Amitabh Bachchan says his father changed surname to 'hide indication of my caste'

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is dishing out his real surname.

Speaking in a recent episode of his game show Kaun Banega Crorepati season 13, Amitabh Bachchan revealed that his last name is Shrivastava.

"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 began before explaining the reason his father picked out Bachchan as a surname for his kids.

He continued, "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.”

"I remember, when my father was trying to get me admitted to school...instead of saying Shrivastava, my father said Bachchan...Today, I’m proud to have a surname that does not reflect a caste."