Kaun Banega Crorepati 13: Amitabh Bachchan reveals why his father 'deliberately' chose Bachchan as surname

KBC 13: Amitabh Bachchan has opened up on why his father selected Bachchan as the surname. Here's what the actor said.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan has revealed on Kaun Banega Crorepati why his father late Harivansh Rai Bachchan chose Bachchan as their surname. In an episode aired earlier this week, Amitabh said that the decision on the surname took place when he was about to get admitted to the school.

Amitabh Bachchan is the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) 13.

In the Monday episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 13, Amitabh Bachchan mended the relationship between a contestant Bhagyashree Tayade from Maharashtra and her father. She opened up on how her ties with her family were affected after her love marriage and that her father didn't even meet her baby daughter. Following this, Amitabh asked her to give a message to her father and he also requested him to revive their relationship.

He then said that the conversation was personal for him. Indian Express quoted him as saying, “I take this personally because I am a product of an inter-caste marriage too. My mother was from a Sikh family, and my father was from a Kayastha family in Uttar Pradesh. Their families opposed for a while, but they agreed and all the bonds got restored. I’m talking about the year 1942.”

Amitabh Bachchan then added, "My father deliberately gave us the name Bachchan, because the surname indicates caste. When I was about to get admitted to school, I was asked about my surname. Father and mother decided right then they wouldn’t give the surname of a caste, but would rather be the pseudonym of my father, his poet name, the name he used to write poems, it was to hide indication of my caste.”

In an interview with a leading daily in 2017, Amitabh had said, "I remember, when my father was trying to get me admitted to school...instead of saying Shrivastava, my father said Bachchan...Today, I’m proud to have a surname that does not reflect a caste."

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan has several films in the pipeline including Mayday, Jhund, Good Bye, Brahmastra, and The Intern remake.