Jaya Bachchan’s inspiring journey from FTII to Bollywood star, Samajwadi MP

New Delhi, April 9 (IANS) Jaya Bachchan, renowned for her work in Indian cinema and politics, is celebrating her 76th birthday on Tuesday.

Born as Jaya Bhaduri in a Bengali family, Jaya’s father, Tarun Kumar Bhaduri, was a well-known journalist and a poet.

After completing her education, Jaya attended the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, where she honed her acting skills.

She made her acting debut as a teenager in 1963 with the Bengali film ‘Mahanagar’ directed by Satyajit Ray. The film starred Madhabi Mukherjee in the leading role.

Jaya then transitioned to Hindi cinema and quickly gained prominence with her versatile performances in films like Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s directorial ‘Guddi’, and ‘Anamika’.

The 1971 movie ‘Guddi’ featured Jaya as a petite schoolgirl who is obsessed with actor Dharmendra. The film had created the girl-next-door image for her.

Movies like ‘Uphaar’, ‘Piya Ka Ghar’, ‘Parichay’ and ‘Bawarchi’ made her a superstar.

In 1973, she married Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, becoming one of the most celebrated couples in Indian cinema.

Jaya first acted with Big B in the 1972 romantic drama ‘Bansi Birju’. She took up the part of ‘Mala’ in the 1973 action crime film ‘Zanjeer’, after many lead heroines refused to work alongside Amitabh due to his series of flops.

The film turned out to be a big hit, creating Big B’s angry-young-man image. The two have then worked together in films like ‘Sholay’, ‘Chupke Chupke’, ‘Mili’, ‘Abhimaan’, and ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, among others.

Her daughter, Shweta, was born around the time Jaya and Amitabh were working on Ramesh Sippy’s directorial ‘Sholay’.

Following this, she focused on raising her children — Shweta and actor Abhishek Bachchan.

She is the mother-in-law of actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. Abhishek and Aishwarya got married in April 2007. They have a daughter, Aaradhya.

Jaya’s daughter Shweta is married to businessman Nikhil Nanda, who is the son of actor Raj Kapoor’s daughter Ritu Nanda. The couple has two children — daughter Navya and son Agastya.

Agastya has recently made his acting debut with the teen drama ‘The Archies’.

Jaya then starred in Yash Chopra’s 1981 romantic drama ‘Silsila’, alongside her husband. She also wrote the story for the 1988 vigilante action film ‘Shahenshah’, starring Big B.

After a gap of 17 years, Jaya returned to acting with Govind Nihalani’s 1998 ‘Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa’, which revolved around the Naxalite movement.

In 2011, she appeared in the Bangladeshi film ‘Meherjaan’ starring Victor Banerjee and Humayun Faridi. The film is based on a Bangladesh-Pakistan love story set against the backdrop of the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities.

Despite her successful acting career, Jaya’s interests expanded beyond the silver screen. In 2004, she entered politics and became MP in the Rajya Sabha, representing the Samajwadi Party.

Throughout her tenure, she has been a vocal advocate for various social causes, including women’s rights and the welfare of artists and performers. She has been elected five times as a Rajya Sabha MP.

Jaya was last seen as Dhanalakshmi Randhawa in Karan Johar’s romantic comedy ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. The movie stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles.

–IANS

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