Showing posts with label Teji Bachchan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teji Bachchan. Show all posts
Amitabh Bachchan's personal photographer Paresh Mehta opens up like never before on his 84th birthday
4:22 PM
As Amitabh Bachchan turns 84 today, personal photographer Paresh Mehta shares the private caring gestures, Scrabble board notes, and home visits that define the man beyond the legend
Paresh Mehta (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 11, 2026)
One of my most treasured photographs of Shri Amitabh Bachchan began with a Scrabble board. His mother, whom I called Maaji, had written a birthday message on the board: “I love you Munna, happy birthday.”
When he saw it, I took the photograph. I have covered countless important occasions, but I can still see that moment whenever I close my eyes. The man millions knew as a superstar was just a son receiving a message from his mother.
As my boss turns 84 today, it is moments like this that come back to me. After more than three decades as his personal photographer, I have learnt to look beyond the obvious frame. And in life, as often in films, some of the most revealing bits are moments nobody could have planned.
My first frame
I still remember my first call to Pratiksha 30 years ago. Sitting at the reception, nervously checking my cameras and lenses, my heart was racing. When the receptionist finally said AB—as I affectionately call my boss—was asking for me, I gathered my gear and walked inside.
What I saw gave me goosebumps. Amitabh Bachchan ji, Jaya madam ji, Harivansh Rai Bachchan ji, and Teji Bachchan ji were sitting together, with Babuji composing poetry as I entered. My heartbeat soared, but I steadied my hands and began clicking. An hour later, AB said, “Okay, thank you,” and I left to print the photographs. I was going through a difficult personal phase, and those lively images gave me enormous happiness.
That evening, when I handed over the prints, my journey as his personal photographer officially began.
For a long time afterwards, every call from Pratiksha or Jalsa would make me anxious. Had my work met his expectations? His positive responses gradually gave me confidence, but even today, every assignment feels like an examination. He studies the pictures carefully before he chooses what to share. Yet behind that exacting eye lies a deep empathy.
When the boss noticed
Working with Mr Bachchan quickly grew beyond a professional assignment into a relationship built on deep trust and mutual respect. People know him as the Angry Young Man or the towering icon of Indian cinema, but behind the lens, I have witnessed a side that rarely reaches the public eye: caring, remarkably thoughtful, and fiercely disciplined.
During an outstation film shoot early in my career, I was lying ill in my room and missed going to the set. Noticeably absent, my boss came to my room personally during a break. He didn’t just send someone to check on me; he walked in, saw my condition, called a doctor, and waited by my bed until the doctor arrived. He then arranged a flight to Mumbai so I could recover comfortably at home. That is who he is—a megastar with an impossibly demanding schedule who takes time to look after every member of his team.
His attention to those around him can be wonderfully unexpected. After a shoot in Malad, he asked, “Paresh, you stay in Malad, right?” Then he said he wanted to visit my house. He met my family, prayed at our temple and blessed me.
On a trip to Kashmir, I bought him a shawl. He owned so many that I assumed mine might never be worn. Yet, on my birthday, January 3, I saw him wearing it. He had remembered something I had long since stopped expecting him to remember, and clearly, he knew how much that gesture would have meant to me.
Respect in the details
His everyday discipline is legendary. Whether he finishes shooting late into the night, he never skips his gym routine, his spiritual practices, or his commitments. But even this discipline comes with consideration for other people. Once, after a shoot that began at 7 am, we reached the Trident at about 5.35 pm for a 6 pm event. He had not even had lunch, but he waited in the car. I learnt that he did not want an early entrance to unsettle the organisers’ arrangements; so, he went in at exactly six.
On set, his respect for the craft extends to everyone behind the scenes. He ensures technicians have the space they need to do their work. During rehearsals, instead of retreating to his vanity van, he will stand opposite a co-actor for their close-ups—offering his own eyes for them to perform to, knowing how much it elevates their delivery. If he notices a crew member standing without a seat, he immediately asks for a chair to be brought over. These small, thoughtful gestures matter enormously to the people who receive them.
I see that same intense awareness outside Jalsa. Every Sunday, before his scheduled appearances, we prepare our cameras and coordinate with the security teams as massive crowds gather. When he finally steps out, his enthusiasm is infectious—it reminds me of a child running to meet loved ones.
Yet, even in a sea of thousands, his focus never loses the individual. During one chaotic gathering, he spotted a woman whose hand had become trapped in a barricade. He instantly called for security to intervene, personally attended to her, and ensured she received immediate medical care. Within that enormous, roaring crowd, he had noticed one person in distress and made sure she was looked after.
