‘My daughter’s words shattered me, that’s why I stopped acting’: Jaya Bachchan opens up on career break

Jaya Bhaduri entered films during her teenage years. After Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar, she went on to act in numerous films. Following her marriage in 1973 and the birth of her daughter Shweta the next year, Jaya slowly distanced herself from cinema. After acting in ‘Silsila’ in 1981, she completely stepped away from films. It was only after 17 years that she returned to the screen. Jaya Bachchan is now speaking about why she quit acting.

Jaya was speaking to journalist Barkha Dutt.

“When I went for shooting, I used to do my makeup at home. That was the age when my daughter began to understand things. I started doing makeup at home to spend a little more time with her. One day she asked me what I was doing. I told her I was doing my makeup for the shoot. She immediately replied, ‘Mummy, don’t go. Let Daddy go’. Those words hurt me deeply. There were plenty of people at home to look after her, yet hearing her say she always wanted her mother with her made me realise the truth. Her words were so innocent,” Jaya recalls.

“I felt it was time for me to step back. I began rejecting films. Besides, I was tired of getting similar roles. Nothing new was coming my way. Rather than acting in repetitive roles, I felt more drawn to being at home as a mother and a wife.”

However, she reveals that she felt lonely after Shweta got married.

“After Shweta’s marriage, I felt a deep sense of loneliness. Never in my life had I felt so unsettled. I don’t know what happened—I often couldn’t stop crying. It was during that time that an opportunity in films came my way. I accepted it,” she says, speaking about her return to cinema.