Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan are one of the legendary couples in the Bollywood. The couple who tied the knot on June 3, 1973, complete 51 years of togetherness today. While they are often seen talking about each other with immense respect and love, there have been times when Jaya Bachchan, who is known for being vocal, has fought for her husband with legends like Rajesh Khanna and Manoj Kumar.
Manoj Kumar starrer Roti Kapda Aur Makaan released in theatres in 1974. The film also starred Shashi Kapoor, Zeenat Aman and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles. Bachchan, who faced a spate of flops early in his career had already delivered a hit in Zanjeer (1973) and was on his way to become the behemoth whose popularity would span over decades and generations. Despite this, Amitabh had relatively less screen time compared to Manoj Kumar, who played the role of Bharat, while the former played the role of his brother Vijay.
Upon the film’s release, Jaya Bachchan, who had just married Amitabh Bachchan a year ago expressed her unhappiness with the screen time that was given to her husband in the Manoj Kumar directorial film, who also was the writer and producer of the action drama.
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After making his debut with the 1969 film Saat Hindustani, Bachchan was still awaiting his first big hit. Five years later, the actor was approached by Manoj Kumar to play a crucial role in his film Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. However, he was cast as a supporting actor along with actors like Premnath, Dheeraj Kumar and Madan, and not the lead star.
This didn’t go down well with Jaya Bachchan. According to an IMDb report, the actress in a media interaction claimed that Manoj Kumar wasted Amitabh Bachchan’s talent in the film. She accused Manoj Kumar of giving less screen time to Amitabh on purpose.
The film was one of the highest-grossing film of the year. It is also regarded as one of the biggest blockbuster films of Manoj Kumar. Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, made on a budget of Rs 1.28 crore, reportedly earned Rs 7.50 at the box office.
Much before this, in 1972, Jaya had taken a stand for her then boyfriend Amitabh Bachchan against Rajesh Khanna. It was during the shoot of Bawarchi when Khanna reportedly scolded Amitabh Bachchan for coming on sets to meet his co-star. Amitabh’s films were not working and Rajesh, the top star of the time, believed Big B had no future of the industry. He also asked Jaya to stay away from him. An angry Jaya had retaliated that Amitabh will one day rule the industry. The words were apocryphal.
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