Birthday Special: From Guddi to Abhimaan, Jaya Bachchan’s top five movies

Jaya Bachchan, born as Jaya Bhaduri, is a legendary Indian actress who has made significant contributions to the Hindi film industry. From the spunky Mili (Mili) to the mother figure (Fiza), Jaya Bachchan’s acting career spans over four decades. She has acted in over 80 films and has won numerous awards for her performances. The Bengali beauty has been cast opposite to leading actors of her era including Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, and Sanjeev Kumar. As the actor-turned-politician Jaya is set to ring her 75th birthday on Sunday, let’s revisit some of her notable works which can initiate conversation till date.

Abhimaan
Abhimaan is considered as one of the best movies of Jaya Bachchan. Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, this movie saw Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya, Govardhan Asrani, Bindu Desai in lead roles. Known for its evergreen music, this movie shows the conjugal tension which stems from show business.

Mili
Jaya Bachchan also featured in the lead role in another classic movie of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the Mili. This movie too had Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles. The story of Mili centres around a reclusive, depressed man who falls in love with a bubbly young woman. Later he found that she has cancer.

Koshish
Jaya and Sanjeev Kumar were paired in this movie directed by Gulzar. Based on a sensitive subject of a speech and hearing-impaired couple who overcame unforgiving obstacles to be accepted by society and live a life of dignity, this movie won two National Film Awards for Best Screenplay to Gulzar and Best Actor to Kumar.

Guddi

In this Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed movie, written by Gulzar, Jaya mesmerised the audience as a schoolgirl who has a crush on and is obsessed with the actor Dharmendra, who plays himself. Reportedly, it became a big city hit.
Chupke Chupke
Jaya Bachchan also acted in another gem of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the Chupke Chupke that came out in 1975. In this comic caper of an ensemble cast, Jaya shined in her own right. The movie featured Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore alongside Jaya and Amitabh.