Jaya Bachchan, the veteran Bollywood actress and senior Samajwadi Party MP made it to the headlines yesterday for her angry outburst in the Rajya Sabha. “You’re bad days will be here soon…I curse you,” Jaya Bachchan said in the Upper House of the Parliament while discussing the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill.
The Samajwadi Party leader was apparently triggered when someone amongst the RS members questioned her about the summon sent to her daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the Panama Papers leak case by the Enforcement Directorate.
She went on to call out the Chair for not listening to the opposition: “…aap gala ghont dijie ham sabka (you please strangulate us),” she exclaimed in the Rajya Sabha.
The Opposition ruckus that followed, compelled the Chair to adjourn the Rajya Sabha till 5 pm on Monday, December 20.
Jaya Bachchan’s yesterday’s behaviour is unbecoming for a seasoned politician and a woman of her prominence. However, those who know her or have read about her, are not unversed with her anger and belligerence. Many a time the veteran actress has made headlines for her angry responses in front of the media or any other public forum.
Some say that some BJP leader called her statements ‘nautani’ (dramatics) and that is what triggered the meltdown. Samajwadi Party leaders have accused that such usage of word for Bachchan, a woman politician, is unparliamentary and should not be tolerated. They justified her anger and the subsequent cursing saying that such kind of personal remarks on a woman MP are not nice. However, Jaya Bachchan herself has over the years stayed quiet on such personal, sexist and insulting remarks meted out to her colleagues, many times by her own party leaders.
Jaya Bachchan’s selective outrage
One remembers Jaya Bachchan breaking down during a silent march held for the Nirbhaya gang-rape victim and expressing her condolences to the victim`s family saying she “understood their pain.” But when it came to speaking against the founder-patron of her own party-Mulayam Singh Yadav’s outrageous comment during the Shakti Mills rape case where he said ‘ladke hai, ladko se galtiyan ho jaati hai’, Jaya Bachchan remained tight-lipped.
That’s not all. Jaya Bachchan chose to keep mum when her co-actor and fellow MP Jaya Prada was being badgered with sexist and misogynistic comments by her own party leader but did not even bat an eyelid when it came to rebuking BJP MP Ravi Kishan for raising the drug abuse issue which is quite prevalent in Bollywood.
In September last year, while speaking in Rajya Sabha, the SP MP tore into Ravi Kishan, also a Bhojpuri actor, damning him for criticising something that provides them with their livelihood. “Jis thaali mein khaate hai, usi mein chhed karte hai“, lambasted Jaya Bachchan in the upper house.
The legendary actor’s devotion to the film industry is heartwarming. Despite the fact that Ravi Kishan was not revealing anything new to the general public, as it is well-known that Bollywood has long been linked to the drug mafia, the enraged and annoyed Jaya Bachchan screamed at the BJP MP for only speaking facts.
Jaya Bachchan had received flak then for trying to cover up Bollywood’s drug issue.
Besides, Jaya Bachchan, who is otherwise so opinionated and ‘righteous’, did not say a word when her co-star and colleague Jaya Prada alleged that her morphed, lewd pictures were being circulated by another Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan.
She did not speak when Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and MLA from Rampur constituency Azam Khan stooped even lower than his usual low self by making utterly outrageous “khaki underwear” remark against the then BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Rampur, Jaya Prada. Why wasn’t Jaya Bachchan seen standing shoulder to shoulder with Jaya Prada when she alleged that Azam Khan had attempted an acid attack on her?
Jaya Bachchan also remained silent when Azam Khan recited a sexist ‘poem’ for BJP MP Rama Devi.
These aforementioned instances are a few examples of Jaya Bachchan’s selective outrage. Now let’s revisit some other instances where the veteran actress has been caught blowing her gasket at the paparazzi, her fans and her political rivals.
