Born On: November 17, 1961 Born In: Jodhpur, Rajasthan Career: MD, CEO, ICICI Bank
In India's male dominated banking sphere, Chanda Kochhar carved a niche for herself. This was no easy task. In her career which extends to over three decades of experience, she remained strong willed and alert. Her determination to make it to the top only grew from year to year. Kochhar's career growth can be traced along with the expansion of the bank over the past several years. She never stuttered in her growth and was one of the few who kept up with the aggressive development run of ICICI bank. It was her sharp strategic planning which made the ICICI bank the 'Best Retail Bank in India' for five consecutive years. As per Forbes, It's no wonder then that she has been ranked 20th amongst the most powerful women in business and in the world. Read on to find out more about how Chanda Kochhar made it to the top of the corporate pile.
Early Life Chanda Kochhar was born in Jodhpur in Rajasthan on November 17, 1961, but was raised in Jaipur in Rajasthan. She then joined Jai Hind College in Mumbai for a Bachelor of Arts degree. After completing her graduation in 1982, she pursued cost accountancy (ICWAI). Later, she did her Master's degree in management studies from the esteemed Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai from where she received a Wockhardt Gold Medal for Excellence in Management Studies. In the same year, she won the J.N Bose gold medal for Cost Accountancy.
Career In 1984, after her masters, Chanda Kochhar joined 'The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Limited' or ICICI Limited as a management trainee. In her initial years in ICICI, she handled project appraisal and monitoring and various projects in Petrochemicals, Textile and Cement and Paper. In 1994, she became the Assistant General Manager and was promoted to the post of Deputy General Manager in 1996. She headed the Infrastructure Industry Group of ICICI. In 1999, she was promoted as the General Manager and became the head of ICICI's 'Major Client Group' which handled relationships with the top 200 clients of the organisation. In 1999, she started handling the Strategy and E-commerce divisions of ICICI. Under Kochhar's leadership, ICICI began its retail business in 2000 and in the next five years, became the biggest retail financer in India. In 2001, she became the executive director of ICICI bank. In April 2006, she was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director of ICICI bank and managed the corporate and retail banking business of ICICI bank. From October 2007 to April 2009, she was the Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Joint Managing Director (JMD), and the official spokesperson of ICICI. She was also the head of the Corporate Center of ICICI bank, the director of the ICICI group of companies, Chairperson of ICICI Bank Eurasia Limited Liability Company and ICICI Investment Management Company Limited. Chanda Kochhar also held the positions of Vice-Chairperson of ICICI Bank UK and ICICI Bank Canada and the position of Director of ICICI International Limited and ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited. In May 2009, she was appointed as the Managing Director and the Chief Operating Officer of ICICI bank for a term of five years.
Contributions Chanda Kochhar was a part of the core team when ICICI decided to set the ICICI Bank 1993. In 2000, when the organisation decided to develop its wings, she decided to keep the bank open for twelve hours in a day when other banks were open for four to seven hours a day. She was also one of the bankers who came up with electronic banking and installed 2000 ATM machines all over India. Under Kochhar's leadership, ICICI was awarded the 'Best Retail Bank in India' in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2002, the bank was given the 'Excellence in Retail Banking Award'.
Legacy Chanda Kochhar is one amongst the two women who is the head of an Indian domestic bank. Joining the ICICI bank as a management trainee, she was instrumental in making ICICI bank the largest retail financer in India. She is an inspiration to women all over the world.
