Jaya Bachchan was one of the most commercially successful actresses of the 1970s. Her performances in films such as Abhimaan, Zanjeer, Mili, Guddi, Silsila and Fiza are considered to be one of the finest in Bollywood. She is well-noted for her work with iconic directors, such as Satyajit Ray, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Yash Chopra. She is recognised as one of the finest Indian films actors, especially for her naturalistic style of acting and her ability to excel in both mainstream Bollywood and parallel cinema. 

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Actors who can play Jaya Bachchan's roles

Priyanka Chopra

One of Jaya Bachchan's most popular roles was in the 1973 film, Zanjeer. The Prakash Mehra directorial was written by Salim-Javed and is credited for introducing Amitabh Bachchan's image as the angry young man, but the film is also known for Jaya's performance as the chirpy street performer, Mala. In the 2013 remake of the film, Priyanka Chopra played the role but she was criticized for her over-the-top performance. 

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Alia Bhatt

The 1973 drama Abhimaan is considered to be one of Jaya Bachchan's iconic roles. Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the film starred Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan as a singing couple, whose respective career growths threaten to impede their marriage. If the film were to be remade today, Alia Bhatt would comfortably slip into Jaya's role as Uma, because she would be able to display the understated emotional maturity of the character with ease.  

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Deepika Padukone

Yash Chopra's 1981 romantic-drama, Silsila, is well-known for the love triangle between the lead actors Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Rekha. The film was a box-office flop but is now considered to be one of the greatest films in Bollywood cinema for its nuanced storytelling and evocative performances. If the film was remade today, Deepika Padukone would excel in the role of Jaya Bachchan's role of Shobha Malhotra. One can imagine Deepika using her incredible talents to display the complex emotions of the character. 

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