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MUMBAI: Bollywood super star Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan married on June 3 in 1973.
The two married in the year in which Amitabh’s film Zanjeer established him as the angry young man of India.
Before their marriage when Amitabh was a struggling actor, Jaya was already an established star in Bollywood.
Amitabh told Simi Garewal on her show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal that he first saw Jaya on the cover of a magazine and was attracted to her. He said he was mesmerized by her eyes and thought she was the best mix of modernity and tradition.
But it was not love at first sight, according to Jaya.
She said in an interview that she had seen Amitabh at the Film and Television Institute in Pune, but they first met on the sets of their film `Guddi’ and their proximity started.
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But it was during the shooting of their film Ek Nazar in 1972 when Amitabh tried to woo the successful Jaya.
In fact, the then super star Rajesh Khanna, who was a very good friend of Jaya, didn’t want her to get too close with Amitabh.
So when did Amitabh propose to Jaya?
He revealed on `Kaun Banega Crorepati’ that he had wished that if his 1973 film Zanjeer becomes a hit, he will vacation in London with Jaya.
The film was super hit, but his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan said that he could go with Jaya only if the two got married first.
It was then when Amitabh proposed to Jaya and she said `yes.’ And their hush-hush wedding was held on June 3, 1973.
Amitabh and Jaya were seen together on the big screen in films such as Chupke Chupke, Abhimaan, Silsila and Sholay. Jaya was pregnant with Abhishek during the shooting of Sholay and the whole cast had to take care of her.
Once Abhishek was born, Jaya quit showbiz. She later said that it was her own decision and she didn’t consult Amitabh about it.
The couple made a special appearance together in the recent film ‘Ki and Ka’.
