Amitabh Bachchan’s 6’2″ height inspired Jaya’s ‘lambu ji’ nickname

On a recent episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati, Amitabh Bachchan turned a chat about height into a warm family story. Jaya Bachchan, he recalled, called him “lambu ji” for several years — until his father, poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, asked her to stop.

“For many years, she used to call me lambu ji,” Amitabh said, as shared by Hindustan Times. “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.”

The conversation began with Ranbir Kapoor, who appeared on the show with Ravi Dubey and Sai Pallavi to promote Nitesh Tiwari’s Ramayana. Ranbir admitted he had often imagined himself as a taller version of Amitabh, with Alia Bhatt as a shorter version of Jaya, so the height difference would look good in photographs.

When the discussion turned to real measurements, Amitabh put numbers to the gap: he stands at 6 feet 2 inches, while Jaya is around 5 feet 3 or 4 inches tall. Ranbir joked that his own height was somewhere around Jaya’s.

For fans, the story lands because it is less about height than about household etiquette. A playful nickname between a young couple was quietly corrected by a father-in-law, and Jaya switched to calling Amitabh by his name. The detail feels specific, affectionate and from a different era of stardom.

A love story built over decades

The nickname is a small window into the Bachchans’ long equation. Amitabh and Jaya met on the sets of Guddi and later fell in love during Ek Nazar. After Zanjeer became a major hit, they married on June 3, 1973. More than five decades later, their family circle includes children Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan, and grandchildren Navya Naveli Nanda, Agastya Nanda and Aaradhya Bachchan.

Even in an industry of grand declarations, the detail stands out because it is about an everyday correction. A father-in-law setting a boundary for how his son should be addressed feels closer to Indian family life than to a starry romance.

Here’s the quick picture from the episode:

• The nickname: Jaya called Amitabh “lambu ji” for years.
• The intervention: Harivansh Rai Bachchan asked her to use his name instead.
• The height gap: Amitabh is 6’2″; Jaya is around 5’3″ or 5’4″.
• The film link: The guests were promoting Ramayana, out November 5, 2026.

Ramayana’s big-screen promise

Ranbir plays Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi plays Sita, and Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman. Yash is cast as Ravana and Sunny Deol as Hanuman. The epic is being made as a two-part adaptation, with the first instalment scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on November 5, 2026.

The episode itself is a reminder of how Indian promotional tours now run through television. A film team can share a couch, trade family stories, and leave audiences with a film date without a single hard sell.

Source: Hindustan Times

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#Amitabh Bachchan#Bollywood couples#celebrity anecdote#Harivansh Rai Bachchan#Jaya Bachchan#Kaun Banega Crorepati#Ramayana#Ranbir Kapoor