Jaya Bachchan once revealed why producers stopped approaching her for films after marriage: 'How could they go to Amitabh Bachchan’s...'

Actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan is celebrating her 77th birthday today, April 9. The legendary actress has always been a superstar, ever since she joined the film industry; however, Jaya Bachchan's career has also been marked by many breaks. Jaya Bachchan, who will be next seen in Vikas Bahl's Dil Ka Darwaaza Khol Na Darling with Wamiqa Gabbi and Siddhant Chaturvedi, took a similar break from her acting career in the 1980s and 1990s to focus on her family. In a throwback interview, Jaya Bachchan also once confessed why she thought producers didn't feel they could approach her for work.

During an interview with The Tribune in August 1998, Jaya Bachchan was asked if her being Mrs Bachchan was why filmmakers hesitated to approach her. To this, the Guddi actress said, "Producers stopped coming. Maybe, they thought how could they go to Amitabh Bachchan’s house? It was not my fault. I always said that if I get a good role, I will work. Marriage did not hinder my artistic growth."

Jaya Bachchan further added, "It is, anyway, a hypothetical question. What kind of roles were being given to women? There was the parallel cinema where you had a Shabana [Azmi] and a Smita [Patil], what happened? Was there anything challenging that I missed?"

For the unversed, Jaya Bachchan made her acting debut in Satyajit Ray's 1963 Bengali film Mahanagar. She then entered Bollywood and went on to work in some of the most iconic films such as Guddi (1971), Uphaar (1971), Jawani Diwani (1972), Parichay (1972), Bawarchi (1972), Koshish (1972), and Anamika (1973).

Jaya Bachchan took a mini break from acting after the birth of her children, but made her grand return in the 1990s. She has worked in some big Bollywood films on and off since then. 

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