Awards And Accolades 'Retail Banker of the Year' (Asia - Pacific region) by The Asian Banker, 2004 'Business Woman of the Year' by The Economic Times, 2005 'Rising Star Award' for Global Awards by Retail Banker International, 2006 Featured in the list of '30 Most Powerful Woman Leaders' in business for 8 consecutive years from 2002 to 2010 'Transformational Business Leader of the Year' by All India Management Association, 2010 Ranked 10th in the Fortune's List of 'Most Powerful Women in Business', 2010 Ranked 92nd in the Forbes List of 'Most Powerful Women' in the world, 2010 'Outstanding Woman Business Leader of the Year' award by CNBC TV18, 2010' Ranked 11th in the List of 'Top 50 Woman in World Business' by the Financial Times, 2010 Padma Vibhushan, 2011
Timeline
1961 - Born in Jodhpur in Rajasthan. 1982 - Completed her graduation and pursued cost accountancy. 1984 - Joined 'The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Limited' or ICICI Limited. 1994 - Became the Assistant General Manager of ICICI bank. 1996 - Became the Deputy General Manager. 1999 - Took over as the General Manager and became the head of ICICI's 'Major Client Group'. 2000 - ICICI began its retail business under Kochhar's leadership. 2001 - Became the executive director of the ICICI bank. 2006 - Appointed as the Deputy Managing Director of ICICI bank. 2009 - Appointed as the Managing Director and the Chief Operating Officer of ICICI bank. 2011 - Awarded Padma Vibhushan.
Rahul Bajaj is the Chairman of the Bajaj Group, which ranks among the top 10 business houses in India. The Bajaj Group has diversified interests ranging from automobiles, home appliances, lighting, iron and steel, insurance, travel and finance. Rahul Bajaj is one of India's most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit.
Rahul Bajaj is an alumnus of Harvard, St. Stephen's and Cathedral. He took over the reins of Bajaj Group in 1965. Under his stewardship, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has risen from Rs.72 million to Rs.46.16 billion. Rahul Bajaj created one of India's best companies in the difficult days of the licence-permit raj. He established factories at Akurdi and Waluj. In 1980s Bajaj Auto was top scooter producer in India and its Chetak brand had a 10-year waiting period.
The initiation of liberalization in India posed great challenges for Bajaj Auto. Liberalisation brought the threat of cheap imports and FDI from top companies like Honda. Rahul Bajaj became famous as the head of the Bombay Club, which opposed liberalization. The scooter sails plummeted as people were more interested in motorcycles and the rival Hero Honda was a pioneer in it.
The recession and stock market collapse of 2001 hit the company hard and it was predicted that the days of Bajaj Auto were numbered. However, Bajaj Auto re-invented itself, established a world-class factory in Chakan, invested in R&D and came up with Bajaj Pulsar Motorcycle. Bajaj Pulsar is currently a leader in its segment.
Recently, Rahul Bajaj was elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. VIDEO :
Achievement: Chairman of the Hero Group; Honored with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001
B.M. Munjal (Brij Mohan Lall Munjal) is the Chairman of the Hero Group. He is a first generation entrepreneur who started very small and through sheer hard work and perseverance made it to the top. Today, Hero Group is the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the world and Brij Mohan Lal Munjal is the man widely credited with its success.
B.M. Munjal's journey began in 1944 at the age of 20. Brij Mohanlall along with his three brothers, Dayanand (32), Satyanand (27) and Om Prakash (16) moved from his birthplace Kamalia in Pakistan to Amritsar. The brothers started supplying components to the local bicycle business. After partition in 1947, the family was forced to move to Ludhiana. The town of Ludhiana was already a major hub of the Indian bicycle business and an important textile center. The Munjals slowly spread their bicycle component distribution network in other parts of the country and became one of India's largest bicycle parts suppliers. In 1952 Munjals made a shift from supplying to manufacturing. They started manufacturing handlebars, front forks and chains.
In 1956, the Punjab state government announced the issue of twelve new industrial licenses to make bicycles in Ludhiana. The Munjal brothers cashed on this opportunity. Helped by the Punjab government financing of Rs 600,000 to supplement their own limited capital resources, the Munjals set up Hero Cycles. Hero Cycles was registered as a 'large-scale industrial unit' and it initially produced 7,500 units per year.
Soon Hero Cycles started giving well-established players such as Raleigh, Hind Cycles, and Atlas Cycles a run for their money. The hero cycle was comparatively cheaper and was sturdy and reliable. It gave the customers value for their money.
In January 1984, Japan's Honda, the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles, elicited interest in collaborating with the Hero Group to manufacture motor cycles in India. An agreement was signed and on 13 April 1985, the first Hero Honda motorbike was rolled out. Today, the company is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world.
For his outstanding contribution to the success of Hero Group, B.M. Munjal was honored with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001.]
