‘Jaya Bachchan actually beat me up with a stick, unhe gussa bahut aata hai,’ Bhojpuri actor Nirahua recalls doing film with Big B, Jaya: ‘I was hurt’

Nirahua had the opportunity to share the screen with the legendary couple Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan in the Bhojpuri film Ganga Devi. Jaya Bachchan had to act as if she was hitting him but she actually did, leaving him hurt.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: September 24, 2025 05:11 PM IST

4 min read

Jaya Bachchan worked with Nirahua in Ganga Devi.

Amitabh Bachchan, often hailed as the Shehanshah of Bollywood and the face of the “angry young man” era with iconic films like Zanjeer, Deewar, and Trishul, has also dabbled in Bhojpuri cinema. One such outing was the 2012 film Ganga Devi, where he starred alongside his wife, Jaya Bachchan. The film also featured Bhojpuri superstar Dinesh Lal Yadav, popularly known as Nirahua, in the lead role.

Recalling his experience of working with the legendary couple, Nirahua shared that while Amitabh Bachchan treated him with warmth and humour on set, Jaya Bachchan once ended up beating him with a stick—quite literally.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Nirahua said, “I was blank when I heard I would be sharing the screen with them. For me, they are like god. The moment I saw them in front of me, I didn’t know how to react. But Amitabh Bachchan is such a great man. He instantly sensed my nervousness and started cracking jokes to make me feel comfortable. He would laugh, talk about my songs, and lighten up the atmosphere.”

Nirahua also recalled one memorable exchange with Big B. “Amit ji once told me, ‘The way you’re singing in your songs, you want to be a politician. I too told my father once that I wanted to enter politics. He advised me against it, but I didn’t listen. That turned out to be the biggest blunder of my life. Now, I am telling you—don’t do it!’ He would say such things to ease the environment. For me, it was truly a dream come true to work with him.”

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However, the Bhojpuri star’s experience with Jaya Bachchan was quite different. Narrating a funny incident, Nirahua said, “There was a scene where I had to slap my on-screen wife, and Jaya ji, playing my mother, had to scold me and beat me with a stick. But instead of pretending, she actually hit me. And she hit me hard! She is very short-tempered.”

He added with a laugh, “She beat me up a couple of times, and I told her, ‘You’re hitting me for real!’ She replied, ‘Then why did you beat up my daughter-in-law?’ I said, ‘That was just acting, but you really hit me!’”

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When the interviewer asked if she had actually hurt him, Nirahua admitted, “Maybe it was accidental, but I was really hurt. Still, I considered it as prasad (a blessing). After all, how many people have received the opportunity of working with both Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan together?”

Gangadevi was a film made by Amitabh Bachchan’s make-up man Deepak Sawant, who previously cast him in his 2006 film Ganga. The 2012 film marked Big B’s second film with wife Jaya Bachchan in the 2000s after the 2001 film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

Taking to his daily blog, Big B wrote: “Tomorrow I shoot for my make-up man’s production of his Bhojpuri film. Jaya and I together for a day’s work. Deepak my man has been with me for 35 years,and never once missed a day of not being with me on set. He first started with a BR film and then remained with me since. This is the least that I can do for looking after my face for so long!!”

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