Tameez seekho: Jaya Bachchan gets angry at her fan
Jaya Bachchan was leaving Hiroo Johar’s birthday event in March 2019 when an eager fan attempted to photograph her. She called him back right away to give him a piece of her mind. “Aap mobile pe kyun photo le rahe ho? Poocha mujhse aapne? Tameez seekho,” (why are you taking photos on your phone? Did you ask me? learn some manners), she said.
Jaya Bachchan slams paparazzi for addressing Aishwarya as ‘Aish’
During Subhash Ghai’s birthday bash in 2013, one of the photographers inadvertently referred to Aishwarya as Aish. Outraged by the paparazzi’s deliberation of addressing Aishwarya by her first name rather than respectfully as ‘Aishwarya ma’am,’ Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya’s mother-in-law, lashed out at the photographers, saying: “Ye Aishwarya kya hota hain huh?, Tumhari class mein padhti thi kya?” (What is this Aishwarya? Did she study in your class?).
When a BJP Youth leader declared a bounty on WB CM Mamata Banerjee’s head
“Gaayon ko aap bacha sakte hai par mahilaon pe atyachar ho raha hai. Kis tarah se aap log baat kar rahe hai?” (You’ll save cows but remain silent on the atrocities on women. How are you’ll talking?), the agitated Jaya Bachchan blasted when a youth leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party declared a bounty of Rs 11 lakh on Mamata Banerjee’s head in the year 2017.
‘Don’t do that, stupid’
When Jaya Bachchan was leaving Ganpati Darshan in 2017, a fan sought to grab a selfie with her. This irritated her, and she said angrily, “Don’t do that, stupid!”
Jaya Bachchan haughtly replies to papparazi: ‘I am not the spokesperson for the rest of my family’
Jaya Bachchan was asked a question about Amitabh Bachchan during a press conference. “Mera naam kya hai??,” the actress-wife retorted. Bachchan saab ko aap unse poochiye. Jaaiye press conference chal raha hai unka. Wahan jaaiye na, please poochiye. (What is my name? You can ask Bachchan sir about him. His press conference is going on elsewhere, you can go there and ask…please ask.) I am not the spokesperson for the rest of my family, she said arrogantly.
The SP MP calls the paparazzi ‘Jungli’… asks then not to ‘act smart’
In 2014 when the entire Bachchan family had stepped out to cast their votes. “Aise jungli ke tarah behave kar rahe hai! (How are you behaving like wild animals?)” she angrily remarked looking at the photographers. Her son, Abhishek Bachchan had then calmed her down.
The same year, during the launch party, she lashed out at a reporter when she was asked a question unrelated to her sister-in-law Ramola Bachchan’s store: “Aap bataiye, yeh jagah hai yeh sawaal poochne ka? Don’t act smart with me,” she said.
In 2017, at actor Esha Deol’s godh bharai ceremony, Jaya Bachchan chastised a priest for attempting to photograph celebrities. When someone from the pandit’s team was taking a selfie, she remarked curtly: “Aap puja mein dhyan dijiye.”
Reprimands students for clicking her
The actress-turned-MP was at Mumbai’s NM College for their annual fest in 2016 when she abruptly left one ‘discussion’ to reprimand students for photographing her. “Please stop taking pictures. I hate it because it’s right into my eyes. These are basic manners which we Indians have to learn. Just because you have a camera and a mobile, you have the freedom of take anyone’s picture anytime, without asking that person! These are basic educations that all colleges and schools and parents at home should teach their children. It’s very annoying. I have the freedom to say no from being photographed. I am trying to chat here. You are sitting right in front of me, clicking right into my eyes. I hate indiscipline,” Jaya snapped.
“Aap picture kheech lijiye phir main baat karungi,” (You click pictures after which I shall talk), she exclaimed as she became angry and dropped her mike in the middle of the discussion.
Jaya Bachchan yanks the microphone for being asked a unrelated question
At a function in 2011, Jaya Bachchan yanked the microphone away and screamed at a reporter who asked her about the Union Budget. The fact that the journalist was “asking a political question” at an unconnected event irritated her.
