Superstar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Jaya Bachchan’s wedding on June 3, 1973, was a closely guarded secret. Their intimate ceremony in Mumbai was so private that even their neighbors were unaware of the event. The wedding, held at a friend’s apartment in the Skylark building in Malabar Hills, was attended by just a handful of guests, including Amitabh’s father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and political leader Sanjay Gandhi.
In his autobiography In the Afternoon of Time: An Autobiography, Harivansh Rai Bachchan revealed that Jaya’s father was deeply unhappy about the union. According to Harivansh Rai, Jaya’s father expressed his discontent, saying, ‘My family is utterly ruined,’ shortly after the wedding.
The ceremony was conducted with minimal fanfare, featuring only five baraatis. Harivansh Rai recounted that Jaya’s family, apart from Jaya herself, did not show much enthusiasm. The wedding included traditional Bengali customs, but there was little pleasure from Jaya’s family. Amitabh’s Haldi ceremony, usually a vibrant event, was subdued, and the joy was barely contained.
Harivansh Rai Bachchan recalled explaining the long decorative light strings to neighbors as preparations for Amitabh’s film shoot, rather than the wedding. After the ceremony, the small group of baraatis had dinner and departed, leaving the remaining rituals to be completed by both families.
Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan have since celebrated 51 years of marriage. They have two children: Shweta Bachchan, who is married to Nikhil Nanda and has two children, Agastya and Navya Naveli Nanda, and Abhishek Bachchan, who is married to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and has a daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan.
