Now 80 and going stronger than ever, spooling in celluloid miles’ with the roles rolling in and directors still lining up to sign him on, it’s Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday today.
From Ramesh Sippy who directed him in the 1975 cult film Sholay to Ayan Mukerji who helmed his latest Brahmastra 47 years later, Bachchan is the man for all seasons and all kinds of films. However, the actor and his family have had a life and legacy beyond cinema – especially in politics.
From ‘Big B’s’ own short-lived political stint, to his wife Jaya’s Samajwadi Party career, and the ‘Gandhi connect’, News18 takes a look at the family’s tryst with politics:
Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s Ties With Nehru
The relationship between the two families can be traced back to Amitabh’s father, Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan, who worked as a Hindi Officer in India’s Foreign Ministry. Jawahar Lal Nehru held high regard for him, bringing the families together while stationed in Allahabad, according to a report by the Free Press Journal. Teji Bachchan, Amitabh’s mother, became close friends with Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter.
Sonia Gandhi arrived in India as Rajiv’s fiancée in 1968. Amitabh was the one who met her at the Palam airport, the report said. Teji taught her about Indian customs and traditions while she stayed at the Bachchans’ New Delhi home at 13, Willingdoon Crescent, acting as a go-between for the Italians and Indira, who was initially ‘hesitant about her son’s choice’.
After Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, and on Rajiv Gandhi’s advice, Amitabh left movies and entered politics. When Bachchan began campaigning, the craze among his supporters grew, resulting in a larger crowd.
He ran for the seat of Allahabad.
During this time, the Election Commission played a ‘unbiased’ role, ordering Doordarshan not to broadcast “Amitabh Bachchan’s films during the Election Code of Conduct.” Despite the ban, Bachchan defeated Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, a former Congress member who joined the Bharatiya Lok Dal.
Aftermath of Bofors Scandal and KBC
Amitabh resigned from politics in the aftermath of the Bofors scandal. While ‘Big B’ had lost his “hero” status in Bollywood, he did have some hits, including Agneepath (1990), Hum (1991), Mohabbatein (2000), and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham… (2001), stated the report by the Free Press Journal. While his roles in these films were not as meaty as they were when he was the only angry young man in the 1970s, Bachchan led his own revival after his debut on television as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC).
Jaya’s Entry Into Politics
According to reports, when Amitabh entered a brief period of financial crisis, he received assistance from an old friend, Amar Singh. This is when the actor leaned toward the Samajwadi Party, to which Amar Singh belonged. Then in 2004, Jaya Bachchan joined the SP and is still a Rajya Sabha MP.
In the same year, Jaya was quoted as saying: “Those who brought us into politics abandoned us midway. They abandoned us in the midst of a crisis. They have a reputation for betraying people,” in a reference to the Gandhis.
Gandhis & Bachchan’s ‘Cold War’
According to the report by the Free Press Journal, the Bachchans and Gandhis ‘cold war’ included tearing each other down by giving media quotes.
Big B was served with Income Tax notices and was found to be in illegal possession of agricultural land during the Congress rule in 2005. Under the reign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the then Chief Minister and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Amitabh became the face of the ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ campaign in 2010.
This infuriated Congress. “He’s the brand ambassador of another state,” said Maharashtra’s then-CM Ashok Chavan, “and we’d like to promote our state.”
‘My Sole Regret’
Years later, in an interview to PTI, Amitabh Bachchan said, “I mostly think of it because there are many promises that one makes during an election campaign when you seek votes from people. My inability to keep those promises hurts. If there is anything that I regret then it is that.”
“I made a lot of promises to the city of Allahabad and to its people but I wasn’t able to fulfil them. I try to do whatever I can in any social capacity but I know it is something that people of Allahabad will always hold against me,” Bachchan was quoted as saying at an event.
With inputs from PTI
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