Born: July 24, 1945 Achievements: Chairman of Wipro Technologies; Richest Indian for the past several years; Honored with Padma Bhushan in 2005.
Azim Premji is Chairman of Wipro Technologies, one of the largest software companies in India. He is an icon among Indian businessmen and his success story is a source of inspiration to a number of budding entrepreneurs.
Born on July 24, 1945, Azim Hashim Premji was studying Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, USA when due to the sudden demise of his father, he was called upon to handle the family business. Azim Premji took over the reins of family business in 1966 at the age of 21.
At the first annual general meeting of the company attended by Azeem Premji, a shareholder doubted Premji's ability to handle business at such a young age and publicly advised him to sell his shareholding and give it to a more mature management. This spurred Azim Premji and made him all the more determined to make Wipro a success story. And the rest is history.
When Azim Premji occupied the hot seat, Wipro dealt in hydrogenated cooking fats and later diversified to bakery fats, ethnic ingredient based toiletries, hair care soaps, baby toiletries, lighting products and hydraulic cylinders. Thereafter Premji made a focused shift from soaps to software.
Under Azim Premji's leadership Wipro has metamorphosed from a Rs.70 million company in hydrogenated cooking fats to a pioneer in providing integrated business, technology and process solutions on a global delivery platform. Today, Wipro Technologies is the largest independent R&D service provider in the world.
Azim Premji has several achievements to his credit. In 2000, Asiaweek magazine, voted Premji among the 20 most powerful men in the world. Azim Premji was among the 50 richest people in the world from 2001 to 2003 listed by Forbes. In April 2004, Times Magazine, rated him among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. He is also the richest Indian for the past several years. In 2005,Government of India honored Azim Premji with Padma Bhushan. VIDEO :
Born: July 29, 1904 Died: on November 29, 1993 Achievements: He had the honor of being India's first pilot; was Chairman of Tata & Sons for 50 years; launched Air India International as India's first international airline; received Bharat Ratna in 1992.
JRD Tata was one of the most enterprising Indian entrepreneurs. He was a pioneer aviator and built one of the largest industrial houses of India.
JRD Tata was born on July 29, 1904 in Paris. His mother was a French, while his father was Parsi. JRD's full name was Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and he was popularly known as Jeh to his friends. JRD's father Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and Sri Jamsetji Tata shared their greatness from the same great-great-grandfather, Ervad Jamsheed Tata, a priest of Navsari.
JRD Tata was the second of four children. He was educated in France, Japan and England before being drafted into the French army for a mandatory one-year period. JRD wanted to extend his service in the forces but destiny had something else in store for him. By leaving the French army JRD's life was saved because shortly thereafter, the regiment in which he served was totally wiped out during an expedition in Morocco.
JRD Tata joined Tata & Sons as an unpaid apprentice in 1925. He has great interest in flying. On February 10, 1929, JRD became the first Indian to pass the pilot's examination. With this distinctive honor of being India's first pilot, he was instrumental in giving wings to India by building Tata Airlines, which ultimately became Air India. His passion for flying was fulfilled with the formation of the Tata Aviation Service in 1932.
In 1938, at the age of 34, JRD was elected Chairman of Tata & Sons making him the head of the largest industrial group in India. He started with 14 enterprises under his leadership and half a century later on July 26, 1988, when he left , Tata & Sons was a conglomerate of 95 enterprises which they either started or in which they had controlling interest.
JRD was the trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust from its inception in 1932, which remained under his wings for over half a century. Under his guidance, this Trust established Asia's first cancer hospital, the Tata Memorial Center for Cancer, Research and Treatment, Bombay, 1941. It also founded the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 1936 (TISS), the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1945 (TIFR), and the National Center for Performing Arts.
In 1948, JRD Tata launched Air India International as India's first international airline. In 1953, the Indian Government appointed JRD as Chairman of Air-India and a director on the Board of Indian Airlines-a position JRD retained for 25-years. For his crowning achievements in Aviation, JRD was bestowed with the title of Honorary Air Commodore of India.
