SPARKBLOG - Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan is the son of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Jaya Bachchan; his elder sister is Shweta Bachchan-Nanda (b. 1974). His grandfather, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a well-known poet of Hindi literature. The original last name of his parental family is Srivastav, Bachchan being the pen name used by his grandfather. However, when his father Amitabh entered films, he did so under his own father's pen name. Bachchan is of Punjabi Sikh heritage from his grandmother Teji's side, while also of Bengali Kulin Brahmin descent from his mother Jaya Bhaduri's side.

Bachchan was dyslexic as a child. He attended Jamnabai Narsee School and Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai, Modern School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, and Aiglon College in Switzerland. He then went to the U.S. to complete his education at Boston University, but left midway to pursue his acting career when his father's company, ABCL, was facing trouble.

Career

Bachchan began his career with J.P. Dutta's moderately successful Refugee (2000), which also starred Kareena Kapoor, although Kapoor received more public exposure from the film. In a span of four years, Bachchan went on to do many more movies, without any major box-office successes. These included Kuch Naa Kaho (2003) with Aishwarya Rai, whom he married in 2007.

In 2004, his performance in Mani Ratnam's Yuva proved his mettle as an actor. The same year, he starred in Dhoom his first hit. In 2005, Bachchan shot to fame with four consecutive hits: Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Dus, and Bluffmaster. He won his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Sarkar. Bachchan also received his first Filmfare nomination in the Best Actor category.

His first 2006 release, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, was one of India's highest grossing films of the year. He was also a part of Mani Ratnam's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai, alongside many other co-stars. Bachchan's second release Umrao Jaan failed to do well at the box office, but his third film that year, the sequel Dhoom 2, did very well—although, as in the first Dhoom, critics found that Hrithik Roshan, as the antagonist, stole the show.

In 2007, Bachchan starred in Guru, receiving much acclaim for his performance, and the film emerged as his first solo hit. In May 2007, he made a brief appearance in the successful Shootout at Lokhandwala. His next release, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, which released in June 2007, failed to do well in India but did better overseas, especially in the UK.^[11] While the film itself received mixed reviews, Bachchan won praise for his performance.

In summer 2008, Bachchan, his wife, his father, and fellow performers Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh, and Madhuri Dixit starred in the Unforgettable World Tour stage production. The first leg covered the U.S, Canada, Trinidad, and London, England.

Bachchan is also involved in the functional and administrative operations of his father's company, originally known as ABCL, and rechristened as AB Corp. Ltd. That company, along with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., developed the Unforgettable production.

Personal life

Abhishek Bachchan with wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the IIFA Awards (2007).

In October 2002, at Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday celebration, Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor announced their engagement. The engagement was called off in January 2003.

After much speculation concerning their relationship, Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai announced their engagement on January 14, 2007. The couple were married on April 20, 2007, according to traditional Hindu rites of the South Indian Bunt community, to which Rai belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence Prateeksha, in Juhu, Mumbai, but was heavily covered by the entertainment media. The couple is considered a supercouple in India, and is often referred by the portmanteau "Abhiaish" (for Abhishek and Aishwarya).Bachchan's paternal grandmother Teji Bachchan died on December 21, 2007.