The 'Angry young man' of the Hindi Cinema, The Shahenshah of Bollywood, The Uncrowned King of the Indian Film Industry, or quite simply, The Big 'B'. Amitabh Bachan is a phenomenon by himself. The actor, who won a 'star' status from his first hit, "Zanjeer", reigned over the film industry for over two and a half decades, and is still shining. In fact, shining brighter than the newest stars in the Galaxy called 'Bollywood'. But getting to this undisputed status was certainly not a cake-walk, for this simpleton from U.P.

Born on 11th October 1942, in Allahabad, Amitabh Bachan is the first of the two sons, a perfect blend of the intellect and strength. Of the east and the west. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachan, was an acclaimed peot and a writer, who came from a very eastern background and his mother, Teji, was from Karachi, a Sikh. After his schooling at Sherwood College, in Nainital, he moved to Delhi University to pursue his degree in Arts. Amitabh Bachan had to face rejections right after his graduation, from getting himself a worthwhile job, because of his introvert and shy nature. And finally, he left for Kolkata, where he secured the job of an executive, in a shipping firm .

But, after a few years in Calcutta, he realised that, all along, he had an immense interest in movies. Still very shy to make any effort, and after much contemplation and fighting within his mind whether or not to take the plunge, he finally chucked his job and landed himself in the 'Tinsel Town', and what followed that, is not the history of any individual, but that which changed the history of Bollywood itself. However, Amitabh Bachan had to taste his own share of failures in the form of flops and barely noticed films at the outset of his career, such as 'Saat Hindustani', 'Saudagar'etc., before exploding as the 'Angry young Man' in 'Zanjeer', which not only brought success to the Star, but changed the face of Bollywood for the next two decades. It was the beginning of the 'Amitabh Bachan Era'. He became the 'known by all' formula for hit movies, and movies with Amitabh Bachan, were none but hits. His charm, his charisma, not only tantalised the Indian audience, but Bollywood got notice and recognition even in the international arena, just because of the Big B. He became the 'un-appointed' Ambassador of Bollywood. He is inarguably, the most recognized faces in India and one of the most, across the globe. This became evident when he was estabilished as the star of the millennium, by a BBC poll, where the public placed him ahead of every other charismatic icon of the globe, past or present.