When Amitabh Bachchan Identified ‘Prateeksha’ as the House Behind Sujit Kumar’s Bungalow

BY SHARAD RAI

On the scales of time, destiny works like the two pans of a balance—sometimes one side dips, sometimes the other rises. It was the same time that once placed Sujit Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan in adjacent homes, like two pans of a weighing scale. From there, their destinies gradually charted their own paths. When the late actor Sujit Kumar was alive, he once narrated the interesting story of buying the land where Amitabh Bachchan’s bungalow ‘Prateeksha’ now stands.

Sujit Kumar Was Rajesh Khanna’s Trusted Co-Star

Sujit Kumar was one of those actors who was everyone’s friend. When Rajesh Khanna was at the peak of his superstardom, Sujit Kumar used to be the second hero in almost all his films—Aradhana, Kati Patang, and many others. Sujit Kumar had his own bungalow in Juhu. This bungalow still stands today, right behind what is now known as ‘Prateeksha’. Back then, there was no Prateeksha—just a cottage. In those days, Juhu had several cottages scattered among rising buildings, like Janaki Cottage, Prithvi Cottage, etc.

Amitabh had already moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) and lived with Jaya Bhaduri, turning their FTII friendship into marriage, in a rented house in Khar. Sujit Kumar belonged to Banaras and Amitabh to Allahabad; naturally, the two became close friends. Sujit, being the bigger star at the time, affectionately called Amitabh “Lambuaa.”

One day, Sujit Kumar told Amitabh, “Lambuaa, there’s a cottage next to my bungalow. Will you stay there? I know paying rent in Khar is difficult for you, but living in a cottage in Bombay is no small thing.”

The cottage belonged to a Patel, and a dancing girl lived there. Patel wanted to sell the cottage to Sujit to get rid of the dancer. Amitabh discussed the matter with Jaya Bhaduri. Jaya, being short in height, was preferred by Bengali directors, but whenever she spoke to them about Amitabh, his tall height became an obstacle. Amitabh convinced Jaya, and when it came to paying for the cottage, he said, “Where do we have the money?” Somehow, Amitabh arranged some money, Jaya arranged some, and the deal for the little cottage was finalised.

Sujit Kumar recalled,
“The rest of the story is known to all… In those days, whenever Amitabh introduced his house to someone, he would say—‘The house next to Sujit Kumar’s bungalow.’” The bungalow that is now ‘Prateeksha’, valued at nearly ₹400 crore, was once described as “the house next to actor Sujit Kumar’s bungalow.”
Such is the scale of time—Amitabh’s stature kept rising, while Sujit Kumar’s slowly faded. Today, ‘Prateeksha’ is a major landmark in the entire Juhu area of Mumbai. One survey even claimed that if you simply write “Amitabh – Prateeksha” on an envelope, a letter would reach from anywhere in the world.

In later years, Sujit Kumar became a hero in Bhojpuri films, while Lambuaa’s destiny lines only grew longer and brighter. A time came when Sujit Kumar had to introduce his own house by saying— “My bungalow is the one next to Prateeksha.”

Such is the play of time!

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