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| Home > Luminaries of the Indian Film Industry > Actors
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| | Actors of Indian Films
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Dev Anand (1923): 
The `evergreen hero`, Dev Anand was born as Devdutt Pishorimal Anand and he is one of the most popular stars the Hindi Film Industry has seen. In his younger days, he was considered the epitome of the suave, urban gentleman. Anand`s good looks and fun-filled and yet meaningful films ensured him a very special niche in the public mind. His elder brother Chetan Anand is credited to bringing him and younger brother Vijay Anand into the film world.
Dev Anand was born in Gurdaspur in Punjab to a well-to-do advocate, Devdutt Pishorimal Anand. He graduated in English literature from the Government College, Lahore (now in Pakistan). His love for acting made him leave his hometown.Dev began his career in the military censor office at Churchgate, Mumbai, for a princely salary of Rs 160. He was soon offered a break as an actor by Prabhat Talkies to star in their Hum Ek Hain (1946). While shooting for the film in Pune, Dev struck a friendship with fellow actor Guru Dutt. And in 1949, he launched Navketan along with elder brother Chetan Anand. Vijay Anand, a master director and younger brother, teamed up with them in 1953. Some of the major films he made.
1950 - Afsar: A journalist is mistaken for a government official and gets a close, first-hand look at politics in a village. The film starred Suraiya and Dev Anand.
1951 - Baazi: The film was the first directorial venture of Guru Dutt and revealed his talent in no small measure.
Jaal: The redemption of a crook by the love of a good woman - the film has the haunting number `Yeh raat yeh chandni phir kahan` and Guru Dutt`s able direction.
 Taxi Driver: One of the popular Navketan films, it starred Anand and Kalpana Kartik who was to later become his wife.
1955 - Munimji: A tale of two brothers, one good and the other evil, the film included the hit of the year "Jeevan ke safar mein raahi` (popular till date).
1956 - CID: The first Hindi film of Waheeda Rehman, one of India`s greatest stars. Her performance and beauty enhanced this crime thriller that was the directorial debut of Raj Khosla, a highly competent director.
Paying Guest: One of Navketan`s best films, starring Nutan in one of her finest performances. The hit songs `Mana janaab ne pukaara nahin` and `O nigahen mastaana` remain hummable even today.
1958 - Kala Pani: Memorable acting by all the stars - Dev Anand, Madhubala (among India`s finest actresses) and Nalini Jaywant. The film centres on corruption and an innocent man`s plight.
Kaala Bazaar: Fantasy and reality coexist in this film directed by Vijay Anand. The use of the top-angle camera for the song `Sooraj ke jaisi golayi, chanda se thandak bhi payi` was interesting and recalls Dev Anand`s statement that movies be `brought as close as possible to the reading of a newspaper.`
 1965 - Guide: A major film on the release of a woman from a tyrannical marriage, her fulfillment as a dancer, and the man who helps her realize her dreams. Dev Anand transforms from guide to manager to holy man, and the process of love and desire culminates in him dying after achieving a `miracle`. Waheeda Rehman`s powerful acting and the music added to the film`s stature, even though many social critics attacked the film on different counts. Guide included the highly emotive numbers `Kaanton se kheench ke yeh aanchal` and `Gaata rahe mera dil` set to music by Sachin Dev Burman.
1967 - Jewel Thief: A cult film of sorts, it had the bars, and snow-lifts and catchy numbers that marked the period. Songs like `Yeh dil na hota bechara` and `Hoton pe aisi baat`.
Prem Pujari: This was the first film officially directed by Dev Anand. The story is of an armyman determined to destroy a spy ring and save his country.
 1971 - Hare Rama Hare Krishna: The film centres on drug addicts and their way of life as opposed to Indian values. Zeenat Aman`s first starrer, the film had the smash hit `Dum maro dum`.
1978 - Des Pardes: On the problems of illegal immigrants, the film introduced Tina Munim as a village innocent being sent abroad to marry a man she doesn`t know.
Dilip Kumar (1922): 
A living legend, Dilip Kumar was born Yusuf Khan at Peshawar (now Pakistan). He worked at the British army canteen in Bombay in 1941 and was introduced to the film industry by Devika Rani. His screen name was selected by Bhagwati Charan Varma, a novelist. Jugnu (1947) made him a star - his natural style and deliberate dialogue delivery were widely appealing. Andaz (1949), Jogan (1950), Deedar (1951), Devdas (1955) strengthened his image as the tragic lover. This alternated with a tougher persona in films like Aan (1952), Azad and Insaaniyat in 1955, Kohinoor (1960). Films like Madhumati and Yahudi in (1958), and the 1960 Mughal-e-Azam are unforgettable. He made a comeback with films like Kranti (1981), Shakti (1982), while Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991) re-established his larger-than-life status. Kumar`s own production - Kalinga - is incomplete so far. Apart from his film career, Kumar has been a highly respected Sheriff of Bombay.
