Jaya Bachchan


Jaya Bachchan is an Indian film actress and politician. She is currently the Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party, notably serving four terms since 2004. She is recognised as one of the finest Hindi film actresses of her time, particularly known for reinforcing a naturalistic style of acting in both mainstream and "middle-of-the-road" cinema. During her career, she won nine Filmfare Awards: including three for Best Actress and three for Best Supporting Actress, which makes her the overall most-awarded performer in the female acting categories, along with Rani Mukerji. She was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. In 1992, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Making her film debut as a teenager in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar, Bachchan's first screen role as an adult was in Guddi, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, with whom she collaborated in several films thereafter. She was noted for her refreshing performances in all her films, including Uphaar, Koshish and Kora Kagaz, among others. She starred alongside her husband Amitabh Bachchan in several films including Zanjeer, Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, Mili and Sholay.
Following her marriage to actor Amitabh Bachchan and the birth of their children, she restricted her work in films, making an exception only for Silsila. After a 17-year sabbatical, she returned to acting with Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa in 1998. Since then, she has appeared in films like Fiza, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... and Kal Ho Naa Ho, all which garnered her critical acclaim and awards.

Career

Jaya Bachchan is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India. She first starred in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film, Mahanagar at the age of 15, with Anil Chatterjee and Madhabi Mukherjee.She then appeared in two more Bengali films: a 13-minute short Suman, and the comedy Dhanyee Meye, where she played the role of Uttam Kumar's sister-in-law.
Inspired by her experience with Ray, she joined the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and graduated with the Gold Medal. Hrishikesh Mukherjee cast her to play the eponymous role of Guddi, a petite school girl obsessed with film star Dharmendra. Guddi was a commercial success, and created the girl-next-door image for her, which she was often associated with through the rest of her career. While she did venture out to play glamorous roles as in Jawani Diwani, and a semi-negative character of an amnesia-faking heroine in Anamika, she was most recogniszed for her roles epitomising middle-class sensibility, which she played amiably in films of "middle-cinema" directors such as Gulzar, Basu Chatterjee and indeed Hrishikesh Mukherjee. These films include Uphaar, Piya Ka Ghar, Parichay, Koshish and Bawarchi. They also made her a popular star.
In Gulzar's Koshish, Bhaduri and Sanjeev Kumar played a deaf couple who struggle through their difficulties as handicapped people. She described the film as "a learning experience" which motivated her to do social work in future.
She first acted with Amitabh Bachchan in Bansi Birju, followed by B.R. Ishara's Ek Nazar also in the same year. When Amitabh had faced a string of flops and most lead heroines refused to work with him in the Salim-Javed scripted Zanjeer, she agreed to step in. The film turned out to be a big hit creating Amitabh Bachchan's angry-young-man image. All theri successive films as a pair were hits - Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, Sholay and Mili.
Her daughter Shweta was born around the time Jaya and Amitabh were working on Sholay. Following this, she retired from films and focused on raising her children, making an exception for Silsila, once again opposite her husband. During the late 1980s, she wrote the story for Shahenshah, which starred her husband in the lead.
After a gap of 18 years, she returned to acting with Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa, a film about the Naxalite movement. In 2000, she starred in Fiza for which she received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her work. She also starred in Karan Johar's family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... with her husband. She then starred in Karan Johar's next film, Kal Ho Naa Ho playing Preity Zinta's mother, Jennifer Kapur, for which she again received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She starred with her son Abhishek in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Drona.
In 2011, she appeared in the Bangladeshi film Meherjaan starring with Victor Banerjee and Humayun Faridi. The film is based on a Bangladesh-Pakistan love story in the backdrop of the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities.

Political career

Bachchan was first elected in 2004 as the Member of Parliament from the Samajwadi Party, representing Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha till March 2006. She got a second term from June 2006 till July 2010 and in February 2010 she stated her intent to complete her term. She was re-elected in 2012 for the third term and again in 2018 for her fourth term in the Rajya Sabha from Samajwadi Party.