My work has taken me from film sets to family occasions, including Abhishek and Aishwarya’s wedding and Aaradhya’s birth. Those photographs carry a responsibility beyond technique. Some stories and photographs are not mine to share. The confidence placed in me matters as much as the archive. After all these years, I still want every frame to do justice to my boss; I also know that some of my best work must remain with his family.
Prateeksha, Janak, Ammu, Jalsa, Mansa: How the Bachchans are an island unto themselves...
8:00 AM
Bringing you interesting asides on the multiple addresses of Indian cinema’s most famous family, who owns five bungalows in Mumbai’s JVPD Scheme
DNA (November 6, 2017)
Hollywood cinema icon Marlon Brando owned an island called Tetiaroa in Tahiti. And our own Indian cinema icon Amitabh Bachchan has made a little island for himself and his family at Mumbai’s Juhu and Vile Parle Development (JVPD) Scheme, a place that is one of the prime real estate areas in the maximum city.
The proximity of four of those five bungalows, three of which — Ammu, Jalsa, and Mansa — are just separated by compound walls, and Janak that is one lane away, definitely makes it seem like the Bachchan family has earmarked an island for themselves. Of course, Prateeksha that is a few furlongs away completes the quintuple count of residences.
Meet Prateeksha
Amitabh Bachchan’s first famous address in Mumbai. The place continues to remain a landmark on Juhu’s busy 10th Road. It was ‘attached’ when the Hindi cinema legend got into a financial mess post the launch of his production company ABCL in the mid-’90s. However, he managed to avert the auction bid when he paid back all the monies he owed with interest to his borrowing bank.
Our source says, “Though he lives in Jalsa currently, Prateeksha has a special place in the Big B’s heart. Even today, he drops in here every morning after his walk. He has a special room here — in memory of his parents, Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. It is almost like a place of prayer and one or the other family member comes here to spend a few hours each day.’’
Inconspicuous Ammu
Bang next to Jalsa, Ammu is the most inconspicuous of the Bachchan abodes. Sheltered by trees, the compound wall is low. Since the ground floor is leased out to a global bank, hardly anyone looks at the rest of the edifice. However, it is said that above the bank is where Abhishek, Aishwarya, and Aaradhya spend time.
Jalsa: The current residence
Yes, this is the place outside which huge crowds throng each Sunday. At 5 pm, the living legend steps out to wave and do a namaste to the countless fans who assemble here from across the world.
The place is diagonally opposite the J W Marriott Hotel and it is said that at 5 am, Bachchan often crosses the street to use the hotel’s gymnasium.
Jalsa was originally called Mansa. However, a vaastu expert, apparently, asked the B family to change it to Jalsa.
This is the place Amitabh Bachchan got in the early ’80s; around the time he did Satte Pe Satta (1982) from the producer of the film N C Sippy. The cost of the bungalow was reportedly adjusted against his fees for the film.
Jalsa was home to Ajitabh Bachchan for a while
Jalsa was also residence to Ajitabh Bachchan, his wife Ramola, and their three daughters for a short while. At this time, Amitabh and family were still living in Prateeksha. However, after a while, Ajitabh left because he found the place “unsuitable.’’ In fact, Amitabh is said to have sold off this place for a certain price. But when Jaya, who was very attached to Jalsa, asked her husband to get the place back, AB Sr apparently paid the builder double the price and got it back for his missus.
The brand new Mansa
Exactly behind Jalsa is Mansa. This is the latest acquisition of the Bachchans. The place originally belonged to a film financier. And when Mr B evinced an interest in the plot, the financier was ready to sell it to the legend. The deal was brokered by a yesteryear filmmaker’s son (who also resides in Juhu).
The lawns of Mansa are where the Bachchans host the guests for their Diwali and Holi parties. On other days, this is Aaradhya’s playground.
Janak, where the junta goes to meet the Bachchans
Janak is the official Bachchan office. This place is separated from the Bachchan official residences by JVPD’s Road No. 11. It is said that when the Big B wants to get to work, he just walks across from Jalsa to Janak via Mansa. Yup, that entire stretch provides him complete privacy. Janak is where the Bachchan staff sits. This is also the place where the media interactions with the family happen.
Two of the upper floors at Janak are private spaces earmarked for the Piku actor. He likes listening to music here. He also has his favourite musical instrument, the piano, occupying a place of pride at Janak. If you are lucky, you can hear the strains of the piano being played very proficiently by the legend. Of course, if you compliment him, he will shrug it off, saying, “Oh, you flatter me! I’m just about learning to play.”
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