Jaya Bachchan

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

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Posted: 18 years ago

Interview

I'm a strict mother: Jaya Bachchan

Terming herself a strict mother, veteran actress Jaya Bachchan confesses that the love and respect her children give her are "more important to me than any other kind of success in the world".

"Motherhood means everything to me," asserted Jaya, who gave up tinsel town after vintage hits like "Koshish" and "Guddi" and returned to the screen only after her children had grown up.

"I don't care what the world thinks as long as my children have faith in me. My children are more important to me than even my husband (Amitabh Bachchan)," Jaya told IANS in an interview.

Hoping she had passed on "decent values" to her children, the actress added: "The name, fame, glamour...it all vanishes. What survives is goodness."

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Most people see you as 'Mother No.1' in the film industry.

A: Motherhood means everything to me. My children are more important to me than even my husband.

Q: You gave up you career at its peak. Was it for marriage or motherhood?

A: Definitely motherhood. I come from ahomewhere my mother was always around. Just her presence gave me a lot of strength. I became the person that I am because of her. Mothers don't have to teach you anything. Instinctively, a child imbibes values and mannerisms from the mother. From the way you eat to the way you treat people, your mother's influence is always there, regardless of whether she exercises the influence or not.

Q: Are you a very strict mother?

A: Very. I'm an extremely strict mother. And it isn't because my children were susceptible to being spoilt. We never allowed that. We were in a joint family. My children and my bother-in-law's children grew up together. They played and ate together, went to the same school. They had a normal life. They knew their parents were celebrities - we didn't hide it from them. But they didn't know what that celebrity entailed.

They were aware that there was public interest in them when they went out. But we made sure they grew up with the celebrity status being a normal state of being. We never had to explain their identity to them. Amitji and I have been honoured but never dazzled by our celebrity. As a couple, we've ensured that our children don't compromise or denigrate it.

Q: How careful were you to give your children Abhishek and Shweta a normal childhood?

A: I may be wrong, but I very strongly feel a guardian must be at home constantly. It could be a parent or an aunt or uncle. The presence at home needn't be gender-driven.

Q: But in our society it's generally the mother who stays at home.

A: I agree that is the norm. But let me tell you, when I decided to pause my career to look after my children, I never saw it as a sacrifice. The love, affection and respect the children give me today are more important to me than any other kind of success in the world. I don't care what the world thinks as long as the children have faith in me. Doesn't that apply to all parents? I don't think I'm an extraordinary mother. I come from a decent middleclass family. I've just behaved normally with my children.

Q: To behave normally in the film industry isn't a normal thing to do.

A: I don't think that's true. You're giving the film industry an unnecessarily abnormal tinge. In fact, the families in our film industry are very normal. I'm not saying the industry is perfect. It just seems more imperfect than other areas of activity because of the constant media attention. I'm fortunate to have come from a decent family. That's why I could give decent values to my children.

Q: Your father (Taroon Kumar Bhaduri) was an eminent journalist. Was he around to watch you grow up?

A: He was out making a living for his large family. But I never felt that my father wasn't around. I never felt the need for anything that I didn't have. I was very happy with my life. I was very proud of my parents. I hope my children remain that way.

Q: Are you a good daughter?

A: I try to be. I'm very duty-conscious. And I've become even more so now after marriage because Amitji is very conscious of his duties towards his parents. I've in fact learnt to be more duty-conscious through my association with the Bachchan family. I've been married for 34 years. It's a lifetime. I've lived longer with this family than I have with mine. From my own parents I've imbibed goodness and simplicity. God has been very, very kind to me. I hope I've given back to my children the values I've imbibed from both my families.

But I know they've a long way to go. When they were growing up, I always told my children it didn't matter how they did in their exams. It's what they made of themselves as human beings that mattered. I remember when I was a child there were always a lot of red marks on the report card in some subjects, but the conduct column was always very good. That made my father very happy. He always said a good strong person has a better chance of survival in this world. I hope I've been able to give all these values to my children. The name, fame, glamour...it all vanishes. What survives is goodness.