Controversies

Bachchan's speech during the musical launch of the film Drona in the second half of 2008 was criticised by some sections of politicians in Maharashtra. In response to the film's director, Goldie Behl, making his introductory speech in English, she said in Hindi, "Hum UP ke log hain, isliye Hindi mein baat karenge, Maharashtra ke log maaf kijiye". Subsequently, she encouraged actress Priyanka Chopra to speak in Hindi. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray commented that she had no business referring to all the people of Maharashtra in her statement. He threatened to ban all Bachchan films unless she apologised in a public forum for hurting the sentiments of Maharashtrians. MNS workers began to attack theatres screening The Last Lear, which starred her husband. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also criticised her statement, "After making all your success and fortune in Mumbai, if you feel like saying that we are from UP, it's very unfortunate". Amitabh Bachchan tendered an apology for her statement on her behalf.

Personal life

She was born to Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, a famous author and poet.
TK Bhaduri wrote a famous book Obhishopto Chambol, an account of his experiences as a journalist/writer in the area. This book provided the raw material and inspiration to almost all dacoit-related films made by the Hindi film industry in India. She completed her schooling from a Missionary School, St. Joseph's Convent, Bhopal.
, son Abhishek Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwariya Rai|249x249px
On 3 June 1973 she married Amitabh Bachchan. The couple has two children: Shweta Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, who is also an actor. Shweta is married to industrialist Nikhil Nanda, grandson of the Kapoor family in Delhi, and has two children, Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda, while Abhishek Bachchan is married to actress Aishwarya Rai, and has a daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan.

Awards and recognition

Civilian Award
Filmfare Awards
Winner
Nominated
International Indian Film Academy Awards
Winner
Other Film Awards
Winner
Honours & Recognitions
YearFilmCostarOther notes
1963Mahanagar-Bengali film
1971GuddiSamit BhanjaNominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
1971Dhanyee Meye-Bengali film
1971UphaarSwaroop DuttNominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
1971JananiUnknownBengali film
1972Jawani DiwaniRandhir Kapoor
1972BawarchiRajesh Khanna
1972ParichayJeetendra
1972Bansi BirjuAmitabh Bachchan
1972Piya Ka GharAnil Dhawan
1972AnnadataAnil Dhawan
1972Ek NazarAmitabh Bachchan
1972SamadhiDharmendra
1972KoshishSanjeev KumarNominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
1972ShorManoj Kumar
1972Jai Jawan Jai MakanUnknown
1973Gaai Aur GoriShatrughan Sinha
1973AnamikaSanjeev Kumar
1973PhagunVijay Arora
1973ZanjeerAmitabh Bachchan
1973AbhimaanAmitabh BachchanFilmfare Best Actress Award
1974AahatVinod Mehra
1974Dil DiwanaRandhir Kapoor
1974Kora KagazVijay AnandFilmfare Best Actress Award
1974Naya Din Nai RaatSanjeev Kumar
1974Doosri SitaRomesh Sharma
1975MiliAmitabh BachchanNominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
1975Chupke ChupkeAmitabh Bachchan
1975SholayAmitabh Bachchan
1977Abhi To Jee LeinDannyUnreleased
1978Ek Baap Chhe BeteGuest
1979NaukerSanjeev KumarFilmfare Best Actress Award
1981SilsilaAmitabh Bachchan & Shashi KapoorNominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
1995AkkaAmitabh BachchanMarathi Film
1998Hazaar Chaurasi Ki MaaAnupam Kher
2000Fiza-Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2001Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...Amitabh BachchanFilmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2002Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe-
2002Desh-Bengali film
2003Kal Ho Naa Ho-Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2007Laaga Chunari Mein DaagAnupam Kher
2008Lovesongs:Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow-
2008Drona-
2010Aap Ke Liye Hum-
2011MeherjaanHumayun FaridaBengali, Bangladeshi film
2013Sunglass / -Naseeruddin ShahBengali / Hindi
2016Ki & KaAmitabh BachchanHindi