan on his birthday, Karan Johar wrote a heartfelt note on Instagram. From expressing the excitement of watching his films as a kid, he also added how there cannot be another Amitabh Bachchan in Indian cinema.