“Kahan Se Aate Hain?”: Angry Jaya Bachchan Says Her Relationship With Paparazzi Is “Zero”. Watch
Jaya Bachchan once again slammed the paparazzi, questioning their credibility and asking whether they are even trained to represent media.
Veteran actress Jaya Bachchan has long been known for her sharp reactions to paparazzi and unexpected photography. And once again, the actress-politician has found herself in headlines for her views on paparazzi culture. Speaking during a panel conversation with Barkha Dutt at the ‘We The Women’ event in Mumbai, the veteran star criticised the growing intrusiveness of paparazzi and the casual disrespect she believes they often display while clicking celebrities in public.
Jaya Bachchan acknowledged that while she shares a strong relationship with the traditional media, her equation with paparazzi is far from pleasant. A video of the same is going viral on social media.
Check out the video here:
She even referred to them as “rats,” suggesting they can invade anyone’s privacy using nothing more than a mobile phone. Jaya also condemned the increasing trend of celebrities intentionally calling paparazzi to the airport just to be photographed.
Clarifying the distinction between media and paps, she said, “My relationship with media is fantastic, I am the product of media. But my relationship with paparazzi is zero. Who are these people? Are they trained to be representing the people of this country? You call them media? I come from media – my father was a journalist. I have immense, tremendous respect for such people.”
Elaborating further, she added, “But yeh jo bahar gande, tight pant pehnke, haath mein mobile leke – they think just because they have a mobile, they can take your picture and say what they want. And the kind of comments they pass! What kind of people are these? Kahan se aate hain? Kis tarah ka education hai? Kya background hai? They will represent us? Just because they can get through to YouTube or some platform?”
Jaya also recalled an incident where a staff member in Delhi told her that she was widely disliked online. The actress responded unfazed, saying she couldn’t care less about public opinion if it stemmed from trolling. “She told me I am the most hated person on social media. I said I don’t give a damn. You hate me, it’s your opinion. My opinion is I dislike you immensely. You think you can be like a chuha (rat) with a mobile camera, entering someone’s home,” Jaya said.
She also addressed the growing culture of celebrity-pap collaborations, particularly airport call-ins for visibility. Without naming anyone, Jaya Bachchan noted that young actors today often chase social media traction — something her own grandson Agastya Bachchan refuses to do. “My grandson is young, but he is not on social network. If you have to call people to take your photos at the airport, what kind of celebrity are you?” she questioned.
Jaya Bachchan has spoken about her discomfort with paparazzi photography many times before and has frequently reprimanded photographers at events when boundaries were crossed.
Meanwhile, on the work front, she was last seen in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’ (2023) and will next appear in Vikas Bahl’s ‘Dil Ka Darwaaza Khol Na Darling’.
