Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan sprung a surprise on her parents when they abruptly decided to tie the knot. The marriage ceremony was organised quickly at a friend’s apartment, and they had some difficulty in finding a priest to oversee it. The person they eventually found voiced his protest at the inter-caste union; Amitabh was a non-Bengali brahmin, while Jaya was a Bengali-brahmin. In a recent episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Amitabh opened up about his cultural background, and said that he finds it awkward to use the term ‘inter-caste’. He was speaking in the context of his parents, Harivanshrai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan’s union.
He was quoted as saying in a Hindustan Times report, ““I find it a little awkward to call it inter-caste. My father was from Uttar Pradesh, and my mother was from a Sikh family. I believe I am half-Sardar. When I was born, my masis (maternal aunts) would say, ‘Kinna sona putar hai, sadda Amitabh Singh (What a beautiful son, our Amitabh Singh).’”
Also read – Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bachchan’s wedding priest protested against their inter-caste marriage: ‘The whole affair was kept secret’
Jaya’s journalist father, Taroon Coomar Bhaduri, had recounted the story of Amitabh and Jaya’s marriage in a 1989 Illustrated Weekly of India piece. He recalled being summoned to Mumbai by Amitabh, and not immediately understanding why. His wife explained to him that Amitabh and Jaya had decided to tie the knot. The marriage was organised quickly, in complete secrecy. “There is no point now in going into the details of how the whole affair was kept secret and the marriage arranged in the flat of friends of our family, the Pandits, at Malabar Hill. But there is something more to it,” Jaya’s father wrote.
Amitabh Bachchan’s father-in-law and Jaya Bachchan’s father Taroon Bhaduri had spoken about how the couple’s wedding changed their lives. (Express Archive Photo)
Jaya’s father wrote that as an atheist, he was unconcerned about the marriage ceremony, but his wife wanted it to be conducted in accordance with Bengali traditions. Describing the priest’s protests, he wrote, “A Bengali marriage is usually a long-drawn-out but a highly interesting affair. The Bengali priest (who was located with great difficulty) at first protested against having to preside over a marriage between a Bengali brahmin (Jaya) and a non-Bengali non-brahmin (Amit). After a lot of hassles, this was sorted out. Amit went through all the rituals, offending no one, and the ceremony went on until early the next morning.”
Jaya and Amitabh tied the knot in 1973. They have two children, daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda, and son Abhishek Bachchan. They also have three grandchildren, Agastya and Navya Nanda, and Aaradhya Bachchan.
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