Once, in an interview, Jaya Bachchan talked about her and Amitabh Bachchan's celebrity status and revealed how she tried to give her kids as much normal childhood as possible.
Jaya Bachchan got married to Amitabh Bachchan in 1973 in a simple and intimate ceremony. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, Shweta, in 1974, followed by their son, Abhishek Bachchan, in 1976. Jaya decided to put her acting career on hold and shifted her focus entirely to raising her children, Shweta and Abhishek. Though Jaya and Amitabh are huge Bollywood stars, they ensured that their kids had a normal childhood away from the media glares.
In an interview with veteran journalist, Subhash K Jha, Jaya Bachchan spoke about how she never bothered about her children, Abhishek and Shweta's exam results. Reflecting on her childhood, Jaya revealed how she also scored red marks in school, but her father was always very happy that her conduct was always impeccable. She shared that she wants her kids to be kind and compassionate and said:
“When they were growing up, I always told my children it didn’t matter how they did in their exams. It’s what they made of themselves as human beings that mattered. I remember when I was a child, there were always a lot of red marks on the report card in some subjects. But the conduct column was always very good. That made my father very happy.”
Jaya also shared that as a mother, she tried to inculcate strong values in her kids, which she inherited from her parents. She revealed that though she always cherished her own career, she loved being a hands-on and loving mother to Abhishek and Shweta. Speaking about how she gave her children a normal childhood, the veteran actress added:
“My children and my brother-in-law’s children grew up together. They played and ate together, and went to the same school. They had a normal life. They knew their parents were celebrities… we didn’t hide it from them. But they didn’t know what that celebrity entailed. They were aware that there was a public interest in them when they went out. But we made sure they grew up with the celebrity status being a normal state of being. We never had to explain their identity to them.”
Jaya further shed light on her and Amitabh Bachchan's celebrity status and mentioned that they were honoured to be such big stars with a huge fanbase. However, she said that they always ensured that their children didn't denigrate their status. Jaya Bachchan said:
“Amit and I have been honoured, but never dazzled by our celebrity. As a couple, we’ve ensured that our children don’t compromise or denigrate it.”
Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan tied the knot at a friend's apartment in a hush-hush wedding ceremony in 1973 after dating for some time. In a conversation with her granddaughter, Navya Naveli Nanda, during her podcast, What The Hell Navya, Jaya revealed that before their marriage, Amitabh had imposed a condition that Jaya would reduce her work hours as he didn't want a wife who was working 9 to 5. Sharing the anecdote, Jaya said:
"We had decided we will marry in October because by then my work would have reduced. But he had told me, 'I definitely don’t want a wife who will be 9 to 5. Please work, but not every day. You choose your projects and work with the right people'."
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