Editing Amitabh Bachchan (section)

== Early life and family ==
{{further|Bachchan family}}
Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942 in [[Allahabad]] (now Prayagraj) to Hindi poet [[Harivansh Rai Bachchan]] and social activist [[Teji Bachchan]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Masih |first=Archana |date=9 October 2012 |title=Take a tour of Amitabh's home in Allahabad |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-take-a-tour-of-amitabhs-home-in-allahabad/20121009.htm |work=[[Rediff.com]] |access-date=14 February 2014 |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224222316/http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-take-a-tour-of-amitabhs-home-in-allahabad/20121009.htm%20 |url-status=live}}</ref> Harivansh Rai Bachchan was an [[Awadhi people|Awadhi]] [[Hindu]] [[Kayastha]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Bhattacharya |first=Sreemita |title=I am proud of my surname: Amitabh Bachchan |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-am-proud-of-my-surname-Amitabh-Bachchan/articleshow/9393354.cms |access-date=3 March 2021 |work=The Times of India |date=28 July 2011 |archive-date=13 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013050650/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-am-proud-of-my-surname-Amitabh-Bachchan/articleshow/9393354.cms |url-status=live}}</ref> who was fluent in [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]],<ref name="sikh">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N5Z9_ysSgW8C |title=Bollywood Cinema: Temples of Desire |last=Mishra |first=Vijay |date=2002 |page=131 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-93014-7}}</ref> [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]].<ref name="West-Pavlov">{{cite book |last=West-Pavlov |first=Russell |title=The Global South and Literature |date=2018 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-108-24631-6 |page=167 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yMdJDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167}}</ref> Harivansh's ancestors came from a village called [[Babupatti]], in the Raniganj tehsil, in the [[Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh|Pratapgarh district]], in the present-day state of [[Uttar Pradesh]], in India.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jaya inaugurates library in memory of Harivansh Rai Bachchan |website=OneIndia.com |publisher=Greynium Information Technologies Pvt. Ltd |url=http://www.oneindia.com/2006/03/05/jaya-inaugurates-library-in-memory-of-harivansh-rai-bachchan-1141626344.html |access-date=18 November 2015 |date=6 March 2006 |archive-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119051930/http://www.oneindia.com/2006/03/05/jaya-inaugurates-library-in-memory-of-harivansh-rai-bachchan-1141626344.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Teji Bachchan was a [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] [[Sikh]] [[Khatri]] from [[Faisalabad|Lyallpur]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present-day [[Faisalabad]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], Pakistan).<ref name="sikh" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Amitabh Bachchan remembers 'most beautiful woman' mother on her birthday |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/amitabh-bachchan-remembers-most-beautiful-woman-mother-on-her-birthday/articleshow/40115335.cms |access-date=3 March 2021 |work=The Economic Times |date=12 August 2014 |archive-date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429032403/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/amitabh-bachchan-remembers-most-beautiful-woman-mother-on-her-birthday/articleshow/40115335.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> Bachchan has a younger brother, Ajitabh, who is five years younger than him.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aWquGT2c6DkC&pg=PA327 |page=327 |title=In the Afternoon of Time: An Autobiography |author=[[Harivansh Rai Bachchan]] |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2001 |isbn=0-14-027663-7}}</ref>

Bachchan's parents were initially going to name him ''Inquilaab'' ([[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] for "Revolution"), inspired by the phrase ''[[Inquilab Zindabad]]'' ("Long live the revolution") popularly used during the [[Indian independence movement|Indian independence]] struggle; the name ''Amitabh'' was suggested to his father by poet [[Sumitranandan Pant]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/did-you-know-/Amitabh-was-initially-named-Inquilaab/articleshow/15889267.cms |title=Amitabh was initially named Inquilaab |work=The Times of India |date=28 August 2012 |access-date=19 May 2017 |archive-date=13 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813134240/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/did-you-know-/Amitabh-was-initially-named-Inquilaab/articleshow/15889267.cms |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="N18Kbc" /> Although his surname was [[Srivastava]], Amitabh's father, who opposed the [[Indian caste system|caste system]], had adopted the pen name Bachchan ("child-like" in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all of his works.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-am-proud-of-my-surname-Amitabh-Bachchan/articleshow/9393354.cms |date=28 July 2011 |access-date=26 July 2017 |title=I am proud of my surname Amitabh Bachchan |archive-date=30 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830194021/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-am-proud-of-my-surname-Amitabh-Bachchan/articleshow/9393354.cms |url-status=live}}</ref> When his father was looking to get him admitted to a school, he and Bachchan's mother decided the family's name should be Bachchan instead of Shrivastava.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-got-his-surname-bacause-of-caste-system-1.65525580 |title=Amitabh Bachchan got his surname bacause of caste system |website=gulfnews.com |date=30 July 2019 |access-date=22 September 2020 |archive-date=2 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002091321/https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/amitabh-bachchan-got-his-surname-bacause-of-caste-system-1.65525580 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films and used for all other practical purposes, Bachchan has become the surname for all of his immediate family.<ref>{{cite book |title=In The Afternoon Time |last=Bachchan |first=Harivansh Rai |publisher=Viking Pr |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-670-88158-1}}</ref> Bachchan's father died in 2003, and his mother in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Teji Bachchan passes away |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=2078579f-853d-48ae-b826-eeee479169e2&ParentID=d5c75cbf-62a5-49eb-a016-0cf71383854b&&Headline=Big+B's+mother+Teji+Bachchan+is+no+more |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225061509/http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=2078579f-853d-48ae-b826-eeee479169e2&ParentID=d5c75cbf-62a5-49eb-a016-0cf71383854b&&Headline=Big+B%27s+mother+Teji+Bachchan+is+no+more |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 December 2007 |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |author=Khan, Alifiya |access-date=10 February 2011}}</ref>