Amitabh Bachchan (1942): 
Amitabh Bachchan (born October 11, 1942) is an Indian film-actor who was named Superstar of the Millennium by the BBC. He is arguably the biggest star in the history of the Indian Film Industry, better known as Bollywood. Bachchan was born in the city of Allahabad, India. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a well-known poet. The original last name of the family was "Srivastav"; "Bachchan" was in fact a pen name used by his father. However, when Bachchan entered films he did so under his father`s pen name. Now he is never known as anything but Amitabh Bachchan. His immediate family has also adopted the Bachchan surname. His mother, Teji Bachchan, is still alive.
Bachchan attended Allahabad`s Boys` High School, followed by Nainital`s Sherwood College, where he gained a degree in art. He later went on to Delhi University earning a degree in science. When he was in his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Kolkata, to pursue a career in acting.
He is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan). The couple have two children: daughter Shweta and son Abhishek. Abhishek Bachchan has also entered the Bollywood film industry. Bachchan is said to have met Jaya Bhaduri at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Pune, though there is no evidence to suggest that he was ever enrolled there as a student.
In 1984, Bachchan briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad`s Parliament seat against H. N. Bahuguna, a well-known politician, and won by a large margin (68.2% of the vote). His political career, however, was short-lived: he resigned after only three years, not finishing his term. At the time of his resignation, it was rumoured that he might have been involved in the Bofors Scandal. Bachchan was not implicated in the case, and has since distanced himself from the Gandhi family. He denies that the two events were connected, commenting that he "should have never got into politics". However, he is a close friend of Samajwadi Party Leader Amar Singh.
He has two grandchildren: Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda. In November 2005, Bachchan was admitted to India`s Lilavati Hospital, in order to undergo surgery on his intestine. The procedure came after Bachchan complained of pain in his abdomen, and the issue is said to have been related to a 1983 injury. After the operation, Bachchan took several months off from work, unable to leave his home even to shoot the sequel to his recently-launched television program, Kaun Banega Crorepati 2. By April 2006 Bachchan had resumed shooting for most of his projects.
Bachchan`s first film, Saat Hindustani - his only black-and-white film - was released in 1969. For his role, Bachchan was paid the meagre sum of 5,000 rupees. In the film, he played the part of one of seven protagonists; "Saat Hindustani" means "Seven Indians". Most people would have thought that his six co-stars were much more likely to achieve stardom than he was; they were all related to film-industry insiders, while he was a gangling outsider from the north. Between 1969 and 1973, the date of his first real hit, Bachchan`s career was stalled.  He did win a FilmFare Award for "Best Supporting Actor" for his work in Anand, but this did not translate into the kind of fame that brought audiences into theatres just to see his face again.
Two 1973 films are said to have launched Bachchan as a star. In Abhimaan, he played a singer who succumbs to jealousy (The role might have been inspired by the Barbra Streisand movie A Star is Born). A strong score by music director S.D. Burman and real chemistry with his co-star (and later, wife) Jaya Badhuri, brought crowds to the theatres. Also in 1973, director Prakash Mehra cast Bachchan as Inspector Vijay Khanna in the film Zanjeer. He was not even the director`s second choice: the role is said to have been offered to Dev Anand, who turned it down because of lack of songs for the main character (unheard of in those days).
 The film was based on the spaghetti western Death Rides A Horse starring Lee Van Cleef, and was a gritty cops-and-robbers melodrama which helped in the blossoming of Amitabh`s personna as an "angry young man", cemented further by movies like Deewar, Muqaddar Ka Sikander and Shakti. Zanjeer was a great success. After that, Bachchan`s name on the marquee could be counted on to pull crowds into the theaters; he had at least one major hit every year for the next decade.
The 1975 film Deewaar was one of his biggest hits. This time the writing team of "Salim-Javed" (Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan) made him the crook rather than the cop.  However, he was a different kind of crook: a tough man who refuses to tolerate disrespect, dedicated to making it despite huge obstacles, but nonetheless a man with a heart, who loves his mother and stands up for the "little people" who are getting a raw deal from a corrupt establishment. The film premiered just as the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, declared a state of emergency and assumed dictatorial powers. Bachchan stood for revolt against corruption, and his popularity soared. In the same year he also starred in one of Bollywood`s biggest hits Sholay which also had Amjad Khan appear opposite him for the first time. Khan went on to play his nemesis in many more films.
