Jaya Bachchan Biography, Movies, Age, Net Worth, Awards, Controversy

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Jaya Bachchan Biography

Jaya Bachchan is an Indian politician and actress. She has been a Rajya Sabha member of the Samajwadi Party since 2004 and has served four terms. She is well known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema but she is also known for promoting a natural acting style in mainstream and middle-of-the-road films. She has garnered a number of honours including nine Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri India's fourth-highest civilian honour. In 1973 the actress married Amitabh Bachchan. Abhishek Bachchan and Shweta Bachchan-Nanda are their two children.

Bachchan made her film debut as a teenager in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (1963) and her first adult role was in Guddi (1971) directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee with whom she later collaborated on other films. She was known for her unique performances in films such as Uphaar (1971) Koshish (1972) and Kora Kagaz (1974). She appeared in several films with her husband Amitabh Bachchan including Zanjeer (1973) Abhimaan (1973) Chupke Chupke (1975) and Mili (1976). (1975). She received critical acclaim for her performance as a young widow in the cult film Sholay (1975).

Jaya Bachchan Age

Jaya Bachchan was born on  9 April 1948. She is aged 74 years. Jaya Bachchan’s birthplace is Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh. Her zodiac sign is Aries.

Jaya Bachchan Family

Jaya Bhaduri was born into a Bengali Brahmin family and is the daughter of a journalist author and poet Taroon Kumar Bhaduri and his wife Indira. She married Amitabh Bachchan on June 3 1973. Shweta Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan who is also an actor are the couple's two children. 

Shweta is married to industrialist Nikhil Nanda the grandson of Delhi's Kapoor dynasty and has two children Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda whilst Abhishek Bachchan is married to actress Aishwarya Rai and has a daughter Aaradhya Bachchan.

Jaya Bachchan Education

She attended St Joseph's Convent School in Bhopal and went on to graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. Her acting career began at the age of 15 in the Bengali film Mahanagar. After the release of Guddi she established herself as an actor in her own right in Bollywood.

Jaya Bachchan's Husband

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri married in 1973 and despite their fair share of ups and downs they not only made their marriage work but also changed it into a joyful and prosperous one! Jaya Bachchan was the first to realize she had affection for Amitabh Bachchan which grew stronger with time. It was only the sets of Ek Nazar that served as Cupid for Amitabh and their story had taken a pleasant turn.

Their love story took a dramatic turn right before the release of Zanjeer (1973) when their friends stipulated that if the film was a success they would travel to London. This time Amitabh's parents rejected his plan of a London trip claiming that he cannot date a girl till he marries her. Instead of being disappointed by their 'no ' Amitabh made the largest step in his love life and decided that now was the time to take the wedding vows.

He proposed to Jaya Badhuri for marriage and she said yes right away. He contacted her parents for permission and they readily agreed. Everything was fixed within a few days and they married on June 3 1973 and went to London the next day. The wedding was a low-key occasion attended by only a few friends and family members.

Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan's marriage has been blessed with Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham moments and they've been living their 'happily ever after with their daughter and son Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan son-in-law and daughter-in-law Nikhil Nanda and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and grandchildren Navya Naveli Nanda Agastya

Jaya Bachchan's Career

Inspired by her interactions with Ray she enrolled in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune and graduated with honours. Hrishikesh Mukherjee cast her in Guddi as the titular character a small schoolgirl fascinated with cinema star Dharmendra.

Guddi was a commercial hit and she remained identified with the image of the girl next door for the remainder of her career. While she did play glamorous roles such as Jawani Diwani (1972) and a semi-negative character of an amnesia-faking heroine in Anamika (1973) she was best known for portraying middle-class sensibility in films by middle-cinema directors such as Gulzar Basu Chatterjee and even Hrishikesh Mukherjee.

She returned to acting after a 17-year hiatus with Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998) a film about the Naxalite uprising. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Fiza in 2000. She also co-starred with her husband in Karan Johar's ensemble family melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001). She went on to play Preity Zinta's mother Jennifer Kapur in Johar's romantic comedy-drama Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She co-starred in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007) and Drona (2009) alongside her son Abhishek (2008).

Jaya Bachchan's Movies

Guddi (1971)

Guddi is a 1971 Hindi drama film written and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Dharmendra Jaya Bachchan and Utpal Dutt appeared in it. It's Jaya Bachchan's (née Bhaduri) breakthrough film in which she portrays a schoolgirl who has a crush on and is infatuated with actor Dharmendra who plays himself. She was nominated for Best Actress by Filmfare the film's only nomination. 

