Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan recently opened up about his wedding with actress-politician Jaya Bachchan during an episode of Who will become a Crorepati 18recalling how the couple decided to get married almost spontaneously.
During the conversation, contestant Aheli Roy from Kolkata asked Amitabh how he managed to convince his mother-in-law and win over Jaya’s family before their wedding.
Amitabh revealed that he and Jaya did not go through an elaborate process of seeking approval from their families. Instead, they simply decided one day that they should get married.
He recalled that he told Jaya, “We didn't tell him anything. We just told Jaya that one day we should get married. So he said, we should do it and that's it.”
He said they did not initially speak to either family about the decision. Jaya later went and informed her parents, although Amitabh joked that he still does not know exactly what she told them.
“I didn't even talk to anyone. After the marriage, Jaya ji must have told her parents. I don't even think what she would have told them, but they went to the world and they did. Then we talked for a while and got married the next day,” he said.
Amitabh also contrasted their simple wedding with the elaborate planning that often goes into weddings today. He joked about the numerous preparations involving dates, clothes, venues and celebrations.
“Sach bolun toh aisa hi hona chahiye, hai na?” he said, adding that they simply accepted that Jaya was his wife and did not feel the need for elaborate arrangements.
Amitabh and Jaya got married on June 3, 1973. Their relationship developed after they worked together in films, including Zanjeer, Abhimaan, shut up shut up, Mili and Sholay.
Their decision to marry came after the success of Zanjeerwhen the couple had planned a trip to London with friends. Amitabh has previously recalled that his father, poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, told him that if he wanted to travel with Jaya, they should get married first.
Jaya later revealed that they had initially planned to marry in October but moved the wedding forward. The couple eventually tied the knot just days before their planned London trip.
Amitabh and Jaya went on to build a family together and are parents to daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda and son Abhishek Bachchan.