Mumbai: Iconic Bollywood actress Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan, known for her epic depiction of pivotal characters in a clutch of evergreen movies like Mili, Guddi and Sholay, turns 78 on Wednesday.
Regarded as one of the doyens of naturalistic acting in Indian films, Jaya Bachchan has mesmerised the audience during her limited silver screen appearances with her spontaneity, sweet smile, and ability to pull off varied meaningful roles.
Equally adept in mainstream productions and arthouse cinema, Bengali girl Jaya is a product of the famous Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.
Born on April 9, 1948, as Jaya Bhaduri, daughter of famous journalist-poet Tarun Kumar Bhaduri and his wife Indira Bhaduri in Jabalpur (now in Madhya Pradesh), she hit the big screen at the age of 15 in auteur Satyajit Ray’s cult film ‘Mahanagar’ (1963).
In 1971 she portrayed the character of Bengali matinee idol Uttam Kumar's tomboyish daughter-in-law in the blockbuster comedy Dhanyi Meye, which catapulted her to instant stardom.
Her debut in Bollywood happened in 1971, when Jaya essayed the title role in the superhit Guddi, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. She played a schoolgirl having a crush on Dharmendra, who plays himself. The film also featured her future husband and Bollywood's living legend, Amitabh Bachchan, in a cameo role.
This was followed by her spectacular performances in other big hits like Uphaar, Jawani Diwani, Anamika, Abhimaan, Bawarchi, and ‘Zanjeer’, just to name a few.
Her portrayal of a child bride maturing from innocence to sexual awareness in Uphaar, a simple village girl, outsinging her husband and paying dearly for it in Abhimaan are still fresh in the memory of film lovers.
1975 was the year that established Jaya Bachchan as an icon, as she starred in megahits like Sholay, Chupke Chupke, and Mili. Jaya's sensitive and low-key portrayal of a rather silent young widow in Sholay, contrasted with her projection of an effervescent but ailing girl in Mili, brings out the range of her acting ability.
Following a spree of commercial hits, she won her third Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1979 film ‘Nauker’. She quit acting in 1981 with ‘Silsila’, which became yet another blockbuster.
Deciding to focus more on her family and her marriage, she didn’t act for years, though she did write the script for husband Amitabh Bachchan’s 1988 film ‘Shahenshah’, which became a massive critical and commercial success.
After a gap of 14 years, she returned to the big screen in the Marathi film Akka, following which she starred in the highly acclaimed 1998 Hindi film Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa, based on a novel by Mahasweta Devi.
After the blockbuster Fiza in 2000, where Jaya Bachchan starred alongside Hritik Roshan, she again hit the critical and commercial jackpot in 2001 by acting in what has now become a modern-day Bollywood classic ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, directed by Karan Johar. She continued acting and starred in the Bengali film ‘Desh’ (2002), and the 2003 Hindi superhit movie ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’.
In 2004 she entered the political scene after being elected as an MP for the Samajwadi Party, representing Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha till March 2006, when she was disqualified for holding an office of profit.
She got a second stint from June 2006 till July 2010, and was re-elected in 2012 for a third term and again in 2018 to serve her fourth term in the Rajya Sabha from Samajwadi Party. After winning the election last year, Jaya Bachchan is now serving her fifth innings as Rajya Sabha member.
Known as a gutsy, no-nonsense woman in real life, Jaya Bachchan has often been seen losing her temper in public, mainly with the media and paparazzi. "No one can make me do what I don’t want to," she said once, aptly summarising her strong personality.