Factbox: Bollywood's star-studded Bachchan family
(Reuters) - Coronavirus has struck a famed Bollywood family: superstar Amitabh Bachchan, and son and daughter-in-law, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, also both actors, have all tested positive for the illness.
Below is a summary of their careers, which have spanned national and international films, included top brand endorsements and made them household names in India:
AMITABH BACHCHAN
He was born on October 11, 1942 in the northern city of Allahabad, son of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his wife Teji.
* He moved to Mumbai in the 1960s after quitting his job as an executive in the eastern city of Kolkata.
* Bachchan made his debut in 1969, as a voice-over narrator for Mrinal Sen's "Bhuvan Shome" named after the lead character in the film. His first film as an actor was "Saat Hindustani" (Seven Indians), which sank at the box office.
* He married actress Jaya Bhaduri in 1973. The couple have two children, Abhishek and Shweta.
* His 1973 film "Zanjeer" (Chains) propelled Bachchan to stardom, after which he churned out hit after hit.
* In 1982, while filming the movie "Coolie" (Porter), Bachchan suffered a near-fatal injury and spent months in hospital after rupturing his intestines.
* In 1984, Bachchan ran for the national parliament, and became an MP but resigned later after he was named in a defence scandal. He has denied all charges against him.
* He was chosen as BBC's Star of the Millenium in an online poll in 1999. He received India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2015.
* Bachchan, 77, has also appeared in Hollywood films such as "The Great Gatsby", starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He has endorsed brands such as Maggi, a product by Swiss food firm Nestle and in recent months has appeared in public service announcements urging people to wear masks and wash their hands to avoid getting coronavirus.
ABHISHEK BACHCHAN AND AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN
* Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the Miss World title in 1994, and went on to act in several Bollywood and Hollywood films after that, including Gurinder Chaddha’s “Bride and Prejudice” and “Pink Panther 2”.
* In her over two-decade career, Aishwarya, 46, has also been the face of top international brands such as French cosmetic company L'Oreal, Swiss luxury watchmaker Longines and world's leading diamond company, De Beers.
* She married Abhishek Bachchan, her co-actor in Bollywood films, in 2007.
* Abhishek, 44, made his Bollywood debut with “Refugee” in 2000. He has since acted in more than 50 films and his latest work – a series called “Breathe” - premiered on Amazon’s Prime Video platform just one day before he tested positive for COVID-19.
* The couple have a daughter, Aaradhya, born in 2011. She has also tested positive.
(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Additional reporting by Nupur Anand; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Sanjeev Miglani and Frances Kerry)
