Paparazzi hit back at Jaya Bachchan: ‘If you don’t want to be clicked, use the back entrance’

paparazi hit back at jaya bachchan

• Jaya Bachchan's criticism of paparazzi professionalism sparks photographers' backlash.
• Photographer Varinder Chawla defended paparazzi, urging respect for their work
• Celebrities like Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have set boundaries with paparazzi

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Veteran Bollywood actor and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan has once again stirred a heated debate with her candid remarks about paparazzi culture — and this time, photographers are firing back. The long-standing tension between the actress and celebrity photographers escalated recently after Jaya openly criticised the conduct and professionalism of paps, prompting a strong response from those on the other side of the lens.

Speaking at a public event in Mumbai, Jaya made it clear that while she holds deep respect for traditional journalism, her relationship with paparazzi is “zero”. She questioned whether photographers chasing celebrities with mobile phones are trained or qualified to represent the media, a statement that quickly went viral and reignited old disagreements over privacy and paparazzi behaviour.

Reacting to her comments, senior celeb photographer Varinder Chawla pushed back in a recent interview, emphasising that many paparazzi work tirelessly for modest earnings and deserve respect rather than disparaging remarks.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Chawla shared, “We personally felt very bad about her remarks against my employees. All of us were hurt. There are multiple ways to express your views, but this was not the way to do it." Further explaining how many actors have set boundaries with the media, he shared, “Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, all of them invited the paparazzi for tea and politely requested us not to click their children. To date, we have respected that request and never photographed their kids."

“Many photographers discussed that if Jaya ji doesn’t want us to click her, then perhaps we should stop doing so altogether. Not as a boycott, but simply by telling her politely that we won’t click on her anymore. Not once have our boys misbehaved with her. They always address her respectfully as ‘Jaya ji’. God knows why she appears so frustrated all the time, but this has been her nature for years," the paparazzo further continued.

He further shared, “Every event has two entries, the red carpet and the back entry. If you don’t want to be clicked, quietly enter from the back. Your PR team and event organisers can easily guide you. But if you deliberately walk the red carpet and then create a scene, it doesn’t make sense."

“Jaya ji must have several staff members at home who wear uniforms. But behind the scenes, who knows their financial situation or personal struggles? Her comments don’t just affect photographers but everyone working in the industry, including spot boys. It reflects how she views the common man," he made this statement in response to the veteran star's comment about the clothing that camerapersons wear.

Also read: Hindustani Bhau slams Jaya Bachchan over paparazzi comment, says, "woh khud 150 Rs ki saree pehenti hai", asks paps, 'Kayko jata hai waha agar izzat nahi milti?'

For the unversed, Jaya spoke to Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, and said, “Yeh jo bahar gande, tight pant pehnke, haath mein mobile leke ghoomte hain, they think that just because they have a mobile phone, they can take your picture and say whatever they want. The kind of comments they pass, kahan se aate hain, kis tarah ka education hai, kya background hai? And these people will represent us? Just because they can upload content on YouTube or social media platforms?"