At ‘We The Women’ event in Mumbai earlier this week, Jaya Bachchan expressed her displeasure with the paparazzi as she said, “Yeh gande gande pant pehen ke, mobile leke [aa jaate hai]… They think that because they have a mobile, they can take your picture, say what they want. The kind of comments they pass!” While the senior actor’s sharp comments were deemed as “elitist” by several industry voices, the issue has now escalated further. Some of Bollywood’s paparazzi agencies are preparing to file a formal complaint with the Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) against the veteran actor’s remarks. They are said to be in discussions before submitting their official complaint.
Bachchan’s statements, where she questioned the background and attire of paparazzi, have left many in the community feeling demeaned, with some photo syndicates considering boycotting her. Speaking to mid-day, Manav Manglani, who runs an entertainment photo syndicate of about 20 stringers, said, “She doesn’t want to be clicked; we won’t click her. Jayaji is not someone who gets eyeballs anyway. If she is with her family and wishes to pose happily, then we may [photograph her].”
Manav Manglani and Varinder Chawla
Leading photographer Varinder Chawla, who runs an agency employing 15 stringers, told mid-day that the remarks were uncalled for. “We should have some self-respect and not cover her. Every time we have clicked her pictures, we have referred to her as Jayaji. She hasn’t been disrespected. It’s not okay for the privileged to insult those who are doing an honest day’s work. Jayaji’s comments need to be responded to and sternly so. Why couldn’t Jayaji have a conversation with us? We always listen. Ranbir [Kapoor] and Alia [Bhatt] asked us not to click Raha [their daughter], we don’t.”
Besides the complaint, the agencies, in association with CINTAA, are hoping to establish a code of conduct that addresses actors’ concerns about intrusion and safety, and paps’ concerns about mistreatment. Chawla admitted that zealous fans sometimes blend in with photographers, leading to incidents of verbal run-ins or crowding at events. The sentiment is that there is an urgent need for formal guidelines governing interactions between celebrities and photographers. “There is no unity among paps today; anyone with a camera gets clubbed with us and we get a bad name. There are fans posing as us, trying to get inappropriate with actors. Between Yogen Shah and me, we want to ensure that a meeting takes place with actors where we can discuss the issues. Earlier, we had requested Suniel Shetty sir to facilitate this,” added Chawla.
