How Amitabh Bachchan’s father chose ‘Bachchan’ surname inspired by mother’s affectionate ‘Bachchanwa’

Ajitabh Bachchan, younger brother of megastar Amitabh Bachchan , recently shared the story behind their family name. He revealed that their father, celebrated poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, deliberately replaced the original surname “Srivastava” with “Bachchan” as a statement against India’s caste system.

In an interview with RJ Sachin, Ajitabh explained that Harivansh Rai first used “Bachchan” as a pen name. The word, meaning “child-like” in Hindi, was a term of affection used by his mother. “She would call him, ‘Bachchanwa kidhar hai?’ He liked that and began using it as his writing name,” Ajitabh recalled. Over time, the pseudonym became the family’s official surname when Amitabh was enrolled in school, marking a conscious rejection of caste-based identity.

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