Jaya was born on April 10,1948 in a Bengali Kulin Brahmin family to Indira and Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, writer, journalist and stage artist. She studied in St. Joseph’s Convent School, Bhopal. She started her career with a small role in Satyajit Ray’s Bengali film, Mahanagar at the age of 15 . She is an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India,
After initial success in her native West Bengal, she became a success after Guddi in which she played a schoolgirl obsessed with film star Dharmendra after which she moved to Mumbai and starred in many Hindi hit films, such as Jawani Diwani, Koshish, Anamika and Bawarchi. She helped her husband become a star by acting with him in the hit films Zanjeer (1973), Abhimaan (1973), Chupke Chupke (1975) and Sholay (1975).
On June 3, 1973, she married actor Amitabh Bachchan. The couple have two children: Shweta Bachchan-Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan, Her son Abhishek Bachchan recently got married to Indian actress Aishwarya Rai on April 20, 2007. Jaya has two grandchildren from her daughter Shweta; Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda. Her son-in law is Nikhil Nanda.
Her forthcoming film is Chudiyan where she will appear opposite her son Abhishek Bachchan for the first time alongside Rani Mukerjee and Konkona Sen Sharma.
Jaya Bachchan became active in politics, notably with the Samajwadi Party and has been a Member of Parliament, representing Rajya Sabha till lately.