Q: Do you believe that family always comes first?

A: Sometime good friends can be family too. When people originally said 'family first', we lived in a smaller society. Now the family has to be a lot larger. You have to be more generous.

Q: Now that Shweta is in Delhi and Abhishek is constantly on the move, do you miss them?

A: I miss their physical presence. Having them in the house is so reassuring. But I'm happy being on my own as well. I'm not a disgruntled person. My children used to be in boarding schools, but they were never really away from me. Thank god for cell phones. That instrument irritates me, but it plays a vital part in connecting me to the ones I love the most.

Q: What do you think of the way mothers are projected in our films?

A: Very stereotypical till recently and that was sad. Mothers have changed. And why just mothers in our films? Look at our mythology and real-life families where the matriarch had so many avatars and facets. But the portrayal is changing. In fact, there's hardly a mother in today's films except in Karan Johar's cinema.

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Bob Chowdhury

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Posted: 18 years ago

Originally posted by: MainEkHasina
thanks for posting

thanks for visiting the thread.

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Bob Chowdhury

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Posted: 18 years ago

Originally posted by: moon_uk
thanxx a lot yaar

Thanks for taking time.!!!!!

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Chandni

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Posted: 18 years ago

Thanks and 👏 to Jaya Bachan! 😊

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

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Posted: 18 years ago

JAYA BACHCHAN

Address : " Pratiksha ", 10th Road, Juhu, Mumbai - 400 049.

wife of the Big B (Amitabh Bachchan), this little Guddi made a mark in the short span of her career. In this short span all her few films which she made were Big Super Hits. She has acted with almost all the superstars of her time, but her films with Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan were all spellbound and different. Dancing was not Jaya's cup of tea, so her cute smile and facial expressions did everything for her, what dancing had done for others. Her talents are well exhibited in films like Khoshish, Kora Kagaz, Bawarchi, Sholay, Milli, Guddi, Chupke Chupke, Paarichay.Yash Chopra's Silsila depicts the various stages in married woman's life that might occur in a general life. Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Abhimaan shows the natural jealously that might occur in a man's life over his wife when she grows to be more famous than him. She quitted films after her marriage with Amitabh Bachchan.

Presently acting as Vice-Chairman to ABCL, this lady has a number of hit productions under her belt. The T.V. serial Dekh Bai Dekh is still running successful. Tere Mere Sapne is yet another Super - Duper hit under her productions. Her discovery Chandrachur Singh is now acting in full swing and is even giving hits. ABCL had also launched the Star Track which gave way to many unknown actors and actress to display their talent. Priya Gill was her find from Star Track for her Tere Mere Sapne.

Jaya is still in the limelight without any controversies to aid her. She is successful in all the phases of life right from an actress-wife-mother to a business lady.

Achievement

Best actress

Kora Kagaz in year 1975.

Nauker in year 1980 .

Edited by Qwest - 18 years ago

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

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Posted: 18 years ago

Dinesh Raheja Dimunitive she may be, but Jaya Bhaduri has managed to cast a long shadow over the world of Hindi films When Jaya entered films with Guddi in the early 1970s, chic but torturously coiffed and elaborately made-up heroines (Sharmila, Mumtaz et al) ruled the roost. Jaya, with her unpretentious looks but palpable talent, was a gale of fresh air and proved immensely popular.

Famous songs picturised on Jaya Bhaduri
Song	Film	Singer
Bol re papihara	Guddi	Vani Jairam
Sooni re nagariya	Uphaar	Lata Mangeshkar
Piya ka ghar hai yeh	Piya Ka Ghar	Lata Mangeshkar
Jaane jaan dhoondta	Jawani Diwani	Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar
Patta patta boota boota	Ek Nazar	Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
Sare ke sare gama ko lekar	Parichay	Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar
Banake kyon bigada re, ooparwale	Zanjeer	Lata Mangeshkar
Baahon mein chale aa	Anamika	Lata Mangeshkar
Piya bina piya bina	Abhimaan	Lata Mangeshkar
Mera padhne mein nahin laage dil	Kora Kagaz	Lata Mangeshkar
Maine kaha phoolon se	Mili	Lata Mangeshkar
Kabhi khushi kabhie gham	Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham	Lata Mangeshkar

