Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai
Think of them as Bollywood's Father, Son and Holy Babe, a powerful trinity of actors in a country whose celluloid celebrities are revered as near-gods. A veteran of India's silver screen, Amitabh, 64, is a cinema legend; he still retains his charm and drawing power, not only churning out movies but advertising everything from hair oil to chocolate bars. Son Abhishek is gaining fame for his star turns in films like Dhoom and Guru, although he doesn't yet garner the same level of adoration as his old man, and he has some fierce competition to be his generation's biggest star in pinup Shah Rukh Khan. But in April he stepped into a real life role that many would die for: husband of Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World and the biggest — and many believe most beautiful — of Bollywood's sparkly array of female leads. The Bachchans are not without controversy. A Mumbai High Court recently issued a notice to Amitabh to answer questions about alleged tax evasion (he denies any wrongdoing), while gossips say the Ab-Ash marriage is doomed because of astrological non-compatibility (a serious issue in India). But as Hollywood's hottest families know well, a hint of scandal sometimes only adds to the allure.
—By Simon Robinson