Some Sunday evenings in Mumbai never change. Outside Jalsa, Amitabh Bachchan’s home in Juhu, fans gather at the gate, waiting for the wave they have come to expect for more than four decades. On November 1, the wave came as usual. What surrounded it did not.
This time, the 84-year-old actor stood on his familiar raised platform behind panels of transparent bulletproof glass, fitted on three sides. His son Abhishek Bachchan stood close by as security personnel watched over the crowd. The ritual went on, but the frame around it told a different story.
A 42-year-old ritual, with a new layer of security
The Sunday darshan is one of Bollywood’s oldest traditions. For 42 years, Bachchan has stepped out of Jalsa on Sunday evenings to greet fans who gather outside, many of them travelling long distances just for a glimpse. He usually stands on a wheeled platform so the crowd can see him better, and waves in his signature style.
On Sunday, the platform was the same, but the glass was new. In videos from the evening, Bachchan, dressed in a blue denim shirt, waves from inside the transparent enclosure while fans cheer from behind barricades. Abhishek, who had also accompanied his father the previous Sunday when security was already heavy, was again by his side, a gesture fans were quick to notice and praise online.
It is not yet clear whether the bulletproof glass was installed on an official security recommendation or as a personal precaution. That detail matters, and for now, neither the family nor the police have confirmed it publicly.
Why security has tightened around Jalsa
The extra protection follows a threatening email reported to Mumbai Police on October 23. According to officials, the email threatened bomb blasts at several locations, including Bachchan’s home, and warned of an attack on Jalsa between October 31 and November 27. It also mentioned singer Diljit Dosanjh’s November 27 concert venue in Mumbai. Police launched an investigation, and security around the actor’s home has been visibly heavier since.
The timing has added to the unease. Around two weeks earlier, actor Tiger Shroff’s vehicle was fired at in Juhu, an incident that put celebrity security in the area under fresh scrutiny. Taken together, the threat email and the firing have changed how a routine Sunday now looks outside one of Mumbai’s most famous addresses.
For his part, Bachchan has also been telling fans he needs rest. In a recent blog post, he wrote about adjusting and giving his body time to recover, after doctors advised him to slow down his usual online activity. The Sunday appearance, then, was not just a greeting. It was a statement that the ritual continues, even when the circumstances around it do not feel routine.
What fans saw, and what it means
For the crowd outside Jalsa, little about the warmth of the moment changed. Fans still gathered, still cheered, and still got their wave. What changed is what the moment now requires: barricades, police presence, and a sheet of glass between a star and the people who have adored him for generations.
That image, a beloved actor waving from behind protective glass, is likely to stay in public memory longer than most Sunday gatherings. It captures something real about fame in 2026: the affection has not dimmed, but the precautions around it have grown sharper.
Whether the glass becomes a permanent part of the Sunday darshan or a temporary response to a specific threat remains to be seen. For now, the tradition survives, protected and a little more distant, but unbroken.
FAQs
Why was Amitabh Bachchan behind bulletproof glass on November 1?
He greeted fans from behind a transparent bulletproof enclosure at Jalsa during his weekly Sunday darshan, amid heightened security after a threatening email reported to Mumbai Police on October 23.
Was Abhishek Bachchan with him?
Yes, Abhishek Bachchan stood beside his father during the appearance, as he had the previous Sunday when security was already tightened.
What did the threat email say?
According to officials, it threatened attacks at several locations, including Jalsa between October 31 and November 27, and mentioned Diljit Dosanjh’s November 27 concert venue. Police are investigating.
How long has the Sunday darshan been going on?
For 42 years, Bachchan has greeted fans outside Jalsa almost every Sunday evening.
Is the bulletproof glass permanent?
That is not confirmed yet. It is unclear whether it was installed on police advice or as a personal precaution, and whether it will stay.
Stay with Informeia for the latest Bollywood and Mumbai updates as this story develops.
