Abhishek Amitabh Bachchan (pronounced [əbʰɪʂeːk əmɪˈt̪ɑːbʱ ˈbətːʃən]; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor, film producer, and voice artist known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list, based on his income and popularity.
Bachchan began his career with the moderately successful drama film Refugee (2000), which was followed by a dozen unsuccessful ventures. His career prospects changed in 2004 with the action film Dhoom, and he received critical acclaim for his performances in the dramas Yuva (2004), Sarkar (2005), and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), winning three consecutive Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor. His biggest successes as a sole male lead came with the comedy Bunty Aur Babli (2005) and the drama Guru (2007), both earning him nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
Bachchan's other commercially successful films include the ensemble action films Dus (2005), Dhoom 2 (2006) and Dhoom 3 (2013), and the comedies Dostana (2008), Bol Bachchan (2012), Happy New Year (2014) and Housefull 3 (2016). He has since starred in the streaming ventures Breathe: Into the Shadows (2020), Ludo (2020) and Dasvi (2022), with the lattermost earning him the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actor in a Web Original Film (Male). Bachchan received praise for his performances in the small-scale dramas Ghoomer (2023) and I Want to Talk (2024). The latter earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
In addition to his four Filmfare Awards, Bachchan won the National Film Award for Best Hindi Feature Film for producing the comedy-drama Paa (2009). Bachchan is married to actress Aishwarya Rai, with whom he has a daughter.
Abhishek Bachchan was born on 5 February 1976 in Bombay (Mumbai) to veteran actors of Hindi cinema, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. He has a sister, Shweta Bachchan. His grandfather, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a noted poet of the Nayi Kavita Literary Movement of the Hindi literature and professor at the Allahabad University in Uttar Pradesh, while his grandmother, Teji Bachchan, was a social activist. The original surname of his family is Srivastava, Bachchan being the pen name used by his grandfather. However, when Amitabh entered films, he did so under his father's pen name. Bachchan is of Awadhi and Punjabi heritage on his father's side, and Bengali from his mother's side. His maternal grandfather was Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, a famous author, and poet. TK Bhaduri wrote a famous book Obhishopto Chambol (Cursed Chambal), an account of his experiences as a journalist/writer in the area. This book provided the raw material and inspiration to almost all dacoit-related films made by the Hindi film industry in India.
Bachchan attended Jamnabai Narsee School and Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai, Modern School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, and Aiglon College in Switzerland. He then attended Boston University but left prior to completing degree to support family during bankruptcy of ABCL. He subsequently moved on to Bollywood. He was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 9.
2000–2003: Debut and initial struggles
In 2000, Bachchan made his film debut playing the male lead in J. P. Dutta's war drama Refugee opposite Kareena Kapoor, who was also making her debut in the film. Although the film was an average grosser at the box office, both Bachchan and Kapoor received positive reviews for their performances. Film critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote that he "has all it takes to emerge a competent actor in years to come. Even in his debut-making film, Abhishek comes across as a fine actor and lives up to his family name." Bachchan next appeared opposite Keerthi Reddy in Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa, portraying an artist who falls in a one-sided love. The movie was neither commercially nor critically well-received. His third release of the year, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, was a remake of the 1995 American film A Walk in the Clouds and turned out to be a box office flop. In 2001, he starred in Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai, which failed to gain a wide audience theatrically. He also shot for a cameo in the 2001 film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, a scene which was later edited out of the film.
In 2002, Bachchan had four film releases, the first of which was the romantic drama Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya, opposite Karisma Kapoor and Akshay Kumar. He then made a cameo in the Bengali film Desh, which starred his mother Jaya Bachchan. His next role was in the comedy drama Shararat, followed by Om Jai Jagadish, where he was part of an ensemble cast. Both movies failed commercially. Bachchan's performance in Sooraj R. Barjatya's romantic dramedy Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, although the film was a flop. In the same year, Bachchan starred alongside Lara Dutta in the drama Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. The movie did not perform well commercially and received negative reviews. He then starred opposite Aishwarya Rai in Kuch Naa Kaho and joined Ajay Devgn and Bipasha Basu in Zameen. Neither of these films fared well critically or commercially. For his final release of 2003, Bachchan appeared among an ensemble cast in LOC: Kargil, portraying Vikram Batra. It received mixed to negative reviews and was not a commercial success.
Bachchan's first project in 2004, Run, emerged as a critical and commercial failure. He then starred in Mani Ratnam's political drama Yuva (2004), which had a below average performance at the box office, but earned Bachchan his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He then made a cameo in the romantic comedy-drama Hum Tum, and starred alongside Shilpa Shetty and Salman Khan in the AIDS drama Phir Milenge. Although not commercially successful, the film earned Bachchan the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Male. Bachchan better established himself in Hindi cinema playing a no-nonsense Mumbai police officer in the hit action thriller Dhoom (2004), which also starred John Abraham, Uday Chopra, Esha Deol, and Rimi Sen in pivotal roles. His next release, Naach (2004), was poorly received by critics and the audience alike.
Bachchan's first release of 2005 was the crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli, which featured him and Rani Mukerji as the titular con artist duo who perform several successful heists and fall in love along the way. The film emerged as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of 2005 and earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. This film also marked his first professional collaboration with his father Amitabh Bachchan, who played a police officer closely following the lead pair. Bachchan was next seen in Ram Gopal Varma's political drama Sarkar, which was a moderate success at the box office. His performance as the morally upright son of a troubled politician (played by his father Amitabh Bachchan) earned him rave reviews from critics as well as his second consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. His next two releases Dus (2005) and Bluffmaster! (2005) were both moderately successful, but did not earn much critical appreciation. The year also saw Bachchan making cameos in the romantic comedy Salaam Namaste, the Bengali film Antarmahal, the comedy Home Delivery, the action thriller Ek Ajnabee, and the romantic comedy Neal 'n' Nikki.
Bachchan won his third consecutive Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Karan Johar's ensemble musical romantic drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), which focused on the subjects of marital infidelity, emotional dissatisfaction, and dysfunctional relationships. Bachchan played the role of a PR associate whose wife (Rani Mukerji) is unhappy with their marriage, and so begins an extra-marital affair with a friend (Shah Rukh Khan) who is also unhappy with his marriage to his wife (Preity Zinta). Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna was a popular release, earning over ₹1.13 billion (US$12 million) to emerge as the highest-grossing Hindi film in overseas markets to that point. Bachchan then starred opposite Aishwarya Rai in the period romance Umrao Jaan, a remake of the 1981 film of the same name. The film failed to earn the same level of appreciation as the original and was also a commercial failure. He was next seen in Dhoom 2 (2006), which featured him and Uday Chopra reprising their roles from the original Dhoom (2004) joined by new cast members Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu. With earnings of ₹1.5 billion (US$16 million), Dhoom 2 became the highest grossing Indian film at that time, a distinction that was held for two years, though some critics commented that Bachchan was "reduced to a mere supporting player" to his co-star Roshan.