In 1956, JRD Tata initiated a program of closer "employee association with management" to give workers a stronger voice in the affairs of the company. He firmly believed in employee welfare and espoused the principles of an eight-hour working day, free medical aid, workers' provident scheme, and workmen's accident compensation schemes, which were later, adopted as statutory requirements in India.
JRD Tata cared greatly for his workers. In 1979, Tata Steel instituted a new practice; a worker is deemed to be "at work" from the moment he leaves home for work till he returns home from work. The company is financially liable to the worker if any mishap takes place on the way to and from work. Tata Steel Township was also selected as a UN Global Compact City because of the quality of life, conditions of sanitation, roads and welfare that were offered by Tata Steel.
JRD Tata received a number of awards. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1957 on the eve of silver jubilee of Air India. He also received the Guggenheim Medal for aviation in 1988. In 1992, because of his selfless humanitarian endeavors, JRD Tata was awarded India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna-one of the rarest instances in which this award was granted during a person's lifetime. In the same year, JRD Tata was also bestowed with the United Nations Population Award for his crusading endeavors towards initiating and successfully implementing the family planning movement in India, much before it became an official government policy.
JRD Tata died in Geneva, Switzerland on November 29, 1993 at the age of 89. On his death, the Indian Parliament was adjourned in his memory-an honor not usually given to persons who are not Members of Parliament.
Born: June 4, 1959 Achievement: Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group; Chosen as the 'CEO of the Year 2004' in the Platts Global Energy Awards and MTV Youth Icon of the Year' in September 2003
Anil Ambani is one of the foremost entrepreneurs of Independent India. He is the Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. Earlier, before the split in the Reliance Group, Anil Ambani held the post of Vice Chairman and Managing Director in Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).
Born on June 4, 1959, Anil Ambani did his Bachelors in Science from the University of Bombay and Masters in Business Administration The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Anil Ambani joined Reliance in 1983 as Co-Chief Executive Officer. He pioneered India Inc's forays into overseas capital markets with international public offerings of global depository receipts, convertibles and bonds. Starting from 1991, he led Reliance in its efforts to raise, around US$2 billion from overseas financial markets. In January 1997, the 100-year Yankee bond issue was launched under his stewardship.
After the split in Reliance Group, Anil Ambani founded Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. He is the Chairman of all listed Group companies, which include: Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural Resources Limited.
Anil Ambai was elected as an independent member Rajya Sabha MP in June 2004. But he resigned voluntarily on March 25, 2006.
Anil Ambani has won several awards and honours. Major among these include: 'CEO of the Year 2004' in the Platts Global Energy Awards, 'MTV Youth Icon of the Year' in September 2003, 'The Entrepreneur of the Decade Award' by the Bombay Management Association, and 'Businessman of the Year Award' by leading Business Magazine, Business India in 1997.
Born: December 28, 1932 Died: July 6, 2002 Achievements: Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company. Created an equity cult in the Indian capital market. Reliance is the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list
Dhirubhai Ambani was the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur. His life journey is reminiscent of the rags to riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group.
Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was born on December 28, 1932, at Chorwad, Gujarat, into a Modh family. His father was a school teacher. Dhirubhai Ambani started his entrepreneurial career by selling "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends.
After doing his matriculation at the age of 16, Dhirubhai moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked there as a gas-station attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading company.
Assisted by his two sons, Mukesh and Anil, Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company, Reliance India Limited, from a scratch. Over time his business has diversified into a core specialisation in petrochemicals with additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power, retail, textiles, infrastructure services, capital markets, and logistics.
Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with shaping India's equity culture, attracting millions of retail investors in a market till then dominated by financial institutions. Dhirubhai revolutionised capital markets. From nothing, he generated billions of rupees in wealth for those who put their trust in his companies. His efforts helped create an 'equity cult' in the Indian capital market. With innovative instruments like the convertible debenture, Reliance quickly became a favorite of the stock market in the 1980s.
In 1992, Reliance became the first Indian company to raise money in global markets, its high credit-taking in international markets limited only by India's sovereign rating. Reliance also became the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list.
Dhirubhai Ambani was named the Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). A poll conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted him "greatest creator of wealth in the century".