Bachchan's secondary education was at [[Boys' High School & College (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh)|Boys' High School & College]] in Allahabad and [[Sherwood College]] in [[Nainital]]. He attended [[Kirori Mal College]] at the [[University of Delhi]] in Delhi.<ref>{{cite news|title=Amitabh Bachchan's journey to the top|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Amitabh+Bachchan%27s+journey+to+the+top/1/65773.html|newspaper=[[India Today]]|date=10 October 2009|access-date=23 May 2014|archive-date=11 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011115047/https://www.indiatoday.in/headlines-today-top-stories/story/amitabh-bachchans-journey-to-the-top-58283-2009-10-10|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bachchan@77 – 'Big B was a boxer when he was Chhota B' |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bachchan-77-big-b-was-a-boxer-when-he-was-chhota-b/story-IhMWG9vPh7cq2DMZV6sR0N.html |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=11 October 2019 |access-date=4 January 2020 |archive-date=25 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225021631/https://m.hindustantimes.com/cities/bachchan-77-big-b-was-a-boxer-when-he-was-chhota-b/story-IhMWG9vPh7cq2DMZV6sR0N_amp.html |url-status=live}}</ref> He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Kirori Mal College in 1962.<ref>{{cite web |title=किरोड़ीमल कॉलेज हॉस्टल का कमरा नंबर-66, दीवार पर टंगी बिग बी की तस्वीर... डीयू का इतिहास |url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/metro/delhi/other-news/delhi-university-kirori-mal-college-hostel-amitabh-bachchan-bsc-read-here-du-history/articleshow/92466073.cms |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=Navbharat Times |language=hi |archive-date=13 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913073040/https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/metro/delhi/other-news/delhi-university-kirori-mal-college-hostel-amitabh-bachchan-bsc-read-here-du-history/articleshow/92466073.cms |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2 September 2022 |title=KBC 14: जब BSc लेकर पछताए थे अमिताभ बच्चन, नहीं याद रहते थे त्रिकोणमिति के फॉर्मूले, सुनाया मजेदार किस्सा |url=https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/television/story/amitabh-bachchan-took-bsc-difficult-to-learn-trigonometry-formula-kbc-14-komal-gupta-50-lakh-tmovk-1529627-2022-09-02 |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=Aaj Tak |language=hi |archive-date=12 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912232412/https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/television/story/amitabh-bachchan-took-bsc-difficult-to-learn-trigonometry-formula-kbc-14-komal-gupta-50-lakh-tmovk-1529627-2022-09-02 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=10 bollywood celebrities who graduated from DU |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/10-bollywood-stars-who-passed-out-from-du-306417-2016-02-17 |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=India Today |date=17 February 2016 |archive-date=13 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913115932/https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/10-bollywood-stars-who-passed-out-from-du-306417-2016-02-17 |url-status=live}}</ref> When Bachchan finished his studies, his father approached [[Prithviraj Kapoor]], the founder of [[Prithvi Theatre]] and patriarch of the [[Kapoor family|Kapoor acting family]], to see if there was an opening for him, but Kapoor offered no encouragement.<ref name= page412>{{cite book |page=312 |title=In the Afternoon of Time: An Autobiography |author=[[Harivansh Rai Bachchan]] |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2001 |url={{GBurl|id=aWquGT2c6DkC|p=312}} |isbn=0-14-027663-7}}</ref> Bachchan was a friend of [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and [[Sanjay Gandhi]], before he became an actor. He used to spend time with them when he was a resident in New Delhi. Bachchan's family were very close to the [[Nehru-Gandhi family]] of politicians. When [[Sonia Gandhi]] first came to India from Italy before her marriage, Bachchan had received her at the [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Palam International Airport]] on 13 January 1968. She spent 48 days at Bachchan's house with his parents before her wedding to Rajiv.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kidwai |first=Rasheed |date=11 October 2018 |title=Amitabh Bachchan, Rajiv Gandhi and a tale of two families |url=https://news.abplive.com/blog/amitabh-bachchan-rajiv-gandhi-and-a-tale-of-two-families-766548 |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=news.abplive.com |archive-date=13 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913081231/https://news.abplive.com/blog/amitabh-bachchan-rajiv-gandhi-and-a-tale-of-two-families-766548 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the late 1960s, Bachchan applied to be a newsreader for [[All India Radio]] in Delhi, but "failed the audition".<ref name="page412" /><ref>{{cite news |title=When Ameen Sayani refused audition to Amitabh Bachchan thrice, asked him to take appointment: 'I would have been on streets' |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/when-ameen-sayani-refused-audition-to-amitabh-bachchan-thrice-asked-him-to-take-appointment-9172743/ |work=The Indian Express |date=21 February 2024 |access-date=26 March 2024}}</ref> He became a business executive for ''Bird & Company'' in [[Kolkata]] (Calcutta),<ref name="page412" /> {{When|date=September 2022}} and worked in [[Play (theatre)|theatre]] before starting his film career.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amitabh-Bachchan |encyclopedia=britannica.com |title=Amitabh Bachchan |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214212940/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Amitabh-Bachchan |url-status=live}}</ref> It is thought that his mother might have had some influence on his choice of career, for she always insisted that he should "take centre stage".<ref>{{cite book |page=9 |title=My Life: Amitabh Bachchan |author=<!-- not stated --> |publisher=General Press |url=https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07ZFMJ34R |date=22 October 2019 |isbn=978-9389440737 }}</ref>{{According to whom|date=September 2022}}