Kamal Ghorui
Bollywood paparazzo Manav Manglani has shared his take on the Bachchan family’s relationship with the paparazzi, especially in light of Jaya Bachchan’s controversial remarks on the culture. Speaking on a podcast, he highlighted how different members of the family engage with photographers, while also addressing the backlash that followed Jaya’s comments.Opening up about their interactions, Manglani offered a candid breakdown of who is more approachable and who still finds it difficult to adapt to the changing media landscape.“Abhishek knows the kind of medium we come from. Aishwarya is very close, so she knows the paps. Bachchanji also knows us inside out, but he is not that interactive with the paps. He hardly interacts, but Abhishek and Aishwarya do. Jayaji has not been able to gauge this medium to date. She is stuck in the traditional space where there are newspapers, journalists, etc. So she doesn’t understand the paparazzi medium. Sometimes it comes as a shock for her to see so many people shooting with their mobile phones,” he told Meri Saheli.
‘She says don’t come on me’
Reflecting further on Jaya Bachchan’s equation with photographers, Manglani said she is still adapting to the culture and has specific boundaries when it comes to being photographed.“Initially, she would ask where they came from and since they were not the media, why they clicked her photos. She is now getting used to it. Her only problem is not to get into her face. She says not to click her while walking. She always says, ‘Stand in one place, I will come, pose and leave, don’t come on me.’ She also slams anyone who clicks her at the wrong angle. She is slowly getting accustomed to it,” he added.
On Jaya Bachchan’s controversial remark
Manglani’s comments come months after Jaya Bachchan’s sharp criticism of paparazzi culture at the We The Women event in Mumbai, which sparked backlash from the paparazzi community.At the event, Jaya had questioned the credibility and conduct of paparazzi, saying, “Who are these people? Are they trained to represent this country? … they think that because they have a mobile, they can take your picture and say what they want.”Reacting to the controversy, Manglani said, “Even I couldn’t understand why she said that. Maybe she was in a bad mood.” Following her remarks, several members of the paparazzi fraternity had called for a boycott of the Bachchan family.
