Jaya Bachchan's animosity towards the paparazzi is known to all. On many occasions, the veteran actress has been spotted reprimanding or snapping at paparazzi for clicking pictures of her without her consent. But because of her “no-nonsense attitude” towards paps, Jaya Bachchan has found a fan in her Laaga Chunari Mein Daag co-star Konkona Sen Sharma. The actress-filmmaker, in an exclusive interview with ETimes, revealed that she “loves” Jaya Bachchan's “attitude when she scolds the paparazzi.” Konkana said, “She'd (Jaya Bachchan) tell us a lot of funny stories when we used to chat. I love her attitude even today when she scolds the paparazzi. I love her no-nonsense attitude. I love the way she carries herself with so much dignity, grace and humour. She is one of the gems.”
Jaya Bachchan has often been featured in headlines for her antipathy to media photographers. She loathes them and has also opened up about how much she “hates” the paparazzi in an episode for granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda's podcast What The Hell Navya. "I hate it. I despise it. I despise the people who interfere in your personal life and fill their stomachs by selling those products. I hate it, I'm disgusted with such people. I always tell them, I say, 'Aapko sharam nahi aati hai (Don't you feel ashamed?),'" Jaya Bachchan said when she featured alongside her daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda on the podcast.
Addressing her abhorrence of the paparazzi culture, Jaya Bachchan also added: “You can say, 'She is a bad actor, a bad parliamentarian' but you have no business sitting on the judgment of my personal character. 'She only knows how to get angry. Angry about what? You're intruding, interfering in my personal when I'm walking somewhere, you're taking my picture. Why? Am I not a human being?"
Earlier this year, Jaya Bachchan was in the spotlight after she berated photographers for taking her pictures despite being told to stop. The incident happened when Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan arrived at the Indore airport. They were welcomed with bouquets but as soon as the paparazzi began flashing lights and clicking pictures of the couple, Jaya Bachchan chided: “Please don't take my picture," and added, "You don't understand English?" in a sarcastic way. While moving forward, she continued: "Aise logon ko naukri se nikaal deni chahiye (such people should be fired)."
Last year too, at an event for Lakme Fashion Week, Jaya Bachchan told a paparazzo who stumbled that it “served him right”. She was accompanied by granddaughter Navya when, while clicking their pictures, a photographer almost fell to the ground. To this, Jaya Bachchan said: "Serves you right” and added, "I hope you double up and fall."
A few days after the Lakme Fashion Week incident, another video went viral which showed the veteran actress calling the paparazzi “intruders.”
Jaya Bachchan, in terms of work, will next be seen in Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. It is headlined by Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt.
