Jaya Bachchan reveals she saw 'danger', got 'frightened' after first meeting with Amitabh Bachchan because 'he was only one who...'

In the the early 1970s, the Hindi film industry was going through a transformation period as a young Amitabh Bachchan was slowly but surely, gaining superstar status, leaving even Bollywood's first superstar Rajesh Khanna behind. When Amitabh Bachchan was trying to find his footing in the industry, he also gave way to one of the industry's most popular love stories, just by looking at a photograph of a girl in a magazine ad.

Amitabh Bachchan was mesmerised by the girl he saw in the magazine ad, but little did he know that it was none other than his to-be wife Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan). Amitabh Bachchan was so fascinated by Jaya Bachchan's beauty that he wanted to get to know her. Soon, the two got a chance to work together in Guddi. 

Guddi marked Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan's first meet and the rest, as they say, is history! Amitabh Bachchan, in a throwback interview, once said, "I enquired about her, and they gave me a lowdown on her. It came to pass that Hrishi da (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) had cast her for Guddi. It kind of got me excited about the prospect of working with her because she came with huge credentials. I went on the set (of Guddi) and that’s when I met her for the first time."

In the same interview, Amitabh Bachchan also recalled how he was especially impressed with Jaya Bachchan's eyes. "When I saw her photograph, I liked her eyes. I saw that traditional-conservative blend that I thought I would be searching for in my future wife. When I met her, I realised that along with that came several other Guddis, the pun is unintended! (laughs) I said fine, this is it," he said. 

Years later when Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan appeared together in Simi Garewal's show, she narrated her side of the story of her first encounter with Amitabh Bachchan.

Jaya Bachchan said, "When I first met him, I saw danger. I got frightened because he was the only one who, out of a lot of people that I’ve known, could dictate things to me, and I allowed him to do that."

Jaya Bachchan further added, "It’s not like he would dictate things to me, it’s just that even if he said something to me mildly, I’d do them. I’d want to please him. That’s something that does not come to me easily and naturally, to want to please people."

Today, after more than 51 years of marriage, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan continue to be one of the most loved and respected couples in the film industry. 

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