Rekha Once Slammed Jaya for Excluding Her From Amitabh Bachchan's Wedding: 'She Wants to Dominate…'
Rekha once felt snubbed after she was not invited to Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan's wedding despite her bond with the latter and residing in the same building.
Rekha, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan were headline-makers of the 80s and continue to remain one to date. Rekha, in multiple interviews in the past, had openly expressed her love for already-married Amitabh. Interestingly, it was through Jaya Bachchan that she met her Silsila co-star for the first time. It all started when Rekha moved into the same building as the Mili actor, and a sisterly bond developed between them. Despite the closeness, Jaya snubbed Rekha at her wedding to Amitabh.
Rekha and Jaya Bachchan, then Jaya Bhaduri, would often spend time with each other and talk about life and career when not in shoots. Jaya was already a big name in the film industry and Rekha was steadily finding her ground. It was during once such day that Rekha first met Jaya's then-boyfriend, Amitabh Bachchan, at Beach Apartments in Mumbai.
As written by Yasser Usman in his book Rekha: The Untold Story, published by Juggernaut, Amitabh Bachchan decided to marry Jaya right after he delivered a blockbuster, Zanjeer, after a series of flops. However, Rekha, who was close friends with Jaya, was not invited. An excerpt from the book read: 'On 3 June 1973, their wedding was solemnized. Rekha, however, was not invited, which left her feeling sour. In an interview, Rekha said, 'There was a time when I looked on Jaya as a sister… I used to think she was genuine, because she often spoke very seriously and gave me lots of loving advice. But now I realize that Jaya is a 'general advisor" to every Tom, Dick and Harry. All she wants to do is to dominate people and that too, for only as long as it suits her.'"
It was further mentioned: 'Rekha did not stop there. She expressed resentment at not being called for the wedding: 'In spite of all her affectionate show of friendship and all that, she didn't even bother to invite me for her marriage – and my house was in the same building.'"
Back in 1981, Rekha, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan came together on screen – a bold casting move that only Yash Chopra could have pulled off. Interestingly, the film's storyline reflected the real-life dynamics of its lead trio, which is perhaps why it remains so talked about even today.
First Published:
July 19, 2025, 15:11 IST
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