Among Bollywood couples, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan are known for how gracefully they behave in public. A small story Amitabh told on Kaun Banega Crorepati shows there was a more playful side in their early years of marriage, and that it was the family elder who brought it to an end.
During a light chat with Ranbir Kapoor on the quiz show, the megastar said that for many years Jaya called him "Lambu ji." The name made fun of his famous height while adding a respectful "ji." It lasted until his father, the late poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, politely stepped in.
"Kayi saal tak woh humko lambu ji bola karti thi... ji, phir uske baad unko mana kiya gaya Babuji ne kaha ye dekho aise mat bolo ya to naam bolo ya kuch aur bolo to unhone phir naam bolna shuru kar diya…" Amitabh recalled. (For many years, she used to call me Lambu ji. Later, she was asked not to address me that way. Babuji said, 'Look, don't call him that. Either use his name or call him something else.' After that, she started calling me by my name.)
What a nickname says about the times
The story is funny, but it also shows how a joint family worked in the 1970s. In many Indian homes back then, a husband's name was rarely said out loud. Babuji did the opposite: he asked Jaya to call Amitabh by his name. That fits Harivansh Rai Bachchan's reputation as a modern, liberal thinker. He did not want her to be more formal. He wanted her to drop a teasing nickname and simply use his name.
For fans, it's a rare look inside the Bachchan home before "Big B" became a national institution. Back then, he was just a tall young man getting gently teased by his wife.
Ranbir's height daydream
The story came up because Ranbir began talking about height. He admitted he had long pictured himself and Alia Bhatt in the same way as the senior Bachchans.
"Aur mere zehan mein woh tasveer hamesha aati ki main Amit ji jaisa thoda lamba hoon aur Alia Jaya aunty jaisi thodi choti hai toh height differences bhi achhe lagenge un photo pe... main hamesha yeh bhi sochta tha…" Ranbir said. (I would always picture it in my mind that I would be a little tall like Amit ji, and Alia would be a little short like Jaya aunty, so the height differences would look nice in those photographs... I always used to think about this.)
Amitabh replied with a dry joke: "Oho sar bahut zyada difference hai…" (Oh, there is a huge difference in height.) Ranbir then asked what the actual gap was between him and Jaya. Amitabh said, "Sir 6 foot 2 inch hai.." (Sir, I am 6 feet 2 inches tall), and guessed Jaya was "shayad 5 foot teen.. chaar…" (Perhaps 5 feet 3 or 4 inches).
Ranbir, with good comic timing, replied: "Toh mera bhi udhar heen kahi hai, Sir..." (Then mine is also somewhere around there, Sir.)
Why the moment worked
The exchange worked because it brought together two generations of Hindi cinema in a natural, unscripted way. Ranbir treated Amitabh and Jaya as the ideal for his own marriage, and Amitabh in turn shared a story about his own father. The result was a funny, warm moment between three generations, the kind of personal history Kaun Banega Crorepati has become known for surfacing.
The "Lambu ji" days are long over, but the nickname now has a place in Bachchan family lore, with a small push from Babuji.
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