(L-R) Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and his wife Jaya Bachchan pose with their son Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as they arrive at the 9th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Bangkok June 8, 2008

Being married to Bollywood’s biggest name must not be easy. It is hard enough to deal with all the attention directed at your spouse, yet when the attention is deflected your direction, dealing with ensuing publicity (and potential fallout) is even tougher.

Such is the case with Jaya Bachchan, wife to Bollywood’s larger-than-life superstar, Amitabh, and mother to the industry’s hottest son, Abhishek.

In an exclusive, yet-to-be published interview with People (India) Magazine, Jaya Bachchan talks about dealing with rumors about her husband’s romantic relationship with another Bollywood star, her involvement in a recent political controversy, her family’s estrangement with the Gandhi political machine, and her motherly connection to Shah Rukh Khan.

The issue comes out only one week after Amitabh Bachchan was discharged from a Mumbai hospital; he was hospitalized for seven days for abdominal pain.

“A human being at a very vulnerable age and time gets carried away either way,” she told People of all the rumors and controversies surrounding her and her family. “If you are sad, you are sad, and if you are happy, you are happy.”

Such was the tone of Jaya Bachchan’s interview with the magazine, which is set to be published in the magazine’s October 24th issue throughout India.

When asked about how she remained married to her husband of 35 years, Amitabh, she told People the trick is to give each other space.

“You must not get too possessive, especially in our profession, where you know things aren’t going to be easy,” she candidly said. “(I) just leave him alone.”

Following up on her marriage, Jaya Bachchan was asked about a variety of rumors linking Amitabh to various heartthrobs, including an alleged affair with Rekha. Both starred side-by-side in numerous Bollywood films, and Indian tabloids attempted to link the two together.

“People liked (Amitabh and Rekha) as a couple on screen, and that’s fine,” Jaya Bachchan told the interviewer. “The media tried linking him with every one of his heroines. My life would have been hell if I had taken it all seriously. We are made of sterner stuff.”

While Jaya Bachchan said she would not mind her husband working with Rekha again in a future film, she thought it would be tougher for the Bachchans to ever be on good terms with the Gandhi family.

As the Bachchans are the first family of Bollywood, the powerful Gandhis are the first family of Indian politics. No relation to Mahatma Gandhi, several members of the Gandhi family have served the country as prime minister and party leader.

Currently, Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, is the head of the popular Congress party. Her son Rahul is a Member of Parliament.

After both families severed ties, the relationship between the two families resurfaced last month when Sonia Gandhi feared for Jaya Bachchan’s safety in the state of Maharashtra (home state of Mumbai) after she (Jaya) made comments many thought were offensive.

“I suppose being the leader of the party that governs this state, she may have inquired (about my safety),” the first lady of Bollywood said of the situation. “Did it (the strained relationship) have to happen in the first place?”

The issue in Maharashtra placed Jaya Bachchan in the middle of a political maelstrom. When she visited the state during the release of a Bollywood movie, she stated that because she was from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, she prefers to speak Hindi. However, Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra, and many viewed her statements as anti-Marathi.

In response, movie posters and television commercials featuring Amitabh Bachchan were taken down throughout the state, and the entire Bachchan family was reportedly targeted for attack.

Jaya Bachchan told People she was hurt when Raj Thackery, a high-ranking official in Maharashtra, publicly stated that she was an old lady who did not have any sense.

“Of course, yes, I was hurt,” Jaya Bachchan said. “I am more hurt that the conscience-keepers of this nation kept quiet when he used this kind of language.”

Bollywood’s most famous mother, Jaya Bachchan, also said she had a soft spot for Shah Rukh Khan, and was pleased to see him attend the premiere of Drona last month.

Khan’s relationship with the Bachchans has been limited since Abhishek Bachchan married Aishwarya Rai. Both Rai and Khan had a falling out a few years ago.

“I have a weakness for Shah Rukh,” Jaya Bachchan said of Khan. “I have connected with him in my soul, and that’s it.”

Jaya Bachchan went on to say that she was not happy of the way Khan responded to the tussle between Rai and Salman Khan, but he was still welcome to Rai’s wedding with Abhishek Bachchan.

“If we could have invited him, we would have changed the date of the wedding,” she humbly said.

People asked Jaya Bachchan a few other questions about her life in Bollywood. While she pointed out that her family has been through a lot as the industry’s most popular and visible family, Jaya Bachchan said that the entire experience made her and her family stronger.

The entire interview will be published in People India on October 24th and will be available on newsstands worldwide.