Born On:May 5, 1956 Born In:Delhi, India Died On:August 12, 1997 Career:Businessman, Film Producer Nationality:Indian
Early Life
Gulshan Kumar was born as Gulshan Dua into a Punjabi Arora family in the heart of the capital city, Delhi. His father was a fruit juice seller in the Daryaganj market in New Delhi. That’s where Gulshan started earning his life in his early days. At the age of 23, he, with support from his family, acquired a shop and started selling records and cheap audio cassettes. This was just the beginning of the career of a music baron. With the music business producing fruitful profits, he started producing cassettes himself.
Music Business
Gulshan Kumar then started his own audio cassette operation known as “Super Cassettes Industries”, which turned into a profitable organization later on. To add on, he began a music production company in Noida, near Delhi. To cover up the overpriced poor-quality audio tapes marketed and sold by reputed music companies, Gulshan Kumar started selling the 1970s music cassettes with a decent quality at cheap rates. As his business started growing, he began exporting good-quality music cassettes to abroad. Soon, he became a millionaire and rose to the top of music business. With an aim of ruling Bollywood just as he did with music, he moved to Bombay. He introduced religious music cassettes at extremely low prices with the aim of promoting religion amongst Hindu fellows. He had even made and produced movies and serials pertaining to Hindu mythology.
Film Career
His first movie in Bollywood was “Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka” in 1989. The film had romantic melodious and catchy songs which declared the movie a great hit. Next came the big musical blockbuster “Aashiqui” in 1990, starring Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal, which is still remembered for the romantic and harmonious music. Although his next two movies, “Bahaar Aane Tak” and “Jeena Teri Gali Mein” didn’t fair well, the music of both the movies was highly appreciated. His 1991 “Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi”, featuring Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt, grossed an average overall earning, but its music was a big success. With this, Gulshan Kumar established himself as the music tycoon in the film industry. His other movies included “Ayee Milan Ki Raat”, “Meera Ka Mohan”, and “Jeena Marna Tere Sang” which failed on the box office.
Introduction of New Talents
Gulshan Kumar was known not only as the ruler of music in Bollywood, but he also introduced several new talents to the film fraternity. He launched his younger brother Krishan Kumar in the 1993 movies “Aaja Meri Jaan” and “Kasam Teri Kasam”. However, both of them proved to be major duds. Despite the discouragement received from both the movies, Gulshan went ahead and made a third movie with Krishan “Bewafa Sanam” in 1995, which became a massive hit, particularly for its music. This film also brought the, then, struggling singer Sonu Nigam into limelight. Apart from Sonu Nigam, other young talented signers introduced to the music world by Gulshan Kumar include Anuradha Paudwal, Vandana Bajpai, and Kumar Sanu, amongst several others.
Launch of T-Series Music Label
Established by Gulshan Kumar, Super Cassettes Industries Limited (SCIL) became the topmost music company in India. He founded the T-Series music label, under the same music company, which eventually turned into one of the top music labels in India. Today, T-Series is the largest producer and publisher of music and videos in the country. It runs the business of publishing original soundtrack from movies, remixes, old devotional songs, new-age albums, melodies from the 1960s, and pop hits of the 1990s. It not only covers over 60% of the Indian music market, but also exports music to 24 countries across six continents. With over 2500 dealers in India, T-Series has the largest distribution network.
Social Life
Apart from being a prominent personality in the film media, Gulshan Kumar set an example for Indian businessmen by donating a part of his wealth to the community. He established a bhandara, serving free food to the pilgrims who visited the Hindu shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. He was the top tax payer for the financial year 1992-93. Word has it that he got involved with the Indian Mafia, or the Mumbai Underworld, known for financing Bollywood movies. He refused to succumb to the extortion demands, which was why it is believed that he was shot dead.
Death
Gulshan Kumar was shot dead outside Jeeteshwar Mahadev Mandir, a Hindu temple in Jeet Nagar in Andheri West suburb of Mumbai city on August 12, 1997. Although the police accused Nadeem of music-director duo Nadeem-Shravan for planning the assassination, on January 9, 2001, Abdul Rauf confessed on receiving money for assassinating Gulshan Kumar. On April 29, 2009, Rauf was sentenced to life imprisonment, rather than death sentence, on the grounds of failing to provide evidence of him being a contract killer. Gulshan Kumar was later cremated in Delhi, as per his family’s wishes.
