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Actor Amitabh Bachchan’s decision to gift his Rs 50 crore bungalow, Prateeksha, located in Mumbai’s upscale Juhu area, to his daughter Shweta Bachchan made headlines in November last year. But Prateeksha isn’t just another property owned by the Bollywood megastar — it is the first bungalow that Big B and his wife, veteran actor Jaya Bachchan, bought as a couple, and it holds deep emotional value for the Bachchan family.
From Amitabh’s father Harivansh Rai Bachchan giving it its name, to welcoming both the children Abhishek and Shweta in this house, to his son Abhishek Bachchan tying the knot with Aishwarya Rai within its walls, here’s a look at the iconic bungalow’s history.
Though Amitabh Bachchan owns multiple bungalows in Mumbai, Prateeksha was the first bungalow he bought in 1976, right after the massive success of his 1975 film Sholay. By this time, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan had been married for three years, and Prateeksha became their first home. “The day in 1976 we moved into the first house that this generation had ever bought and built, and called its own,” Amitabh had written in one of his blogs.
The bungalow, surrounded by a lush lawn and tall trees, seemed like an oasis amid the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. Soon after moving into the house, Big B invited his parents — poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and mother Teji Bachchan — to live with them in Prateeksha.
This was also the house where both their children were born. “At Prateeksha, she was brought to the home, our first home of our own, when she was barely 2, and Abhishek a few months old… and today to see them celebrate the day in the same home on the same table and surroundings… LIFE IS A WONDER… Children and grandchildren all together,” Bachchan had written in the blog when Shweta celebrated her 50th birthday.
The name Prateeksha was given by Amitabh’s father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan. In an earlier interaction on one of the episodes of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Deewar star shared the story behind its name. He said, “Prateeksha is a very beautiful name. People ask me why did you keep your house name Prateeksha, but I convey to them that I did not choose it, my father did. Therefore I questioned my father why did you keep the name Prateeksha, he has a poem where there is a line that goes — ‘Swagat sabke liye hain par nahi hain kisi ke liye Prateeksha (It is welcome for all, but wait for none).'”
Since Prateeksha holds sentimental value for the Bachchans, Big B’s son and actor Abhishek tied the knot with Aishwarya in the same house in 2007. The house was decorated beautifully and the couple tied the knot according to North Indian, Bengali, and South Indian (specifically Tulu) rites.
Amitabh had mentioned their wedding in one of his blogs. The actor wrote about how the Gulmohar tree that he had planted after buying the house stood witness to Abhishek and Aishwarya’s wedding and many other happy and sad occasions. He wrote, He wrote, “The children grew up around it .. as did the grandchildren .. their birthdays and the festivities of festivals all decorated this GulMohar beautiful tree , with its bright orange flowers that bloomed during the summer .. the children did get married just a few feet away from it .. and it stood guardian above them .. its branches bowed down with the weight of grief and sorrow when the elders passed away .. Babuji, Maa ji .. their prayer meet on the 13th and the 12th day after the passing all within its shadow of grief .. the holika .. the burning of the evil forces a day before the celebrations of Holi , burnt about it .. as did all the lights of Deepavali adorn its branches .. the pooja’s of Satyanarayan and the havans for peace and prosperity , within its watchful grace.”
Not just Aishwarya and Abhishek’s wedding, even their daughter Aaradhya was first brought to Prateeksha after her birth. By the time Aaradhya was born, the Bachchan family had shifted to Jalsa, the bungalow where they currently reside. But after Aaradhya’s birth, they didn’t take her to Jalsa directly. Instead, they brought her to Prateeksha first to seek the blessings of her late great-grandparents.
Mentioning the same in his blog, Amitabh had written, “Today, we brought bitiya (Aaradhya) home. We are very happy. Hamare ghar Laxmi aayi hai, Abhishek, Aishwarya and bitiya are all well and in good health. Life changes when a new life comes to your house. I would say Laxmi Ratna has arrived in our house.”
He added, “We first took her to Prateeksha because that is our first home. After taking blessings from my ma and babuji (Amitabh’s parents), we have come to Jalsa.”
Eventually, the Bachchan family moved to Jalsa after the death of Big B’s parents. He kept the house locked after the demise of his mother in 2007, and it remained shut for nearly two decades. However, the actor preserved Prateeksha just the way it was, maintaining the rooms of his father and mother to keep their memory alive. He wrote about the same in his blog, “In reverence… the room remains so… permanently… and she remains permanently with us… Amma ji… the most beautiful Mother in the entire Universe,” he wrote.
In November last year, several portals confirmed that the Sholay actor transferred ownership of Prateeksha to Shweta through two separate gift deeds, with a stamp duty payment of Rs 50.65 lakh. In an earlier interaction with Subhash K Jha, Amitabh had shared that he wanted to gift the house to his daughter Shweta as he doesn’t differentiate between his son and daughter and ensures they both have equal rights to his properties. He had said, “I don’t believe in discrimination between the son and daughter. To me, Abhishek and Shweta have equal rights on my property.”
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