Utpal Dutt also appears in the film. Many well-known Bollywood actors including Rajesh Khanna Naveen Nischol Asrani Amitabh Bachchan Om Prakash and Pran made cameo appearances. The film became a major city hit and performed above average elsewhere It was later remade in Tamil as Cinema Paithiyam (1975) with Jayachitra and Kamal Haasan in the lead roles.

Parichay (1972)

Parichay is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Gulzar and produced by V. K. Sobti under the Tirupathi Pictures label. It starred Jeetendra and Jaya Bhaduri with special cameos by Sanjeev Kumar and Vinod Khanna. Rahul Dev Burman created the soundtrack. The film was said to be based on Raj Kumar Maitra's Bengali novel Rangeen Uttarain and influenced in part by the 1965 film The Sound of Music.

Koshish (1972)

Gulzar wrote and directed Koshish a 1972 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri. The film highlights a deaf and mute couple and their disputes pain and struggle to find their place in a desensitized society. It was inspired by the Japanese film Happiness of Us Alone released in 1961.  In Tamil the film was remade in 1977 as Uyarndhavargal starring Kamal Haasan and Sujatha. Gulzar received two National Film Awards for Best Screenplay and Kumar won Best Actor.

Bansi Birju (1972)

The plot revolves around Birju a rustic and his lady love Bansi a prostitute. The plot centers around the difficulties the couple faces when they marry after the locals discover Bansi is a prostitute. Jaya Bhaduri plays Bansi and Birju plays Amitabh Bachchan. Ramesh Bhatia as the police inspector and Ramesh Deo in minor roles also appear in the film. Prakash Verma directed the film Bansi Birju in 1972. It Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri. This was their first movie together as a star couple.

Phagun (1973)

Phagun is a 1973 Hindi film written and directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi that stars Dharmendra Waheeda Rehman Jaya Bhaduri and Vijay Arora. S.D. Burman and Majrooh Sultanpuri composed unforgettable songs for this eccentric love drama including the perennial favourite Holi song 'Piya sang khelo hori phagun aayo re' - Lata Mangeshkar.

The plot of the movie is Shanta Dhamle together with her father Shamrao and mother Ansuya live a luxurious lifestyle in Bombay. She annoys them when she falls in love and marries Gopal a poor and overly sensitive writer who moves in with them and continues to be verbally abused by Shamrao.

Zanjeer (1973)

Zanjeer is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed and produced by Prakash Mehra written by Salim-Javed and starring Amitabh Bachchan Jaya Bachchan Pran Ajit Khan and Bindu.

Zanjeer began turning Hindi film into a violent and aggressive path during a period when India was suffering from corruption and sluggish economic growth and the average man was left frustrated and angry with the system. This film also marked the end of Bachchan's struggle and catapulted him to stardom. The film was a smash hit both locally in India and internationally in the Soviet Union

Mili (1975)

Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed the 1975 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film Mili. Amitabh Bachchan Jaya Bachchan and Ashok Kumar played the key parts. The single nomination for the film came from Jaya Bachchan for Best Actress at Filmfare. The film was then remade in Telugu as Jyothi in 1976 with Jayasudha in the titular role. This was famed music director Sachin Dev Burman's final film.

Chupke Chupke (1975)

Chupke Chupke is a 1975 Hindi-language comedy film from India. The film is a remake of the Bengali film Chhadmabeshi. Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed it. Dharmendra Amitabh Bachchan Sharmila Tagore Jaya Bachchan Om Prakash Usha Kiran David Abraham Cheulkar Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee are among the cast members. S.D. Burman created the music. This film is renowned for Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan's hilarious performance which was released the same year as the all-time hit Sholay.

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Kal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Nikhil Advani written by Karan Johar with dialogue by Niranjan Iyengar and produced by Yash Johar. Jaya Bachchan Shah Rukh Khan Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta appear in the film with Sushma Seth Reema Lagoo Lillete Dubey and Delnaaz Paul playing supporting parts. Naina Catherine Kapur (Zinta) and Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan) fall in love in Kal Ho Naa Ho but a secret stops him from returning his emotions leading to a scheme to match Naina up with her closest friend Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan).

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)

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Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language family drama film written and directed by Karan Johar and produced by Yash Johar. Amitabh Bachchan Jaya Bachchan Shah Rukh Khan Kajol Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor feature with Rani Mukherji making a prolonged cameo. 