Legacy
After Gulshan Kumar’s death, his son Bhushan Kumar took over Super Cassettes Industries Limited. His daughter, Tulsi Kumar, is a celebrated playback singer.
Movies Produced
Laal Dupatta Malmal ka, 1989
Bahar Aane Tak, 1990
Aashiqui, 1990
Jeena Teri Gali Mein, 1991
Aye Milan Ki Raat, 1991
Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, 1991
Meera Ka Mohan, 1992
Jeena Marna Tere Sang, 1992
Aaja Meri Jaan, 1993
Kasam Teri Kasam, 1993
Bewafa Sanam, 1995
Jai Maa Vaishanav Devi, 1995
Char Dham, 1998
Papa - The Great, 2000
Timeline 1956:Born on May 5 in Delhi 1979:Started a music shop selling records and audio cassettes 1989:Produced first Bollywood movie “Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka” 1993:Launched younger brother Krishan Kumar with “Aaja Meri Jaan” 1995:Introduced singer Sonu Nigam with “Bewafa Sanam” 1997:Shot dead in Andheri West, Mumbai on August 12, aged 41
Big B , Munna , One Man Industry,Angry Young Man,Bollywood's Shahenshah ,Amith , AB Sr.
Height
6' 2" (1.88 m)
Sign : Libra
Spouse : Jaya Bhaduri (3 June 1973- 2 children [ Abhishek and sweta ]
Predictions of Amitabh :
Awards -
Bachchan is a recipient of the Padma Shri (1983) and the Padma Bhushan (2005), civilian honours from the indian government. In 1999, he was named BBC Superstar of the Millenium. He has also won many Filmfare Awards.
üLanguages known: Hindi, English and a bit of Punjabi Hindi
üWeakness: Family
üFavourite Perfume: It keeps changing. Useing whatever is find on the dressing table
üFavourite Food: Indian vegetarian food
üFavourite Websites: Don't surf too much. I just use yahoo for e-mails and liveindia.com
üPhilosophy of life: If things happen as you wish it's good, if they do not it's better
üDream Role: Every actor wants to look for something new in their horizon. When it comes true it becomes a dream role
üFavourite film:GangaJamuna and Pyaasa
Brief Biography :
·Amitabh Bachchan -- the ‘Shahenshah’ of Bollywood was born to well-known poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan inAllahabad on October 11, 1942.
·Amitabh went to Sherwood College, a boarding school in Nainital, and then to KiroriMalCollege in DelhiUniversity where he earned a double MA.
SherwoodCollege, Nainital
·He had to struggle a lot in Bollywood because of his unconventional looks and his height. At 6’3”, he was considered far too tall by the filmmakers. Surprisingly, despite having a rich baritone voice, Bachchan failed in an audition at the All India Radio!
·Ultimately, it was K A Abbas who gave Amitabh his first break in ‘Saat Hindustani’ (1969). But the film failed miserably, with Bachchan going almost unnoticed.
·Amitabh played the lead role, for the first time in his career, in ‘Pyar Ki Kahani’ (1971), directed by Ravikant Nagaich.
·It was on the sets of B R Ishara’s ‘Ek Nazar’ (1972) that Amitabh and Jaya Bhaduri realized that they were in love with each other. They married soon after.
·Though Amitabh got an award for the best supporting actor for ‘Anand’ (1972), he was eclipsed by a stellar performance from Rajesh Khanna.
·It was his 13th film 'Zanjeer’, directed by Prakash Mehra, which catapulted Amitabh to fame. In the film, he played a strict police officer. The role, which fetched him the title ‘The Angry Young Man’, came to him by default. *A host of actors like Dharmendra, Dev Anand and Raj Kumar refused to do the role on account of some apprehension.
·Then began a remarkable journey to fame and success.
