Jaya Bachchan’s comments on paparazzi’s clothes show ‘how she views the common man’, says photographer: ‘They earn very little’

He further explained how several celebrities have respectfully set boundaries with the media. “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. Till date, we have respected that request and never photographed their kids.”

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Speaking about how the media responded internally, Varinder revealed, “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 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.”

Varinder also pointed out that Jaya Bachchan could have handled the situation differently. “When people went crazy clicking Taimur, Kareena Kapoor later requested us to stop citing security concerns, and we immediately obliged. Jaya ji could have taken a similar approach. If she had issues with the language or attire of the photographers, she could have conveyed it respectfully and we would have listened.”

He added that if she is truly uncomfortable with being photographed, she has practical alternatives. “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.”

 

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Varinder emphasised that Jaya Bachchan’s remarks deeply hurt the paparazzi community. “Many of my employees come from financially modest backgrounds. They earn very little, and from that, they manage travel, household expenses, and everything else. If they were highly educated or financially privileged, they wouldn’t be working here. Commenting on someone’s clothes without knowing their background is unfair.” He went on to say that her remarks extended beyond the paparazzi. “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.”

Addressing Jaya Bachchan’s statement — ‘If you have to invite paparazzi to click your pictures, then what kind of celebrity are you?’ — Varinder countered, “Even in her own family, whether it’s Abhishek Bachchan or Aishwarya Rai, we are invited to cover their promotional events when their films release. No major star personally calls us to click pictures. We are invited by PR teams and organisers, regardless of how big or established the celebrity is.”

Earlier, while speaking to Barkha Dutt on Mojo Story, Jaya Bachchan had drawn a clear distinction between media and paparazzi. She said, “My relationship with the media is fantastic. I am a product of the media. My father was a journalist, and I have immense respect for them. But my relationship with paparazzi is zero. Who are these people? Are they trained to represent the people of this country?”

She further added, “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?”