Paparazzi hit back at Jaya Bachchan over ‘gandi pant’ remark, defend their role in media

Veteran actor Jaya Bachchan’s comments on the paparazzi sparked strong reactions on Monday. Speaking to journalist Barkha Dutt at an event, Jaya said she has “zero relationship” with photographers. “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,” she added.

The controversy began when she continued, “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?”

HT City reached out to several photographers, who expressed their disappointment. Pallav Paliwal said, “It’s unfortunate, what she said. Her grandson Agastya’s film Ikkis is going to release, what if the paps don’t come to cover the promotions? Amitabh ji comes outside his house every Sunday, no leading media covers it, it’s us paps. Judging someone on the basis of appearance… aap itni badi hasti hain, aisa nahi bolna chahiye tha.”

Manav Manglani added, “I respect Jaya ji a lot. But she has not yet evolved with the digital era. The sudden influx of YouTubers and content creators with followers has created some chaos, and some go to any extent to get viral responses. This is not ethical and needs to stop.”

Varinder Chawla shared, “I have been in the business for many years, and I respect celebrities’ wishes. But she should know—are all the people she’s targeting actual paps, or a mix of YouTubers and fans? Kisi ko aise bura mat boliye. I told my colleagues apni self respect rakhte hain, aur inko boycott karte hain.”

The remarks highlight a growing tension between traditional paparazzi and celebrities in the digital age, where the line between professional media and social media coverage continues to blur.