When Harivansh Rai Bachchan went to ‘congratulate’ Jaya Bachchan’s father after her wedding with Amitabh Bachchan- but he replied, ‘my family is utterly ruined’

Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan’s wedding is one of Bollywood’s most famous love stories. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Before they tied the knot on 3 June 1973, Jaya’s father was strongly against the marriage. In fact, he told Big B’s father that his family was ‘ruined’ because of it. Here’s how their journey to marriage unfolded despite family opposition.

A harsh reaction to the wedding

Harivansh Rai Bachchan, Amitabh’s father and a famous poet, shared a shocking moment from the wedding day in his autobiography In the Afternoon of Time. As quoted by News 18, he said, “Before we left, I embraced the father of my new daughter-in-law and congratulated him on getting a son-in-law like Amit, expecting him to say the same in respect of Jaya. But he said, ‘My family is utterly ruined.’”

Strict rules before marriage

Even before the wedding, there were clear limits set by Amitabh’s father. Earlier Jaya spoke about this on the podcast What The Hell Navya. She said, “He called me and said, ‘My parents are saying you can’t go for a holiday with Jaya. If you want to go for a holiday with her, you marry her.’ We were planning to get married in October, but we preponed it to June.”

Amitabh’s support for Jaya’s work

Despite the old-fashioned rules, Amitabh encouraged Jaya to continue her acting career. She said, “I definitely don’t want a wife who will be 9-5. Please work. You must work but not every day.” He wanted Jaya to follow her passion but also balance her work and personal life.

Jaya’s father’s dreams for her

Jaya also further revealed why her father was so against the marriage. He believed that marriage should not be the only goal for his daughters. She quoted him saying, “I have not brought you into this world to just educate yourself, get married and settle down and have children. I want you all to do something in life.”

A marriage that stood the test of time

More than 52 years later, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan remain one of Bollywood’s strongest couples. They have two children, Shweta and Abhishek Bachchan, and their marriage is admired for its love and resilience. Today, they are also doting grandparents to Shweta’s children, Agastya Nanda and Navya Nanda, and Abhishek’s daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan.
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