It portrays the tale of an Indian family who suffers difficulties and misunderstandings as a result of their adopted son's marriage to a lady from a lower socioeconomic category than them. Babloo Chakravarty composed the film score which included songs by Jatin-Lalit Sandesh Shandilya and Aadesh Shrivastava as well as lyrics by Sameer and Anil Pandey.

Jaya Bachchan's Upcoming films

Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani (2023)

Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani is a Hindi-language romance film directed by Karan Johar and produced by Dharma Productions. Dharmendra Jaya Bachchan Shabana Azmi Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt play key roles. The film is set to be released on April 28 2023.

Jaya Bachchan's Career Timeline

Jaya Bachchan's Controversies

Shahrukh Khan Controversy

Salman Khan replaced Aishwarya Rai with Rani Mukherjee in 'Chalte Chalte ' owing to a brawl between the two. Later at Katrina Kaif's birthday party in 2008 Shah Rukh made a few disparaging statements about Aishwarya during a heated dispute with Salman.

When asked to respond Jaya stated that she had a heartfelt relationship with SRK and that if he were in her house she would have slapped him like her own kid.

Paparazzi Controversy

When Jaya and Aishwarya were on their way to an event hosted by Subhash Ghai Jaya overheard a paparazzi yelling out 'Aish'. She could not stand the inappropriate behavior and felt it highly rude so she yelled at the photographers shouting What exactly is Aish? Is she a classmate of yours? and immediately relaxed him

Nepotism Controversy

Unlike the other nepotistic parents in Bollywood Jaya Bachchan isn't afraid to be direct even when it comes to her son. So in 2014 the film industry saw the release of a film named 'Happy New Year ' directed by Farah Khan and starring Shah Rukh Khan Abhishek Bachchan Sonu Sood Deepika Padukone and Boman Irani. The film grossed Rs. 300 crores at the box office. However when asked to comment on the film Jaya Bachchan called it nonsensical and refused to support her son.

Drona speech controversy

Some Maharashtra lawmakers criticized Jaya Bachchan's statement at the musical premiere of Drona in the second half of 2008. In response to the film's director Goldie Behl making his introduction address in English she responded in Hindi Hum UP ke log hain isliye Hindi mein baat karenge Maharashtra ke log maaf kijiye.

Jaya Bachchan's Networth

As of 2022 Jaya Bachchan one of India's most popular celebrities has a net worth of $ 34 million. In Indian rupees this equates to Rs 255 crores. As of 2022 her monthly pay is approximately Rs35 lakhs with an annual income of Rs3.8 crore.

Aside from her worth she is paid Rs3.8 crores every year. Her own investments real estate and stocks are also included. Aside from that she charges brands Rs 3 crore rupees for endorsements.

Jaya Bachchan's Social Work

The actress is also involved in charitable work but she prefers not to attract too much media attention to it. "Not much is known because I dislike anything that draws too much attention and emphasis on me " she told a top journal in 1998. Otherwise I get plenty of it. I've spent the last 20 years volunteering with the Indian Society for the Rehabilitation of the Handicapped. It is a low-key organisation. Everyone volunteers albeit we have a lot of pros assisting us. We instruct children in several professions arrange competitions and provide scholarships and prizes.

Jaya Bachchan's Awards

• In 1972 Jaya won Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards Special Award (Hindi Film) for Guddi
• In 1999 Jaya won Anandalok Awards Special Editors' Award
• In 2001 Jaya won Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards – Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Fiza
• In 2001 Jaya won Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Female for Fiza
• In 2002 Jaya won Sansui Viewers Choice Awards – Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...
• In 1994 Jaya won the Yash Bharti Award Uttar Pradesh's highest award from the Government of Uttar Pradesh
• In 2000 Jaya won the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image Award for her abiding contribution to Cinema
• In 2004 Jaya won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sansui Awards
• In 2010 Jaya won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tongues On Fire Film Festival in London
• In 2012 Jaya won the Lifetime Achievement Award at Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF)
• In 2013 Jaya won Master Deenanath Mangeshkar (Vishesh Puraskar) Award for her dedicated services to Indian theatre and cinema

4 Interesting facts about Jaya Bachchan

• Jaya Bachchan made her Bollywood debut at the age of 15 in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Mahanagar.
• The actress was pregnant with her first kid Shweta during the time of the filming of Sholya.
• Jaya Bachchan has received nine Filmfare awards and a Padma Shri from the Government of India.
• She entered politics and is currently serving her fourth term in the Rajya Sabha as a member of the Samajwadi Party.