Jaya Bachchan ‘doesn’t even know what paparazzi look like,’ says Anjali Anand amid viral video discussions

Bollywood veteran Jaya Bachchan often grabs headlines for her firm responses to paparazzi and no-nonsense demeanor in public spaces. Viral videos of her asking photographers to stop clicking frequently lead to social media branding her as “rude” or “arrogant.” However, her co-star from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Anjali Anand, has come forward to offer a different perspective, calling Jaya “the cutest person on the planet” and highlighting how she is often misunderstood.

Speaking on a podcast with Filmygyan, Anjali addressed the viral paparazzi videos. She said, “She is the cutest person on the planet. She is also a grandmother, and people forget that. She’s walking with her granddaughter, and she doesn’t even know what paparazzi look like. Woh thodi raaste pe chalte hain, voh apne mehalon mein rehte hain, unka ho gaya hai, ab voh aaraam kar rahi hain, unko mat disturb karo. Aur agar kar bhi rahe ho, then be ready for a reply. She’s a grandmother who lives in palaces, goes on holidays to Italy, travels in big cars — she doesn’t even know what paparazzi look like! So if someone tries to take a picture of her granddaughter, of course she’ll stop them. I’m sure she must also be laughing at those videos.”

Anjali also shared her personal experience of working with Jaya on the set of the Karan Johar-directed film. “She is a sweetheart. She has fed me when I was hungry on set. She’s made me laugh in the middle of scenes. We used to hang out the most because most of my scenes were with her, so it was a lot of fun. Sabse pehle aake sabki taang kheenchengi set pe and she’ll say the funniest of things. She is not even one per cent of what people portray her as. But why should she be cute to everyone? She’ll be warm only with her people. She doesn’t need to pretend,” Anjali explained.

Anjali played the role of Jaya Bachchan’s granddaughter in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, which also starred Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, and Kshitee Jog. The film was a commercial success, grossing ?357.5 crore worldwide.

Outside of this project, Anjali Anand was last seen in Dabba Cartel, alongside Shabana Azmi and Jyotika, and she is slated to appear in Dhamaal 4, expected in 2026. Jaya Bachchan, meanwhile, has yet to announce her next project after Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.