·In 1984, Bachchan briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend Rajiv Gandhi. He contestedAllahabad's parliament seat against H. N. Bahuguna, a well-known politician and won. However, his political career was short-lived; he resigned after three years before finishing his term. At the time of his resignation, Gandhi's Congress Party was being accused of corruption. Bachchan was never implicated in the corruption and has since distanced himself from the Gandhi family. Bachchan denies that the these events were connected, commenting that he found politics unpleasant and resigned for personal reasons.
·In 1995, Amitabh went into business, starting the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited, or ABCL. ABCL was to be a media conglomerate, a Hollywood-style entertainment company. Amitabh may have been ahead of his time, or just unsuited to be a business mogul, as the company did not succeed. He did not file for bankruptcy, but has used his acting income to pay his business debts, which are rumored to have been completely cleared in 2005. Some observers speculate that he will try to revive his company.
·His first ever job was in a company called Shaw Wallace. He also worked as a freight broker for a shipping firm, which went by the name of Bird and Co, drawing a four-figure salary and languishing in the club lands of Calcutta.
Johnny Mastana - Amitabh Bachchan, Sarika, Jimmy Shergill, Diya Mirza
Music Director: Shantanu Moitra Director: Sujit Sarkar Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Produced
Aks (July 13, 2001) (Released)
Major Saab (June 26, 1998) (Released)
Saat Rang Ke Sapne (February 20, 1998) (Released)
Mrityudaata (April 25, 1997) (Released)
Tere Mere Sapne (December 6, 1996) (Released)
Amitabh Bachchan: Famous Dialogues
"Aisa to Aadmi Life mein Doich time bhaagta hai. Olympic ka race ho, yaa Police ka case ho. Tum kisliye bhaagta hai bhai?" -Amar Akbar Anthony
"Yeh koylei ki khaan ek azgar hai seth sahaab, jo roz , unginath logon ko nigalkar, usei peeskar, jissm se khoon ka ek-ek katra choosk ar, ek lash ke roop mein ugall deta hai." -Kaala Paththar
"Sapne bhi samundar ki lahron ki tarah, haqeeqat ki chattanon se takra kar toot jaate hain." -Deewar
"Hum jaha pe khade ho jaate hein, line wahi se shuru hoti hai." -Kaaliya
"Rishte me to hum tumhare baap hote hain, naam hai Shahenshah." -Shahenshah
"Bachpan se hai sar par Allah ka haath, aur Allahrakha hai mere saath; Baazu par hai saathsochiyaasi ka billa, bees number ka beedi peetha hu, kaam karta hu coolie ka aur naam hai Iqbal." -Coolie
"Aaap ne jail ki deewaron aur zanjeeron ka loha dekha hai jailer sahab, Kaaliya ki himmat ka faulaad nahi dekha." -Kaaliya
"Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahin, naamumkin hai." -Don
"Agar apni maa ka doodh piya hai to saamne aa." -Laawaris
"Tumhara naam kya hai, Basanti?" -Sholay
"Daaru peene se liver kharab ho jaatha hai." -Satte pe Satta
"Mai aur meri tanhaai - aksar ye baatein karte hai...." -Silsila
"Mai jo bhi hoon, is wakt tumhare maalik ka maalik hoon bete." -Shakti
"Pain is my destiny and I can't avoid it." -Kaala Patthar
"Mai feke hue paise ko nahi uthatha." -Deewar
"Jo mard hota hai, use dard nahi hota." -Mard
"Ye telephone bhi ajeeb cheez hai- aadmi sochta kuch hai, boltha kuch hai, aur karta kuch hai." -Agneepath
"Zindagi ka tambu teen bambuo pe khada hai." -Sharaabi
"Sooryavansh ek aag hai jisme doston ke liye jitni joyti hai, dushmanon ke liye utni hi juala. Bhoon dalo is kambaqt ko." -Sooryavansham
Amitabh Bachchan Timeline
1972
He is the only actor who achieved at least one hit every year for 15 consecutive years - from 1972 in Bombay to Goa to 1986 in Aakhree Raasta
1976
In 1976 Amitabh Bachchan was to star in Manoj Kumar's Naya Bharat, alongside Amitabh it was also supposed to star Manoj Kumar, Hema Malini, Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Zeenat Aman and Rishi Kapoor. The film was shelved subsequently.
