Veteran actor Farida Jalal, who was recently seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, can often be heard speaking fondly of her co-stars and the friendships she shared with them, in her interviews. Recently, during a chat with Bollywood Bubble, the actor talked about the bond she shared with superstar couple Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya.
During a recent interview with Bollywood Bubble, she shared that the three often went on coffee outings to the Taj hotel and enjoyed long drives together. The actor also recalled being witness to their fights. “Mai Pali Hill mein rehti thi aur Amitji Juhu mein. Unki shaadi hone wali thi hui nahi thi. Dono mein courtship chal raha tha aur jhagde jaise couple ke hote hai aapas mein waise hote the. Amitji raat ke waqt khud gaadi chalate the aur Jaya bagal mein baithti aur main peeche. Mai unko bolti mujhe ‘Kebab mein haddi banake kyu late ho aaplog‘. (I used to stay in Pali Hill and Amitabh resided in Juhu. They were not married at that time. They were in a courtship period and used to fight as every couple does. Amitji used to drive, Jaya sat beside him and I would be in the backseat. I used to tell them, ‘I feel like I am third wheel but they insisted me to join them’).”
“I was someone who used to go to bed early but they would still call me. And they kept on fighting and I witnessed it. Jaya roti thi, woh manate the (Jaya used to cry and he used to pacify her.) I used to love those moments. My friendship with Jaya goes a long way. I lovingly called her Jiya. While returning from those coffee dates, they used to talk about films. They then dropped me off and went home. All I can say is they are lovely people. They called me and Gulzar saab to their wedding. No one else from the industry was there,” she added.
Farida Jalal was last seen in Heeramandi. The web series is a story set in British India, focusing on Mallikajaan’s (Manisha Koirala) challenges when Fareedan (Sonakshi Sinha), her old rival’s daughter, returns. The series stars Richa Chadha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjeeda Shaikh, along with Fardeen Khan, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, and Taha Shah.