Amitabh Bachchan was earning Rs 50 when he refused a pay cheque of Rs 10,000, slept on Marine Drive benches with rats: ‘Didn't have a place to stay'

Indian Express

14-05-2025

Amitabh Bachchan may be the most recognisable face in the history of Bollywood. The actor has appeared in some of the most popular Hindi films of all time, and in the last couple of decades, he has endorsed some of the biggest brands in the country. But, Bachchan wasn't always comfortable with the idea of brand endorsements. So much so that even when he was making just Rs 50 for doing radio spots in the 1960s, he refused Rs 10,000 for an ad. At this point, Bachchan felt that since his sole focus was to become an actor in the movies and modelling in ads would be a distraction. So he was ready to let go of the temptation even though he was sleeping at the benches on Marine Drive with rats as his neighbours.
In an old interview from 1999 with Vir Sanghvi, Bachchan admitted that ad agencies approached him in his early days in the city but his stance on modelling in ads was quite different at that time. He decided to 'resist the temptation' as he wanted to be considered a serious actor. 'There were opportunities then, too, when ad agencies approached me. I was offered Rs 10,000 for an ad, which was huge money since I was earning Rs 50 a month doing radio spots. But I felt doing an ad would take something away from me,' he shared.
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This interview came right around the time when Bachchan's company ABCL (Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited) was going through a rough patch. He had even admitted that he was bringing in the money to his company by endorsing a few brands. Bachchan shared that he was ready to drive a can in the city, instead of doing ads. 'I came to Bombay with a driving license, and that's about it. It said if I don't become an actor, I will drive a cab,' he said and added, 'The whole intention was to act.'
But the situation turned dire as time went by and he found it difficult to keep a roof over his head. At one point, he had to resort to sleeping on the streets but even then, he was certain that he wouldn't appear in ads. 'I didn't have a place to stay. You know there is a limited amount of time you can spend with friends because you're barging into their house. So I spent a couple of days on Marine Drive benches with some of the largest rats I have seen in my life,' he said.
It is safe to say that Bachchan moved away from that philosophy later in his career. After establishing himself as arguably the biggest star of Bollywood, he can now be seen endorsing all kinds of products. The actor has a stellar filmography to boast, which consists of films like Zanjeer (1973), Sholay (1975), Deewar (1975), Don (1978) and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977). He continues to be one of the biggest stars that Indian cinema has ever seen.