Audiences fell for her extremely endearing personality, a gurgly, effervescent laugh and the ability to illuminate the inner lives of her many complex characters. Despite an abbreviated-by-marriage career span initially, Jaya became a major star, acted in a string of hits. She hacked a path for deglamourised heroines like the contemperaneous Archana (in Jaya's mentor Hrishikesh Mukherji's Buddha Mil Gaya) followed by Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Deepti Naval. Even after Jaya married long-time boyfriend Amitabh Bachchan and became Mrs Superstar, she has time and again bagged awards for acting in the ocassional film, produced successful television serials (Dekh Bhai Dekh), and determinedly carved out her own identity. The often briskly outspoken actress was born to noted author-journalist Taroon Kumar. Acting opportunites came Jaya's way early. She was still in her teens when she acted in Satyajit Ray's Kolkata classic Mahanagar [1963]. Another Bengali film, Dhanni Meye, fetched her a share of the spotlight. After a stint at the Film and Television Insitute of India, Pune, Jaya was offered several Hindi movies.

Hrishikesh Mukherji came down to Pune to meet Jaya at her pricipal's recommendation and signed her on for the titular role in Guddi [1971]. Jaya was a huge success as the filmstar-crazy teen tornado who reluctantly gives up her obsession for matinee idol Dharmendra as she finds herself drawn to the man next door. Jaya's art held little artifice and she could project wide-eyed innocence without a false note. Guddi's giggly, girlish character became closely identified with Jaya. Though it sometimes constricted the range of roles she was offered, it made her a star. Within three months of Guddi's release, Jaya shone once again in her second Hindi film Uphaar [1971], another tale of a mischievous girl caught in the troubled cusp between childhood and adulthood. The film did well and Jaya was gifted with box-office muscle. Jaya could illuminate even Anil Dhawan movies like Piya Ka Ghar and Annadaata [both 1972]. Her early films opposite the love of her life, newcomer Amitabh Bachchan, rode largely on her popular appeal. Though Jaya did her share of commercial films subsequently (eminently successful ones like the 1972 frothy musical Jawani Diwani), she seemed more at home with middle of-the-road cinema of Hrishikesh Mukherji and Gulzar. Playing a peripheral role as Dharmendra's dolled-up girlfriend in the hit Samadhi was not her forte.

Jaya Bhaduri's Landmark Films
Year	Film	Actors
1971	Guddi	Dharmendra, Samit Bhanja
1971	Uphaar	Swaroop Dutt
1972	Jawani Diwani	Randhir Kapoor
1972	Parichay	Jeetendra
1973	Koshish	Sanjeev Kumar
1973	Zanjeer	Amitabh Bachchan
1973	Abhimaan	Amitabh Bachchan
1974	Kora Kagaz	Vijay Anand
1975	Mili	Amitabh Bachchan
1975	Sholay	Amitabh Bachchan
1981	Silsila	Amitabh Bachchan

2001

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham

Amitabh Bachchan

In Gulzar's Parichay [1972], she could have been satisfied with portraying yet another extension of her popular Guddi persona, but Jaya worked hard on deciding the mannersims of an obstinate but insecure motherless girl. She struck a great working relationship with Gulzar, whom she called Bhai [brother]. He gifted her with an extremely challenging role in his next Koshish [1973], as part of a deaf and mute couple (opposite Sanjeev Kumar), bravely trying to overcome their disadvantage. Jaya's initial films with Amitabh (Ek Nazar and Bansi Birju), made few ripples at the box-office. But May 11, 1973 saw the release of Zanjeer, whose immense success would change their lives forever. Jaya had a largely unremarkable 'girlfriend' role in the film, but playing the angry young man of Zanjeer transformed Amitabh into a mega star. Jaya and Amitabh could now afford to get married. They did on June 2, 1973 taking off for a long honeymoon to London. Unfortunately, it also put Jaya's career in question, especially when she soon became pregnant. Jaya's career was at its peak then. Hrishikesh Mukherji's Abhimaan [1973], which starred the Bachchans and was released soon after their marriage, was a success. Moreover, Jaya had drawn raves for her performance as the talented singer-wife of an insecurity-ridden crooner and won Filmfare's Best Actress award, too.

