We kid you not! Amitabh Bachchan almost named Abhishek Bachchan ‘Tiger’

The name of megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been associated with many iconic films in his career which is stretches across more than four decades now. Among them, the 1977 release ‘Khoon Pasina’ is one such film that perfectly carried his onscreen image of the ‘angry young man’. The movie also featured one of the most popular fight sequences of Big B’s career, given that Amitabh had to fight a real tiger in it. The movie recently completed 40 years of its release, and on the occasion, we found an interesting unknown fact. The fact finds its root in this action sequence with the tiger.

According to an old interview given by Senior Bachcan, the actor revealed that it was during the shoot of this sequence that his son-actor Abhishek Bachchan was born at Breach Candy Hospital. As Big B was informed about this good news on the telephone, he stopped the shooting to quickly rush to the hospital. But what followed was this cute and unique suggestion which eventually saw Abhishek Bachchan almost being named ‘Tiger’.

Remembering about this incident from the sets, Big B had said in that interview, “During the shoot I got the news of Abhishek’s birth at Breach Candy Hospital, and I stopped the shoot and rushed there. Everyone on set commented as I left.. “agar beta hua toh uska naam Tiger rakhna”!! Ha ha! For long years till I think he (Abhishek) was 4 or 5 years old I would call him Tiger when I would call from locations on phone.” [sic]

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Listening to his father calling him Tiger, the little Abhishek used to think that since the talk was on animals, he needed to speak in the same language.

So, as Big B used to call him and say, “Hi Tiger, how you doin’ ?” [sic] Abhishek would give a reply saying, “Hi Panther, I am fine!!” [sic]

Amitabh Bachchan even recalled the events when people who used to visit his house were simply amazed at this father-son conversation. They would often comment in amazement saying, “Yeh apne baap se baat kar raha hai??”

Aww, so cute. We can imagine a little Abhishek having this ‘tiger-panther’ conversation with dashing daddy Amitabh, at the time.

Well, this indeed is a story to cherish, don’t you think?

Amod Pandit

Quiet, resonant, and creative, he can be seen immersed in his own world, and puts in his heart and soul into the one passion that he has, Bollywood. His line for survival? Feel happy to be a part of it.