Amitabh Bachchan turns 84: Anand Pandit pledges 1,000 scholarships in his name

Amitabh Bachchan turns 84 today, Sunday 11 October, and the biggest birthday gesture so far is a pledge of 1,000 education scholarships made in his name by film producer Anand Pandit. The announcement came on the eve of the birthday, with the scholarships run together with the Lotus Foundation, Bollywood Hungama reported on Saturday.

"Amitabh Bachchan birthday" has also been trending in Pakistan this morning, where the actor's films and his quiz show have had a following for decades.

1,000 scholarships, hoardings and cinema screens

Pandit's plan has three parts, according to Bollywood Hungama and Filmibeat:

• 1,000 scholarships for students, funded with the Lotus Foundation. Neither report gives the amount of each award or who is eligible.
• Birthday greetings on cinema screens across India.
• Hoardings across Mumbai marking the day.

Pandit framed the scholarships as a way to carry Bachchan's example of hard work beyond the screen. He told Bollywood Hungama that "the fire we first witnessed in 'Zanjeer' is still burning bright", a reference to the 1973 film that made Bachchan a star.

A birthday tradition from the same producer

This is not the first time Pandit has marked the date with a public pledge. Both outlets list his earlier tributes:

• 2022, 80th birthday: meals for 8,000 children and 800 hearing aids.
• 2023, 81st birthday: more than 8,100 trees dedicated to the actor, planted as the "Amitabh Bachchan Grove".

The scale of this year's pledge, 1,000 scholarships for an 84th birthday, is the largest education commitment in the series.

Fans at Jalsa after midnight

As in most years, fans gathered outside Jalsa, the family's home in Juhu, Mumbai, through the night. Hindi daily Patrika reported that the crowd grew loud just after midnight, with posters, sweets and dhol drums, and that some fans had travelled from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Gujarat days in advance. One arrived dressed as the actor himself. Videos from outside the gate spread quickly on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Patrika's report did not say whether Bachchan came out to greet the crowd this time, something he has often done on past birthdays.

Still on air at 84: KBC 18 in Pakistan time

Bachchan is in the middle of hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati season 18, which premiered on 10 August on Sony Entertainment Television and streams on Sony LIV, Deccan Chronicle reported. The show airs at 9pm India time, Monday to Friday, which is 8:30pm in Pakistan (PKT is half an hour behind IST).

Born 11 October 1942

Bachchan was born on 11 October 1942 in Allahabad (now Prayagraj). If you want to see exactly how many days that is, or work out your own age to the day, our age calculator does it from any date of birth.

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