‘Bacchanalia’: Rollercoaster Politics of Bachchan Family

At a time when the nation is debating the propriety of Jaya Bachchan’s anger and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s retort, one may wonder why Bollywood, which often dabbles in political matters, is not throwing its weight behind their once-adorable Guddi. Maybe two comments by members of the Hindi film industry — Moushumi Chatterjee and Shatrughan Sinha — would provide an apt perspective.

“I am a much better person than Jaya Bachchan,” Chatterjee had retorted on 14 March this year when compared to the five-time Rajya Sabha member.

Sinha has been on record saying nobody in the industry comes in support of Bachchan because Bachchan never stuck his neck out to back a colleague from the trade. Lyricist Javed Akhtar would bear Sinha out on that. While appreciating Amitabh Bachchan, Akhtar said in an interview that the superstar would never utter a word that could get him in trouble.

Of course, both Chatterjee and Sinha have axes to grind. The daughter-in-law of singer Hemant Kumar (Mukhopadhyay) bore a grudge throughout her career in films that Hrishikesh Mukherjee preferred Jaya to her while Sinha was stunned on seeing his role in Kala Patthar (1979) drastically cut short at the editing table — allegedly at the behest of Amitabh who had prevailed on director Yash Chopra to make his character appear bigger than Sinha’s. So, let’s talk of people who are not part of the entertainment business to know why the Bachchans are so alone today.

Foundation of Gandhi-Bachchan Friendship

It was reportedly Sarojini Naidu who had brought the Gandhis and the Bachchans together, inviting Harivanshrai and Teji Bachchan to a get-together with Indira Gandhi to Anand Bhavan in Allahabad (Prayagraj). Decades after that, the Bachchan family’s journey through Indian politics became a rollercoaster ride of friendship, loyalty, shifting allegiances and public controversies. This relationship, a close-knit bond with the Nehru-Gandhi family, evolved over decades into a complex political narrative, reflecting broader changes in Indian politics and society.

Amitabh Bachchan shared a brotherly relationship with Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi’s elder son. This friendship was not merely personal but also symbolic of the intertwined destinies of two of India’s most influential families. The bond between these families was publicly displayed when Amitabh Bachchan appeared to play the role of Rajiv Gandhi’s elder brother at Indira Gandhi’s funeral in 1984, standing by his friend during one of the most tumultuous times in Indian history. The gesture showed the deep trust and camaraderie between the families, leading many to believe that their relationship was unshakeable.

In a sad turn of events seven years later, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by terrorists as his mother was. Once again, Amitabh Bachchan, with a pensive visage, was spotted at the former prime minister’s funeral, behaving like the Nehru-Gandhi family’s kin with an acute sense of responsibility.

Amitabh Bachchan’s Political Foray

The Indian National Congress (INC), under Rajiv Gandhi’s leadership, had, before that, nominated the then-indisputable lead actor of Bollywood to contest the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat in the 1984 elections. Bachchan shocked many political pundits by defeating the political heavyweight, Hemavati Nandan Bahuguna, by a landslide. But his political career was short-lived.

He soon found the world of politics to be vastly different from the film industry. The machinations, power plays, and constant scrutiny were overwhelming, leading him to resign from his position in 1987, influenced partly by the Bofors kickback scandal, from which he was eventually exonerated, and his strained relationship with the party leadership. Media reports of the mid-1980s suggest Bachchan was so philanthropic — launching his ambulance service for the constituency, among other things — that the Uttar Pradesh Congress was getting no credit for the social service despite their own MP reaching out to the masses.

Return to Silver Screen and Financial Woes

After he resigned from politics, Amitabh Bachchan returned to the film industry, but his second innings was not as successful. The late 1980s and 1990s were marked by a series of box office failures, diminishing his stature as a superstar. However, his larger-than-life persona, built over decades, ensured that he remained an iconic figure in Indian cinema, even as his films failed to perform commercially.

In the 1990s, Bachchan ventured into business with the launch of Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL). The company was ambitious in its scope, aiming to produce films, manage events and represent artists. However, ABCL’s ventures, including the organisation of the Miss World contest in Bangalore in 1996, were financial disasters. The company soon faced bankruptcy, pushing Bachchan into a severe financial crisis.

Amar Singh, the X-factor

It was during this difficult period that politician Amar Singh entered Amitabh Bachchan’s life. Amar Singh, a prominent leader in the Samajwadi Party (SP), became Bachchan’s close confidant, playing a crucial role in helping the once-invincible star navigate his financial troubles. Singh introduced Bachchan to influential figures like Subrata Roy of Sahara and Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, forging alliances that would prove beneficial in the long run.

Singh also facilitated Bachchan’s association with the Samajwadi Party, marking the beginning of a new political chapter for the family. In 2004, Jaya Bachchan, Amitabh’s wife, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the SP, a position she has held for five consecutive terms.

This alliance with the SP was not without controversy, especially when Bachchan participated in the party’s electoral campaign in 2007. His endorsement of the SP, particularly his slogan, “यूपी में है दम क्योंकि जुर्म यहाँ है कम” (Uttar Pradesh has the mettle, as the rate of crime here is low), was widely ridiculed, especially since the SP government was perceived as being not only soft on crime but sometimes also in cahoots with criminals.

