Published : 11 Oct 2026, 01:02 PM
Updated : 11 Oct 2026, 01:02 PM
Jaya Bachchan has recalled the early years of her relationship with Amitabh Bachchan, describing the actor as an “introverted and hypersensitive” man who was not an “easy boyfriend”.
Jaya, then Jaya Bhaduri, first saw Amitabh while she was a student at the Film and Television Institute of India, or FTII, in Pune. They later met on the set of Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s “Guddi”, years before they became one of Hindi cinema’s most prominent couples, The Indian Express writes.
Speaking to Bhawana Somaaya for her 1999 book “Amitabh Bachchan: The Legend”, Jaya recalled being puzzled by Amitabh when they met on the “Guddi” set.
“I thought to myself, ‘What a strange man… How can he stare at people like that?’” she said.
Jaya later realised that Amitabh would stare at people unconsciously, without understanding that his manner could intimidate them.
He was initially slated to act alongside her and she said she was “secretly pleased” when she learnt that he had been cast in the film. Director Hrishikesh Mukherjee eventually dropped Amitabh because he wanted a new face for the role. Amitabh had already appeared in “Saat Hindustani” by then.
Jaya Saw ‘Danger’
Looking back on the beginning of their relationship in an interview with Simi Garewal, Jaya said: “When I first met him, I saw danger.”
She explained that Amitabh was the only person among those she knew who could exercise a certain authority over her.
“I got frightened because he was the only one who, out of a lot of people that I’ve known, could dictate things to me and I allowed him to do that,” she said.
Jaya clarified that Amitabh did not actually order her around. Even if he said something mildly, however, she would often do it because she wanted to please him — something she said did not come naturally to her.
Before Amitabh left “Guddi”, the two had begun spending time together, usually as part of a group. Both were living alone in Bombay, now Mumbai, and Jaya gradually sensed that their relationship was becoming more than friendship.
But Amitabh remained reserved about his feelings.
“I could see clearly that he enjoyed my company, but beyond that there was no proof of his fondness for me. He was too refined and reserved to ask me openly,” Jaya told Somaaya.
On one occasion, Amitabh drove for around five hours from Mumbai to Pune to attend Jaya’s FTII convocation, a gesture that left her “extremely touched”.
He would also give her Kanjeevaram saris, believing they suited her. Jaya later recalled that many were white with purple borders, although she felt purple was not her colour. Some of the saris later appeared in their 1973 film “Abhimaan”.
‘Not an Easy Boyfriend’
Their relationship became more serious while they were working on the 1972 film “Ek Nazar”. Jaya recalled that the couple had a major argument in Pune, but resolving the dispute brought them closer.
Amitabh would often tell her, “I care for you, do you?” But Jaya said he would make such remarks casually or jokingly rather than openly declaring his feelings.
“He never ever officially proposed to me. Until the very end, I was unsure of what he thought of me,” she said.
The two did not date in the conventional sense, according to Jaya, but both understood that they were together.
She described Amitabh as “introverted and hypersensitive” and said he “wasn’t an easy boyfriend”. By then, however, she felt she knew him well enough to deal with his reserved nature.
Amitabh and Jaya married in 1973. More than five decades later, they remain one of Bollywood’s longest-standing celebrity couples.
