‘No other actress would have...’: When Amitabh Bachchan expressed his gratitude to wife Jaya

While Amitabh Bachchan, aka Big B, is known as the living legend in Bollywood, his wife, Jaya Bachchan, nee Bhaduri, was also a top actress in the 1970s. Known for her versatility and talent for emoting, Jaya became a household name thanks to multiple hits such as ‘Mili’, ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Abhimaan’ ‘Koshish’, etc. However, she left films behind at the peak of her career to focus on home and hearth after her marriage to Amitabh Bachchan (who she incidentally gave his first hit ‘Zanjeer’) in 1973.

In a candid chat with the Hindi Rush podcast, veteran journalist Pooja Samant revealed how, despite rumours of his affair with his ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikander’ co-star Rekha, Amitabh was genuinely grateful to Jaya for sacrificing her flourishing career to take care of the kids, giving him the liberty to focus on his own career.


“I am grateful to my parents, of course, because it’s because of them that I’ve reached where I am today. But I am also grateful to Jaya. When I was working day and night, she gave up her career and raised both our children so well. She instilled strong values in them,” she said.

Amitabh also reminisced about the ways he and Jaya stayed connected during a time when instant communication through mobile phones did not exist. Pooja mentioned that he shared how Jaya would leave thoughtful handwritten notes inside his lunch box whenever there was something important to convey. These small messages often included requests like asking him to return home early if Abhishek was unwell or reminders about attending their son’s school activities.

“All important messages were exchanged through Amit Ji’s tiffin.” she said.

Samant further highlighted Amitabh’s deep sense of gratitude toward Jaya, acknowledging her steady presence and support throughout their journey. He also pointed out that Jaya was an extraordinary performer in her own right and had she chosen to remain consistently active in films, her career would have soared to even greater success. “He often said ‘The sacrifices she made, perhaps no other leading actress could have done it,” she recalled.

Amitabh and Jaya have appeared together for several successful films such as ‘Zanjeer’ ‘Abhimaan’, ‘Kabhie Khushie Kabhie Gham’ etc.