Jaya Bachchan would send letters in Amitabh Bachchan’s tiffix box, he was ‘grateful’ when she gave up her career for kids, says veteran journalist

Amitabh Bachchan, in a conversation with Balasaheb Thackeray, once acknowledged the significant contribution Jaya Bachchan made to their martial life.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | September 13, 2025 10:31 AM IST

3 min read

Amitabh Bachchan married Jaya Bachchan in 1973.

Jaya Bachchan sacrificed her flourishing acting career at the altar of her marriage to Amitabh Bachchan. (Photo: Express Archives)

Much has been written over the years about the marriage of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, and about the actor’s alleged relationship with actress Rekha that followed. But less is said about Jaya Bachchan’s remarkable career and the personal sacrifices she made at the peak of her success. Jaya and Amitabh have both said that he never asked her to walk away from films, but she did so after they had children. It was in the same phase that Amitabh’s career was taking off, but Jaya held the fort on the home front.

In a recent interview with the Hindi Rush podcast, veteran journalist Pooja Samant opened up about a poignant moment she recalled from years ago, when Amitabh Bachchan, acknowledged the profound contribution Jaya made to his life and career. “During the conversation, Amit ji said, ‘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,’” Samant recalled.

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Amitabh had also reflected on how the couple managed to stay connected in an era before mobile phones. Pooja recalled, “He said, ‘Whenever something important came up, Jaya would write a note and place it in my tiffin. She’d write things like, ‘Please come early if you can, Abhishek isn’t feeling well,’ or ‘You have to go to his school.’” Samant emphasized, “Amit ji is very grateful to Jaya. And mind you, Jaya is a phenomenal actress. Had she continued working consistently, she would have reached even greater heights. Not that she isn’t known today, of course, she is, but she chose to focus on her family and children. She made things easier for Amitabh so that he could give his all to his career.”

Jaya Bachchan married Amitabh Bachchan in 1973. They welcomed daughter Jaya in 1974, and son Abhishek in 1976. Soon after, Jaya stepped back from acting to raise their children, making only rare exceptions, most notably for Yash Chopra’s Silsila (1981), which starred Amitabh, Jaya, and Rekha, explored the emotional terrain of extramarital love and betrayal, mirroring, in many ways, the public speculation surrounding the trio at the time.

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