Today’s infographic features Amitabh Bachchan, an Indian legend in the world of Bollywood. While I’ve never actually seen a Bollywood production, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit the entrancing, and multifaceted country of India.
According to today’s infographic, Bachchan is the greatest star in the history of Hindi cinema. His father was a renowned poet, and decided to give him a name that, rather fittingly, means “the light that will never die.”
Early in his career, he had trouble finding work as an on-screen actor — apparently he was too tall. But his deep baritone pipes eventually landed him a voice-acting gig in 1969 — he narrated the film Bhuvan Shome. After this he didn’t seem to have much trouble appearing on film — he averaged six movies a year during the 1970s, and had his first big break in 1971 with the movie Anand.
In 1975, he made the movie Sholay. It took a few years for the public to warm up to it, but in 1995 BBC India declared Sholay the “film of the millennium.”
This tee-totaling, vegetarian, who hates the word ‘Bollywood,’ went on to make many successful films and holds the record for “most number of best actor nominations for popular film awards.”
He’s also something of a humanitarian. Bachchan donated a generous amount to charities aimed at the health of girls in India.
And if you’re interested, he says the reason he hates the word “Bollywood” is because “it is very demeaning to [the] Hindi film industry.” He goes on to say, “I’ve always strongly opposed it because I think that it almost sounds like an abuse every time it is used.”
For more information about this great star, check out the infographic below! [Via]
