When Jaya Bachchan strongly reacted to being asked if she needed Amitabh Bachchan's approval to make a comeback in movies: 'He's not my guardian!'

Jaya Bachchan tied the knot to Amitabh Bachchan in 1973, post which the couple had two children - Shweta Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. While Shweta was born in 1974, two years later, the couple had Abhishek, in 1976. Post becoming a mother, Jaya Bachchan decided to be very selective about movies. She took up less work and largely concentrated on her children and family. She was away from the big screen for many years, apart from some rare movies in between like 'Silsila'.
The actress was seen again in the 1998 film 'Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa'. During that film, she was asked if she needed her husband Amitabh Bachchan's approval to make a comeback. She strongly reacted to it and said, "He is my husband, not my guardian, for God’s sake.” She had made this statement in a Rediff chat in 1997.
She further added, "I was backstage all the time. There is no question of a comeback because I have been involved in various other activities in the film industry." Jaya said that referring to the fact that she was the vice-chairperson of Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd, which was his production company.
Jaya Bachchan's father, a well known journalist Taroon Coomar Bhaduri, had once written about her choice to leave acting. He clarified that Amitabh Bachchan was not responsible for this decision, it was her own. He had written, "I don’t think Amitabh can be blamed for Jaya’s decision to quit. But he has been blamed for so many things, poor fellow. When Jaya decided to quit films, we said nothing. In my family, we have never thrust our decisions on the children. When Jaya said she wanted to join films, we said all right, go ahead. When she decided to quit, I felt, of course, that her talent was being wasted. But it was purely her decision. I don’t think she’s ever regretted it.”
He further added that she could make a comeback to movies whenever she wanted to. "Jaya’s mystique remains intact. In the ephemeral world of razzmatazz, her appeal and magic have withstood the test of time."
Jaya Bachchan was last seen in Karan Johar's 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani'.