New Delhi: Actor Jaya Bachchan’s uneasy and often fiery relationship with the paparazzi has resurfaced in public debate following her recent comments at an event with journalist Barkha Dutt, which went viral. Her remarks, which questioned the credentials, behaviour and appearance of paps, have sparked strong responses from leading photographers who’ve been documenting Bollywood for decades.
During the interaction, Jaya Bachchan stated that she had “zero relationship” with the paparazzi and added, “I am the product of a media. 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 respect, tremendous respect for such people.”
However, it was her next statement that ignited backlash. Taking aim at those who film celebrities outside events, she commented, “Magar yeh jo bahar drainpipe tight, gande gande pant pehen ke, haath mein mobile leke… they think that 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 people? Kahan se aate hain? Kis tarah ka education hai? Kya background hai?”
Her remarks, perceived as classist and dismissive, prompted several well-known paparazzi to break their silence.
Manav Manglani reacts: “Eligible paps aren’t the ones making dirty comments”
In an exclusive interview with News9Live’s Bharati Dubey, leading photographer Manav Manglani criticised the generalisation in Jaya Bachchan’s comments. He argued that the problematic behaviour online often doesn’t come from professional paparazzi but from independent content creators.
He stated, “Eligible paps are not doing this. It is these outsiders… these YouTubers whose channels are monetised. They want something sensational out of a celebrity. We don’t need that; we never want anything sensational.” He also highlighted how PR teams often invite crowds to events, escalating chaos: “PR log ki galti hai.”
Varinder Chawla: “We’ve always addressed her as Jaya ji”
Veteran paparazzo Varinder Chawla recalled past incidents, asserting that the industry is aware of Jaya Bachchan’s temper. Still, he emphasised that the paparazzi have consistently shown her respect.
He explained, “Whenever Jaya ji has come to a red carpet or event, all our boys have always called her Jaya ji. No one has ever commented on her looks or appearance.”
Chawla also added that the paparazzi have always honoured requests from celebrities. He said, “When Virat-Anushka requested us not to click their child, we stopped. When Janhvi Kapoor asked us not to shoot her outside the gym daily, we respected that. If someone is uncomfortable, we understand.”
Pallav Paliwal: “Respect should go both ways”
Speaking to News9Live’s Sakshi Litoria, paparazzo Pallav Paliwal, while echoing respect for the veteran actor, called the statement “very unfortunate.” He said, “Categorising people on the basis of dress up is totally unacceptable. Social media is the fastest form of media today. No leading channel covers Amitabh Bachchan ji meeting fans on Sundays, it’s only the paparazzi who do that.”
He concluded firmly, “Give respect, take respect. We won’t be clicking them.”
(With inputs from Bharati K Dubey and Sakshi Litoria.)