The next year, Jaya won another Best Actress Award for her performance in the marital strife drama, Kora Kagaz [1974]. That year, she also gave birth to daughter Shweta and her priorities changed. She wrapped up her last few assignments, like Mukherji's Mili and Chupke Chupke and the Ramesh Sippy blockbuster Sholay [all released in 1975]. Son Abhishek was born soon after and Jaya concentrated on bringing up her children. Jaya did make a comeback with Yash Chopra's relationship saga, Silsila [1981], giving rise to much speculation. But the film did not make too many waves. Jaya was next seen onscreen only when her children were grown up. Noted avante garde filmmaker Govind Nihalani gave her an author-backed role in Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa [1998], and Jaya adeptly picked up the threads of her acting career once again.

Since then, Jaya has won awards for her stylised but finely-tuned performances in Fiza [2000] and Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham [2001]. Both on and off screen, the one-time guddi (doll) is now a graceful grandmother.

Edited by Qwest - 18 years ago

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*Jaya*

@*Jaya*

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Posted: 18 years ago

Jaya Bachchan

I was very shy, very nervous, very reluctant. But I wanted to overcome this fear of the theatre that had been thrust on me by the so-called stalwarts of the film industry. So when people ask me how it is doing stage after cinema, I feel 'Khoda pahad, nikla chooha.' As an actress, I feel that acting is acting. Stage or cinema, you have to primarily act and that is important. The rest is secondary. I felt you could cheat the theatre audience, which is so contrary to what other theatre people say. They say you cannot cheat on stage. But you cannot cheat the camera -- never ever. And that was my biggest problem when I started theatre because I didn't want to cheat the audience. I had to feel the way I do when I'm facing the camera. I had to feel everything I was doing because I'm used to the camera. That was something I had to overcome. Rameshji (Talwar) used to tell me, "Don't strain yourself... why are you straining yourself? You'll become ill." But I used to feel that if I didn't, it wouldn't reach out to the audience. It wouldn't come out naturally. But he was right. I didn't need to strain so much and I discovered that you can fool theatre audiences more than the camera. I think everybody is going to be very angry with me for saying it, but I didn't think theatre was such a big deal as everybody says. All theatre actors are very good actors. But they're not good actors because they're doing theatre. Or they've come from stage. They're primarily good actors. That's how I see it. I didn't handle the play differently from the way I would handle a film because I didn't know any other way. I only know acting. Whether you make me do it in front of the camera or in front of a person, I'll do it with the same dedication, same sincerity and that's what I did. Whether I was successful or not is for others to say, but my approach was exactly the same. My biggest problem was learning the lines, which is a problem with me because I basically believe in improvising. I believe in doing it in action rather than saying it in words. I would rather convey something by a movement or look instead of words. To communicate you need eyes. But stage is different. Everyday I used to say no I'm not going to do it and he used to insist that I must do it and a time came when I just did it naturally. I learnt to adjust. I was improvising everyday. I used to stumble on my lines too, but I think that is what acting is. If I had to approach acting like something very mechanical, it wouldn't be acting. I think acting is like weaving and while you're doing it, wouldn't it be so nice if I did a little something different? Everyday you're growing, you're discovering something new with every performance. Basically I'm not the kind of person who fears. In fact I'm the kind of person who likes to challenge my own inhibitions and this was my basic problem. Earlier too I had almost started doing a play but I got cold feet then. Words were my biggest problem. The thing that I enjoyed the most was when I was actually on stage, acting and reacting and discovering new nuances in the character. In the 24 performances, I felt I grew. I like working with new people, with younger people because I want to be in touch with what's going on, with how younger people think, how things are moving -- that's my kick in life. The most important thing was getting over this fear of stage. Ramesh Talwar used to tell me "Don't act just learn your lines". And I'd say how can I not act? I am acting. Then he'd say "Ok do it the way you want." When people came backstage they literally cried. It was a moving experience. But not absolutely new because after I did Guddi people would meet me and say we want a daughter like you and after Uphaar they'd say we want a daughter-in-law like you. Now they'd say "You remind us of our mother." One moving experience was an old lady who'd waited for an hour. I used to be exhausted after the play and wouldn't want to meet people, but each day Rameshji would persuade me to meet someone either because she was pregnant or too old or something. This old lady was waiting and I went to meet her. After that, lots of other people came for pictures and autographs. And I lost my patience and said to that lady, "I'm bearing all this because of you -- if it weren't for you I would never have come out to meet people." She stared at me and said, "Accha hai, bahut acha hai. I also waited because it was you. If it were anybody else I wouldn't have waited." Of all my films people remember Guddi. Uphaar and Abhimaan. I loved Doosri Sita, but no one remembers it. All these people had seen me in my earlier films and for them to see me now in this play Ma Retire Hoti Hain with grey hair, it was for them like a growing-up. I feel the play came to me at the right time. I think I've been very fortunate in that things have happened to me at the right time. I cannot in all fairness say that theatre has contributed to my acting because I come from cinema. In theatre the guy sitting in the last row cannot even see your expression. On camera, one twitch in your expression is caught by the lens. It can change your whole character. This myth of theatre being this great Taj Mahal -- it's all bunk. If I had to choose between doing a play and a film I'd still do film. For me that's the bigger challenge.

