Jaya Bachchan's relationship with the paparazzi has always sparked plenty of opinions and chatter. At a recent event, the veteran actress remarked that she has "zero relationship" with them. The matter has since escalated, with well-known paparazzi photographers expressing their disappointment at her comments. They have even threatened to boycott the family, pointing out that they are the ones who cover Amitabh Bachchan as he greets his fans every Sunday, and questioning who'll provide coverage for her grandson Agastya Nanda's upcoming film Ikkis.
Paparazzi Reactions
Some of the industry's prominent paparazzi photographers, such as Pallav Paliwal, Manav Manglani, Viral Bhayani and Varinder Chawla, have shared their opinions following Jaya Bachchan's "gande pant remark" about them.
A member of Viral Bhayani's team responded to the insulting label, saying, "Humne kabhi kisi celebrity ko gaali nahi di. Hum jaante hain hum kya kar rahe hain, hum bhi insaan hain. (We have never abused any celebrity. We know what we are doing. We are human beings too)."
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Pallav Paliwal questioned what would happen to coverage of her grandson Agastya Nanda's film Ikkis if no paparazzi showed up.
He said, "It's unfortunate what she said. Amitabh ji comes outside his house every Sunday; no leading media covers it, it's us paps. Judging someone based on their appearance-people who work day and night... she might think that we aren't 'media,' but we are social media. It's a medium that's viewed faster than print and electronic. If Jaya ji can promote Agastya's film without paps, on her own, by posting on her social media pages, then okay. Aap itni badi hasti hain, aisa nahi bolna chahiye tha. (You are such a big celebrity, you shouldn't have said this.)"
Manav Manglani expressed deep respect for Jaya Bachchan but suggested that perhaps "she has not evolved to the digital era," and that maybe her children and grandchildren can teach her.
He continued, "At the same time, the sudden influx of some YouTubers and individual content creators with good followings has created some chaos in the field. These guys go to any extent to get some kind of response from celebs, which would make their videos viral, which is not ethical at all and needs to be stopped immediately."
Varinder Chawla spoke of how he has always respected requests made by big celebrities.
Revealing the same, he said, "Ranbir Kapoor said not to pap Raha, same for Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's Dua. In 2023, in fact, I got a video of Amitabh ji from Delhi. A fan stepped forward for a selfie; he pushed back roughly and shouted. Seeing his age and image, I sent it to his PR, who requested I not post it, so I didn't. Humne unki izzat rakhi (We respected their request). I am not saying all the boys in the field are right; I have told them to mind their language before, too. But she should know-are all the paps she is targeting really paps, or are YouTubers and fans mixed in? Kisi ko aise bura mat boliye. (Don't speak so badly about anyone). I told my colleagues to keep their self-respect and boycott them."
What Jaya Bachchan Said
At a recent event, Jaya Bachchan was asked about her much-discussed relationship with the paparazzi, and she responded, "Who are these people? Are they trained to represent this country?"
Further calling herself a product of the media, she said her father was a journalist and that she has immense respect for them.
Jaya Bachchan added, "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? (These people who wear their drainpipe tight, dirty pants, holding mobile phones - 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? Where do they come from? What kind of education do they have? What is their background?)"
The situation has gotten out of hand over time after her answer went viral, with paparazzi strongly responding and deciding to boycott her family.