Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan worked together in the film, ‘Zanjeer’ before tying the knot. However, the actress was reluctant to work in the film due to its male-centric nature.

Amitabh Bachchan tied the knot with Jaya Bachchan in June 1973. The duo’s wedding took place a month after the release of their film, Zanjeer, which went on to become a blockbuster at the box office. The movie came at a time when Big B’s films were consistently failing at the box office. However, the legendary screenwriter duo, Salim-Javed saw his potential and recommended him for the role of ‘Inspector Vijay’ in Zanjeer, which changed the course of his career.

Jaya Bachchan revealed Dev Anand turned down Zanjeer

In the Angry Young Men documentary on Prime Video, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan discussed the pivotal role of Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar in Big B’s career. Speaking about it, Jaya revealed that director, Prakash Mehra was frustrated when Dev Anand turned down the film as he had concerns over the absence of songs. Jaya Bachchan recalled the incident and said:

“He was like, ‘I know this is a good story. I know this would make a difference.’ He got angry that he was rejected by so many people. He had to prove a point.”

Amitabh Bachchan recalls the moment when Salim-Javed narrated the film’s script to him

Reflecting on the difficult period of his life, Amitabh shared that when his films flopped at the box office, Salim and Javed showed trust in his work rather than being dismissive. Big B called it a huge moment when the duo visited him to narrate a script and said:

“At a stage when you have failed in many of the attempts you’ve made in the profession, you actually enjoy the fact that somebody is coming to narrate a script to you rather than being dismissive. Just the fact that Salim-Javed wished to come and see me for a narration was in itself a huge moment.”

Jaya Bachchan was reluctant to join Zanjeer

In the documentary, Jaya Bachchan also revealed that she was initially reluctant to join the cast of Zanjeer because the film was male-centric. However, she admitted that she was motivated by the chance to spend some time with her co-star, Amitabh Bachchan. In her words:

“I never wanted to be a part of male-centric cinema. Zanjeer was a male-centric film. They had tried a lot of other women actors, but they all refused. They said, ‘You can’t say no. We need you.’ So, I thought at least we’d get to spend some time together.”

Amitabh Bachchan didn’t want a 9-5 working wife

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’.”