Archive · 11 Oct 2026
Jaya Bachchan Recalls Amitabh’s Reserved Courtship and Their Marriage
Jaya Bachchan has spoken about how she and Amitabh Bachchan fell in love.
They first met when Jaya was studying in Pune, and they later spent time together while working in films.
She said Amitabh seemed reserved, and he did not formally ask her to be his girlfriend or propose in the usual way.
Jaya felt that he could influence her, but she also wanted to make him happy.
Amitabh once drove for hours to attend her graduation, and he gave her saris.
Jaya joined the film Zanjeer partly because Amitabh was in it.
After the film became successful, they planned a trip to London with friends.
Their parents said they should marry before going, so they married in 1973.
Jaya said Amitabh supported her working, but wanted her to choose projects rather than work every day.
Jaya Bachchan recalled meeting Amitabh Bachchan while she was studying at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and later working with him around Guddi.
She said his intense staring initially struck her as strange, and later described feeling both intimidated by his influence over her and drawn to him.
Their relationship developed without a formal proposal; Jaya described Amitabh as introverted, hypersensitive and not an easy boyfriend.
Jaya agreed to appear in Zanjeer partly because Amitabh was her co-star; after the film’s success, their families urged them to marry before a planned London trip.
They married in 1973, with Jaya recalling that Amitabh wanted her to work selectively rather than every day.
- Who
- Actors Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan.
- What
- Jaya recalled their relationship, courtship and marriage.
- When
- They married in 1973; the article recounts earlier events and later comments by Jaya.
- Where
- They first met at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and later spent time working in Mumbai.
- Why
- Their families urged them to marry before a planned trip to London after Zanjeer’s success.
Jaya’s perspective
Amitabh’s perspective
Influence and independence
Jaya’s perspective
Jaya said she felt Amitabh could dictate things to her and that she wanted to please him, while describing this as her own response.
Amitabh’s perspective
The article does not provide a direct response from Amitabh to this recollection.
Work after marriage
Jaya’s perspective
Jaya recalled agreeing to Amitabh’s preference that she choose projects and not work every day.
Amitabh’s perspective
Amitabh’s preference is reported through Jaya; no separate explanation from him is included.
- First meeting
- Jaya first saw Amitabh while she was a student at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.
- Film linked to their early relationship
- They were associated with Guddi, though Amitabh was later dropped from the film.
- Amitabh’s gesture
- He drove for five hours from Mumbai to Pune to attend Jaya’s convocation.
- Relationship milestone
- Jaya said their relationship became serious while they were filming Ek Nazar in 1972.
- Marriage
- They married in 1973, after Zanjeer’s success and before a planned trip to London.
- Jaya’s work
- Jaya recalled Amitabh saying he wanted her to work, but not every day, and to choose projects carefully.