Further, the Bachchans' relationship with Singh did not remain cordial throughout. Singh, in turn, was accused of turning the socialist party he was a member of into a socialites' party by Azam Khan.

But despite the criticisms, the Bachchan family’s association with the SP solidified, with Jaya Bachchan emerging as a prominent political figure in her own right. However, her tenure in the Rajya Sabha has not been without wrangles. Known for her fiery temperament and outspoken nature, Jaya Bachchan has often made headlines for her sharp remarks, which have sometimes put the family in awkward positions.

Ambani to rescue

While his business ventures floundered, Amitabh Bachchan’s career witnessed a revival in 2000 with the launch of the television quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). The show was an instant hit and became a cultural phenomenon in India, re-establishing Bachchan’s star power, thanks to the show host’s impeccable behaviour, chaste Hindi and pleasing humility.

His financial woes were far from over, though. Insiders recount how the once-towering personality would sit before Ambani with a long face, as Singh would suggest ways to extricate him from the ABCL mess. It was during that phase that a deal of quid pro quo between the two sides was struck. Amitabh Bachchan would pull his resources in the industry to make a biopic on Dhirubhai Ambani — with the film issuing a disclaimer that it’s a work of “fiction” — and the senior Ambani son would save Bachchan from insolvency. This was how the film Guru was made.

But that was also the phase when a new personality trait of Jaya Bachchan surfaced — her penchant for intemperate remarks. That stood in stark contrast to her husband’s forever-measured and reserved demeanour. In 2004, during the election season, Jaya Bachchan made a scathing comment about the Gandhis, accusing them of betraying the Bachchan family.

This public accusation did not sit well with the Congress, leading to a response from Rahul Gandhi, who hinted at the Bachchans’ shifting loyalties.

Amitabh Bachchan, known for his diplomatic stance, intervened to calm the situation, writing a letter that hinted at the power dynamics between the two families, but this time, Amitabh might have floundered too. The letter, which ended with the words “वो राजा हैं और हम रंक” (They are kings and we are commoners). That was a proletarian jibe thrown at the ruling class of the time.

Different Avatar in Modi Era

Rahul Gandhi’s plaint would, however, soon prove prescient. The political landscape in India shifted in the 2010s, as did Amitabh Bachchan’s political associations. After LK Advani failed to lead the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to victory in the 2009 election and snatch power back from the INC, Narendra Modi rose to the national scene as the opposition’s most coveted leader. Soon, Bachchan’s alignment with the BJP caught people’s attention.

The superstar was prominently featured in a series of commercials promoting Gujarat tourism, with him now saying, “कुछ दिन तो गुजारो गुजरात में” (Why don’t you spend some days in Gujarat?). Modi said during a couple of interviews in 2013 that he knew how to use Bachchan’s stardom. While the claim that the crime rate in Uttar Pradesh was low lacked credibility, no one would have a problem with tourism in Gujarat soaring. Indeed, after the Pulse Polio campaign, this proved the second-most successful socially relevant ad campaign by Bachchan. ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ increased tourism in Gujarat by 14% per annum, twice that of the national growth rate.

Bachchan-Gandhi Rift and Public Spats

Finally, one does not know how troubled Amitabh Bachchan is with his wife’s easily disturbed composure in public life, but Jaya Bachchan did admit publicly this is how she was and that she could not change herself. Jaya, while being a prominent figure in the Rajya Sabha, often attracts attention for wrong reasons like nitpicking. The latest issue is her objection to being referred to as “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan,” a name with which video records show she took oath as an MP.

This is what Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh reminded her when she protested for the first time. On another occasion, she introduced herself as “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan” and the whole house, along with her, burst into a collective guffaw. Yet another day, she found Jagdeep Dhankhar’s “tone” and “tenor” wrong — the point where the chairman of the Upper House snubbed her, refusing to be awed by her “celebrity” status.

Even as ‘neutral’ journalists are rejoicing the fact that the opposition has decided to impeach the vice president during the next session; it couldn’t be done in the ongoing session because it requires a 14-day notice. 

Some political observers say this imbroglio was avoidable. Narendra Modi, for example, takes oath as “Narendra Damodardas Modi”, but nobody spells his name fully in the parliament. That misses a vital point: Jaya Bachchan’s name appears in a rare, if not unique, fashion. One can see from the following screenshot taken from a page of the Rajya Sabha website.

The names preceding and succeeding hers do not carry the father’s or husband’s name in the middle. Maybe it is so because she is an MP from Maharashtra where this is the norm, but no Maharashtrian MP so far, including women MPs, have ever objected to the practice.

Anyway, whatever journalists say to underscore their ‘neutrality’ in the age of the Niira Radia scandal in the UPA era followed by the allegation of ‘godi media’ during the NDA rule, the ordinary citizen has no love lost for the irritable lady. That ordinary citizen is the guy who made the ‘angry young man’ a phenomenon in the yesteryears. Does this not bother Amitabh Bachchan?