In addition to being an "angry young man", he also become known for his comedy roles. One of his most popular characters was the genial, street-smart Anthony from the 1978 Amar Akbar Anthony. Yash Chopra collaborated with him on many films such as Kabhie Kabhie, and Silsila which showed that he could also convince in romantic roles too.
Bachchan appeared in many other great films during the 70s and 80s, often filming them concurrently, as is still Bollywood practice. He was not at all selective in his choice of films; he appeared in many mediocre films too which flopped at the box office. However, once he committed to a film, he did his best. He was, and is, known for his professionalism: he shows up on time, he redoes a scene as many times as necessary, and he is respectful of the rest of the cast and crew.
In 1982 he starred opposite legendary actor Dilip Kumar in Shakti who was the main superstar before him in the 50s and 60s. This film was described as the clash of the superstars as it marked the first and only time Bachanan and Kumar appeared a film together.
 While filming Coolie in 1983, Bachchan was seriously injured while filming an action sequence. It was a ruptured intestine. He was in the hospital for months and at times was close to death. His fans were transfixed by the life-and-death drama. They came to give blood, they hung on the news bulletins, they visited temples and dargahs to pray for his recovery. After recovery Bachchan resumed the shooting for the film and it finally released. Coolie was released only after Bachchan recovered fully. It was an immense success. The director, Mahmohan Desai, is said to have changed the ending. Bachchan`s character, originally intended for a heroic death, survived. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen.
Later Career
During the late 1980s, after his brief stint in politics, Bachchan`s films became less and less successful. Many films did very poorly, such as Jaadugar and Toofan, both from 1989. In 1990 he regained some success with his power-packed performance in Agneepath and the following year he starred in Hum which was a huge hit. Hum was mainly a hit due because of its use of a popular song, "Jumma Chumma". Bachchan dropped out of the film industry after 1992, his last film being Khuda Gawah, released that same year. His much delayed film Insaniyat which was due for release in 1991 was finally released in 1994, but it also failed at the box office.
He returned to films in 1997, but hits still eluded him. His first comeback vehicle, Mrityudaata produced by his own production company ABCL, was a box-office disaster. Most of his subsequent films, such as Major Saab, Sooryavansham, and Laal Baadhshah also failed at the box office. Critics complained that Bachchan was still playing the "angry young man" even though he was in his mid-fifties. He was no longer convincing. He was also deeply in debt as a result of the failures of the films produced by his company ABCL.
Only two of his films succeeded: the 1998 comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (an unapologetic rip-off of the Sanjeev Kumar starrer, Angoor (grapes)) in which he starred with Govinda and 2000`s Mohabbatein, which co-starred Shah Rukh Khan. In both cases, critics said that the films succeeded because of the co-star, not because of Bachchan.
Amitabh Bachchan`s Return
 Bachchan then accepted an offer to host an Indian version of the popular British gameshow, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, or Kaun Banega Crorepati? The show was a hit, as was his appearance as a stern patriarch in Ek Rishta, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Finally, Bachchan was conceded to have regained much of his old magic. He has since appeared in a number of films each year, often in unconventional or supporting roles. He has been praised for his performances in films such as Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Baghban (2003), Khakee (2004), and Dev (2004). However not all of these films have been hits. Critics say that this is a resurgence of his old problem, lack of selectivity and over-exposure.
In 2005, he appeared in the film Black, in which he played the teacher of a deaf and blind woman played by Rani Mukherjee went on to be a massive hit. And more importantly re-affirmed his tremendous acting ability.
In the same year he co-starred with his son Abhishek in the films Bunty Aur Babli and Sarkar both of which were hits at the box office. He is once again appeared with Abhishek in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna which released in 2006.
He is also set to appear in a remake of his own 1975 blockbuster Sholay and will play the role of Gabbar Singh, a role that was made famous by Amjad Khan in the original. The Walter Reade Theater of Lincoln Center hosted a special tribute to Bachchan, showing many of his popular films. Although most of the shows did not sell out (Amar Akbar Anthony was a rare exception), the tribute also included "An Evening with Amitabh Bachchan", hosted at the Lincoln Center`s Alice Tully Hall. The event included a live appearance by Bachchan. Tickets were priced at $60.00 per seat and sold out days in advance. The tribute was an unprecedented honour for an Indian actor.
There was a time when one of the famous director of bollywood said that if the industry actor are rated, Amitabh Bachchan will be from number 1 to number 10. The other starts will follow from spot 11. He was voted as the "BBC Star of the millenium" and for the Big B fans he is better than all the hollywood actors put together. Not Surprisingly, even today Mr.Bachchan is the biggest superstar Bollywood has to offer and still, with one of the biggest fan following in the history of Indian Cinema.
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