1977
Rakesh Kumar, who had directed Khoon Pasina , Mr. Natwarlal , Do Aur Do Paanch and Yaarana , had turned producer and announced Charlie, with Amitabh Bachchan enacting the title role. Padmini Kolhapure had been cast opposite the Big B. However, the project never got made.
1977
Although Amitabh Bachchan's Immaan Dharam proved to be a disaster, the producer went ahead and announced Asmaan with Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, with Mohan Kumar in the director's seat. Salim-Javed, who had penned the script of Immaan Dharam, were scripting Asmaan as well. However, the film was shelved subsequently.
1978
He has played double and triple roles in a number of films. His double role starrers include _Adalat _, Don , Kasme Vaade , The Great Gambler , _Bemisaal _, Desh Premee , Satte Pe Satta , Aakhree Raasta , Toofan , Bade Miyan Chote Miyan , Lal Baadshah and Sooryavansham . Mahaan had the superstar in a triple role.
1982
Amitabh Bachchan, Parveen Babi, Mithun Chakraborty and Rati Agnihotri were teamed in Tala Chabi, produced by Romu Sippy and directed by Raj N. Sippy. One of the foremost character actors then, Pran, had been signed to enact the main villain's role. An official announcement was made in April 1982. The movie never took off.
1982
Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar were seen on screen for the first time in Ramesh Sippy's Shakti . But much before Shakti happened, Eagle Films had signed Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan for their new project, which was to be directed by Yash Chopra. However, the project did not materialize subsequently.
1983
Following a near fatal accident while shooting Coolie , during which he suffered internal bleeding and required 17 bottles of blood, he became a champion for the cause of encouraging more people to donate blood.
1983
While filming Coolie he received a near fatal injury. He was hospitalised and the Indian press issued daily bulletins on his health.
1984
Amitabh Bachchan was supposed to play one of the lead roles in Shashi Kapoor's Utsav however; Amitabh opted out of the film. Shashi Kapoor replaced him.
1984
In 1984, he was honored by the Indian government with the Padma Shri Award for his outstanding contribution to the Hindi film industry.
1993
Amitabh Bachchan was the first choice of Rakesh Roshan's King Uncle . But since the actor wasn't signing films then, Roshan opted for Jackie Shroff.
1995
Was one of the judges for the 1995 Miss World beauty pageant.
1996
In 1996, he released an album called "Aby Baby". This album was released under ABCL and featured songs like "Eer Bir Phatte" and remixes of his songs from his early movies "O Saathi Re" and "Kabhi Kabhi". "Eer Bir Phatte" was inspired by one of his famous dialogues in his movie _Adalat _.
1997
Became a grandfather in 1997 when his daughter Shweta gave birth to a daughter, Navya Naveli Nanda.
1999
Actress Nirupa Roy is mostly cast as his mother and last time she featured was in Lal Baadshah .
2000
Vidhu Vinod Chopra wanted Amitabh Bachchan to play the lead role of Inspector Inayat Khan in Mission Kashmir . The reason why Amitabh Bachchan declined the role was because of his commitment to Yash Chopra's Mohabbatein .
2000
Was considered 'finished' in the late nineties after super star status for 20 years, a string of flops and failed political and business ambitions. But made an unexpected comeback as host of the popular TV quiz series "Kaun Banega Crorepati?" which put him right back on the number one spot of Bollywood actors over 40, reaffirming his reputation as the living legend of Indian cinema with a new series of high profile films (Mohabbatein , Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... etc.)
2001
At the age of 58, he jumped from a height of 30 feet, along with co-star Manoj Bajpai, for his 2001 movie Aks .
2003
Son of Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who passed away in January 2003.
2003
He was the original choice to play a role in Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai , which he declined and was finally played by Om Puri
2006
On 31 October 2006, he shocked the unit of a forthcoming movie Shootout at Lokhandwala by recording 23 scenes in 5 hours. Achieving this feat was unheard of.
2007
His mom, Teji Bachchan, passed away in LilavatiHospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India on December 22, 2007, after a prolonged illness, at the age of 93.
