Jaya Bachchan Says Marriage Is Outdated And Her Relationship With Paparazzi Is Zero

Jaya Bachchan spoke openly about marriage, family and the media during a recent conversation on Mojo Story (We The Women) by journalist Barkha Dutt.

The veteran actor said she now finds the institution of marriage outdated, but made it clear that her own marriage to Amitabh Bachchan remains deep and enduring.

She reminded listeners that she had been married to the same man for 52 years and added, with warmth, that she could not love him more than she does now.

Talking about young people, she said she does not want her granddaughter, Navya Naveli Nanda, to feel pressured into marriage. Jaya said times have changed, and young people are very smart.

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She joked that she is too old to advise them on how to bring up children and that the younger generation will outsmart their elders.

Jaya also shared a personal memory about how marriage was treated when she and Amitabh began their life together. She said they did not even sign the marriage register at first, and only signed it many years later.

Her remark underlined her view that a legal paper does not have to define a relationship.

When asked whether Amitabh agrees with her view on marriage, she smiled and said she had not asked him. She said he might call marriage the biggest mistake of his life, but she did not want to hear that.

She recalled that it was love at first sight for her and that Amitabh fell in love during the making of a film. The couple married in 1973 and has two children, Abhishek and Shweta.

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Jaya also spoke about paparazzi and social media. She said she respects journalists because she is the daughter of a journalist. At the same time, she made a clear distinction between professional journalists and people who randomly click videos and photos on their phones without permission.

She said those who take unwanted pictures and deliver nasty comments in between are not journalists to her. Jaya added that she has been trolled for her reactions to intrusive camerawork and that her relationship with such paparazzi is zero.