Amitabh Bachchan is now regarded as one of the most celebrated actors in Indian cinema, but his journey to the top was far from easy.
According to Hindustan Times, the veteran actor recently recalled facing rejection, criticism and harsh words when he was still trying to establish himself in the film industry.
While hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 18, Bachchan opened up about his early struggles during a special episode featuring Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medallists Lovlina Borgohain, Jhandu Kumar, Sharmila Dhankar and Asmita Dey.
During the conversation, Asmita asked Bachchan whether he had also been scolded on film sets when he made mistakes, much like athletes are corrected during training.
Bachchan admitted that he had faced plenty of criticism at the beginning of his career.
“Humko badi daant padti hain, shuru-shuru mein toh bahut padi thi,” he said, recalling how people would tell him, “Tumko kuch aata nahi hai, acting-wacting, tum bahut lambe ho, jaake ghar jaao.”
He explained that people initially questioned both his acting abilities and his appearance, particularly his height, and even told him to return home.
Bachchan recalled that even after he finally began getting acting opportunities, the criticism did not stop.
“Then when I finally got work, they would say, ‘Okay, fine, stand over there and say the dialogue.’ They would ask, ‘Is this any way to deliver a dialogue?’” he recalled.
The actor said directors and others on set would repeatedly scold and correct him. However, he gradually learned from those experiences and improved his craft.
Bachchan also remembered an incident when he arrived late for a shoot. At the time, he did not have a car and reached the set in someone else’s vehicle.
“Usually, I try to reach the shoot on time. Once, I was late. The director was standing outside the set. I arrived in someone else’s car because I did not have one at the time,” he said.
According to Bachchan, the director told him that the shoot had already been packed up and ordered him to leave.
Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 premiered on 10 August at 9pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
The latest season airs from Monday to Friday and follows the theme ‘Sochna Padega’.
On the film front, Bachchan was last seen as Ashwatthama in Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD, alongside Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan.
The science-fiction film became a major commercial success, earning more than ₹1,000 crore worldwide.
Bachchan is currently working on its sequel.
