Jaya Bachchan slams paps; calls them rats with phones | WATCH

New Delhi: Veteran Bollywood icon Jaya Bachchan has no love lost for paparazzi. In a candid chat, she called her bond with them "zero" and compared them to rats sneaking into homes with phone cameras.

Drawing from her media family roots, Jaya questions their credentials while blasting stars who summon paps for airport pics. Her fiery words spark debate on privacy vs fame in celeb culture. 

Jaya Bachchan, a respected figure in Indian cinema, opened up about her views on paparazzi during a conversation with journalist Barkha Dutt on the #WeTheWomen platform. She made it clear that while she cherishes the media, paparazzi are a different story. "My relationship with media is fantastic, I am the product of media. But my relationship with paparazzi is zero," Jaya said.

She questioned their legitimacy and training, pointing to her own background. "Who are these people? Are they trained to represent the people of this country? You call them media? I come from the media; my father was a journalist. I have immense, tremendous respect for such people," the actor stated. Jaya went further, criticising their appearance and behaviour: "But yeh jo bahar gande, tight pant pehnke, hath mein mobile leke (they wear cheap tight pants and have a mobile in their hand), 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 people? Kahan se aate hain, kis tarah ka education hai? Kya background hai? Will they represent us? Just because they can get through to YouTube or whatever social platform?" 

Jaya also dismissed social media hate, sharing a light-hearted anecdote. One of her staff members in Delhi told her, "She doesn't use any social network because I am the most hated person on social media." Jaya replied, "I said that I don't care, I don't give a damn. You hate me; it's your opinion. My opinion is that I dislike you immensely. You think that you can be like a chuha (rat) who can get into somebody's house with a mobile camera." This strong stance highlights her no-nonsense approach to privacy invasion. 

The 76-year-old actor disapproves of young celebrities staging paparazzi moments. "If you have to call people to take your photos at the airport, what kind of celebrity are you?" she questioned, noting even her grandson Agastya Bachchan stays off social networks. Jaya was last seen in the 2023 hit Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani and has Dil Ka Darwaaza Khol Na Darling upcoming with Vikas Bahl. Her comments remind the industry of dignity amid the social media frenzy.