Jaya Bachchan, the celebrated actress, spoke to Lata Khubchandani.

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*Jaya*

@*Jaya*

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Posted: 18 years ago

Dinesh Raheja Studied artificiality was at its height where heroines were concerned in the late 1960s. Beehive bouffants and out-there eyeliner were the norm of the day. Fresh-faced, scrubbed-clean Jaya Bhaduri was a gale of fresh air when she appeared on the scene in the 1970s. Her first film Guddi (1971) was courageously built around this persona. And as a film, refreshingly reflected her endearing unpretentiousness.

CREDITS
Producer	Director	Music Director	Stars
NC Sippy	Hrishikesh Mukherjee	Vasant Desai	Jaya Bhaduri, Dharmendra, Samit

Small-scale but dexterously crafted, Guddi is a gentle coming-of-age fable about a young, full-of-beans girl's rites of passage to mellow adulthood. It encompasses its starstruck protagonist's startling realisation that even glamorous male movie stars are but hard working human beings leading rather banal, mundane lives. Guddi is that rare film on the film world. And a thumping box office success. In the film the Mumbai film world seems to have an inexhaustible lode of intrinsically decent and eccentrically delightful characters. There seems to be practically no seamy side to Bollywood in this Alice In Wonderland parable. Perhaps that's where its appeal partly lies. This sunny, deeply humane family film still manages to deliver a mighty emotional wallop. The teacup-sized Kusum aka Guddi (Jaya Bahduri) is a sparkly-eyed schoolgirl on the cusp of childhood and adulthood. A prankster, she is seeped in film culture (Mala Sinha bhi pehenti hai [Mala Sinha also wears this], she says when she wants to wear a frock) and wears constellations in her eyes about her favourite actor, Dharmendra. Born in a well-to-do family, Guddi has a benign bhabhi [sister-in-law] (Sumita Sanyal) as a mother figure. Guddi is shown to be sensitive enough to want to study hard in school so that her bhabhi is not blamed for not taking care of her. Bhabhi takes Guddi to Mumbai for the holidays to stay with her mamaji [mother's brother], (Utpal Dutt) a Professor Of Experimental Psychology. When bhabhi fixes up Guddi's match with her engineer brother Navin (newcomer Samit), Guddi grimaces. Hrishikesh Mukherji and co-writer Gulzar take care to underline the cultural imperialism of films by making Guddi mouth some delightfully filmi lines. When her bhabhi's matchmaking comes to light she runs to the terrace and tells Navin Yeh shaadi nahin ho sakti. When he asks for an explanation she pleads Mujhe majboor mat karo. Finally, she reveals that she is in love with film star Dharmendra. Here, the professor decides to take matters in hand. Through his connections, he meets Dharmendra, puts forward his case and asks the reluctant actor to help his starstruck bhaanji [niece]. The twosome now plot and plan to get Guddi to see the behind-the-scenes sweat and grime of a whole lot of people that go into forming the make-believe world of films. After a series of visits to the studios with Navin in tow, Guddi is shorn of her illusions as she gets a reality check on films and film people. A villain in films (Pran) may be a nice guy in real life; an onscreen miser (Om Prakash) may be totally different in person. Meanwhile, Dharmendra too sportingly does his bit to build up Navin in her eyes --- including losing to him in