‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 13’: Amitabh Bachchan reveals the story behind his father choosing the surname 'Bachchan'

On ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 13’, Amitabh Bachchan explained why his late father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, picked Bachchan as their surname. Amitabh claimed in an episode that aired earlier this week that the decision on his surname was made when he was ready to be admitted to the school.

On Monday's episode, Amitabh Bachchan helped a contestant from Maharashtra, Bhagyashree Tayade, repair her ties with her father. She talked about how her love marriage ruined her relationship with her family and how her father didn't even meet her baby girl. Following that, Amitabh demanded that she deliver a message to her father and that they rekindle their connection.

He then went on to say that the talk had been personal to him. According to IndianExpress.com, he said, “I take this personally because I am a product of an inter-caste marriage too. My mother was from a Sikh family, and my father was from a Kayastha family in Uttar Pradesh. Their families opposed for a while, but they agreed and all the bonds got restored. I’m talking about the year 1942.”

Amitabh Bachchan then added, "My father deliberately gave us the name Bachchan, because the surname indicates caste. When I was about to get admitted to school, I was asked about my surname. Father and mother decided right then they wouldn’t give the surname of a caste, but would rather be the pseudonym of my father, his poet name, the name he used to write poems, it was to hide indication of my caste.”

Big B's logic demonstrates how foresighted his parents were, as well as a fantastic example of how casts should never win in any situation.