Mumbai, October 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Veteran actress Jaya Bachchan once revealed that her decision to step away from acting after marrying Amitabh Bachchan was driven by family responsibilities and her desire to ensure that one parent was always available for their children.
During an appearance on the second season of filmmaker Karan Johar’s chat show Koffee With Karan in 2007, Jaya was asked why she had chosen to take a break from acting despite enjoying a successful career.
Recalling her conversation with Amitabh, she said he had told her that he did not want a “9-to-5 wife”. As his professional commitments grew, Jaya felt that one of them needed to be present for their children.
“He said that I don’t want a 9-5 wife. What happened was that he got so busy…that I said one parent has to be there with the children,” she recalled.
Jaya also shared an emotional memory involving her daughter, Shweta Bachchan, which reinforced her decision.
“I remember Shweta once telling me that when I was getting ready to go for a shoot, she said… ‘Where are you going? Don’t go… let papa go… You don’t go’. It was terrible,” she said.
Jaya made her acting debut in 1971 with Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Guddi, in which she played a schoolgirl infatuated with film star Dharmendra, who appeared as himself.
She subsequently established herself as one of Hindi cinema’s acclaimed performers with roles in films such as Uphaar (1971), Koshish (1972), Zanjeer (1973), Abhimaan (1973), Kora Kagaz (1974), Chupke Chupke (1975), Mili (1975), Sholay (1975) and Silsila (1981).
Jaya married Amitabh Bachchan in 1973 and took a 17-year break from films, devoting her time to her family. She returned to the big screen in 1998 with Govind Nihalani’s critically acclaimed film Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa.
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