tennis and taking a beating from Navin to prove his chivalry. In her own sweet way, Guddi finally wakes up to the fact that she is in love with Navin, after all. It may sometimes feel sugary, but this tale is so winning because Guddi's character is an everygirl whose dilemmas are accessible to most. As an insider, Mukherhji also handles with pathos the depiction of the wasted lives of a struggler chasing a mirage. Asrani plays Guddi's friend's brother who runs away to be a hero but ends up an extra. Dharmendra's speech about the impermanence of film while standing in front of a burnt shell of a studio is also potent. Mukherji got several stars like Dilip Kumar, Mala Sinha, Biswajeet, Navin Nischol, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and Vimmi to put in special appearances, showing them hard at work in the studios. Dharmendra in a fair-sized role is a true sport --- the kind of star you believe would take so much trouble over a fan. Despite the big names, the film's main character is more than capable of shouldering the film. Jaya fits right into the rhythms of her character. When she fires up that smile, she looks every inch a wet-behind-the-ears schoolgirl. It is hard to think of any other actress in this part. Sidelights: * Amitabh Bachchan was to play Jaya's first hero originally but Hrishikesh Mukherji wanted a totally new face to play Navin's role. After Amitabh became famous in Mukherji's own Anand, the director decided against casting him. * Jaya Bhaduri was studying at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, when Hrishikesh Mukherji saw her diploma films. He called her to the principal's office and offered her the title role. Jaya had done a role in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar. On Jaya's first day of shooting with Dharmendra, he came up to her and asked, "You are the heroine of the film? Tumhari umar kya hai [How old are you?]" The Music:

Famous songs from Guddi:
Song	Singers
Humko man ki shakti dena	Vani Jairam
Bol re paphihara	Vani Jairam

* This was veteran Rajkamal composer Vasant Desai's last major hit. In keeping with the backdrop, some old fiilm songs were used like Tujhe jeevan ki dor se from Mukherji's Asli Naqli and Aa ja re from Madhumati which was made by Mukherji's mentor Bimal Roy. They added a piquant flavour to the film.

* Desai's compositions like Hum ko man ki shakti dena and Bole re papihara was much appreciated. They brought singer Vani Jairam to the fore.

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Bob Chowdhury

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Posted: 18 years ago

jayc1234 Ji,

Thank you so much for taking time to visit the thread,I wish you very safe trip and please log in as soon you reach India and say hello to (IF) family,take care and have safe trip.

Edited by Qwest - 18 years ago

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

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Posted: 18 years ago

#10

Interview of the week -- Jaya Bachchan

------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------

She couldn't care less if most people think that her flourishing career in films was aborted abruptly after her marriage with Amitabh Bachchan. And now, as she plays the lead role in Govind Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi ki Maa, an adaptation of a Bengali novel of the same name by Mahashweta Devi, she is irked at the media branding it as her grand comeback.

Apart from playing an extremely sensitive character''something that all women will identify with, for despite the progress of mankind the woman's lot hasn't changed at all''Jaya Bachchan is also glad that she is playing her age. After a traumatic sequenceplaying the mother who is called upon to identify her dead sonshe takes a break from the sets to talk to Sudipta Basu about her life under and away from the arc lights. Excerpts:

Can you recall a similar, tense sequence in your career?

There have been a few. Abhaghi was one, where such a strain prevailed right through the film. Abhimaan was another, when I lose the child and then in Silsila, after my fiancee dies in the plane crash.

Why do you resist from referring to Hazar Chaurasi ki Maa as your comeback?That's because I've never really been away from the industry. Silsila might have been my last major film, but I also played a character in Tapan Sinha's series, Women of the Century, last year. Then, I was also supposed to have done a film directed by Shafi Inamdar. The project was stalled after his death.

The gaps in my career have been due to the fact that people stopped making the films that I was comfortable doing. I have not been much of a dancer and couldn't wriggle and jiggle at all. Then the characters that were being made for me were a rehash of Kora Kagaz and Abhimaan. I would have simply ended up repeating myself.

Consider the characters that are being carved out for women in the industry today. Playing run-of-the-mill roles, they (the actresses) end up being overexposed and over-hyped and are branded has-beens very young. Madhuri Dixit is an example. She is being considered jaded when she is actually still very young.

What were your priorities when you stepped into the industry?

Not to make money. (It was to) express yourself sensitively and get appreciated for it.

And the character closest to your heart?

Guddi. Apart from that being my first film, it was also one which I could identify with completely. The entire household there drawn by Hrishikesh Mukherjee was very tangible for its Indianness. There is no gap between the audience and the characters on screen. This was a complete Indian film.

How much of the child-like and bubbly Guddi and Mili were you?They were second nature to me. I am a very restless person. I am a complete extrovert and I enjoy good fun. I hope I am fun to be with as well. n As one who has been the chairperson of the Children's Film Society, do you think today's urban Indian teenager would identify with the child-Guddi and child-Mili?

Children today fall into two categories. The pre-teens and those between 13 and 16. When the mantle of the head of the children's film society fell on me, I immediately sought to build a platform for the two groups by re-naming the society as the National Society for Children and Young People (NSCYP).I realised that children needed to look beyond parks and swimming pools for intelligent entertainment. Overburdened with school bags and regimented academics, they needed the space to express themselves. n As soon as you took over, you invited a few children's filmmakers' wrath by rejecting their films which were otherwise considered good. Bhimsen went on to win the national award.

I would not like to comment on Bhimsen's film, since the case is being heard in the courts. However, it is important for Bhimsen to sit down and do some introspection.

At the NSCYP I tried to change the attitude that bachchon ke liye film saste mein ban jaati hai. Making a children's film is not easy. I improved the budget of the films that would earlier remain on the fringes of Rs 3 lakh. Technical qualities and the treatment of the films were improved. Out of 30 subjects that were submitted, only one would qualify for being scripted, which again would turn out to be very sub-standard. I must confess here that all our films were not of great quality.

Most people feel you have not acted out your potential.

Well, I have had separate roles to play. Being a wife and mother became completely important to me soon after. Even now, when I am on sets I am feeling guilty about the fact that I will not be around to receive my daughter who is coming home today. She is an adult and I wonder if I should feel this way, but then it also means love and concern of a mother. After all, life is not made of one's self.

Your husband once said in a radio interview that Abhimaan was very close to your lives together.

He must have meant about that bit of us being in the same profession.

Otherwise, there has never been any ego hassle between us.

The Bachchan household has always been dogged by controversy spinning around your private lives, as also now... .

One learns to shut one's ears to them.

Do you then see yourself cast opposite your husband in a film?

Certainly. But I will not play second fiddle to him. I never have. Not in reel life and never in real life.

I might have had a small role in Sholay opposite him. But it was very significant and perhaps one of the meatiest roles that I have ever done in my career. Actually, even he wouldn't be happy to see me do any less either.

Edited by Qwest - 18 years ago

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Jaya Bachchan

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