Updated: September 17, 2020 4:53:07 pm
Jaya Bachchan has often raised her voice without drawing attention to herself or her accomplishments. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)
If any reader thinks Kangana Ranaut’s Bollywood attack will sell out soon, giving late night news parties a much-needed break and leaving the BMC to do some real work, then they are wrong. Because it is just beginning. Months after the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput, the combative Queen star has been attacking “Bullywood” by attacking nepotism, blaming the “mafia” of Hindi cinema for her death and even alleging drug addiction among her colleagues. With a constant campaign based on taking on the high and mighty of Bollywood, he went off course on the road after his public feud with Maharashtra’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, with the high drama ending in his Bandra office being demolished. , the provocations of the Panga actress have made her the leading news producer and the most popular social media property in India today, overcoming even pressing issues like Covid-19 and the weak economy. In her new avatar as Agent Provocateur, Kangana has shown that she can turn heads. For her fans and followers, she has what they call “the guts.” The result is that she has been celebrated as a feminist in these circles for standing up to Shiv Sena and giving outsiders a voice but, more importantly, for championing Sushant’s cause and keeping interest in him alive. To her critics, she is a loose cannon and another bloodied nationalist bowing to the Modi government. (She has denied playing the propaganda role.) For the film industry in general, her scathing comments reek of ingratitude.
Finally it took a woman from the industry to silence Kangana Ranaut. That woman is the fearsome Jaya Bachchan. Speaking in Parliament on September 15, Ms Bachchan criticized those concerted attempts to tarnish show business with a stern expression: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” “The people who have made a name for themselves in this movie industry have called it a gutter. I completely disagree. I hope the government tells those people not to use this kind of language, ”roared the deputy from the Samajwadi Party. And the fight continues, with the 33-year-old striking back, this time dragging Abhishek and Shweta Bachchan away.
B for Bachchan, B for Blunt
At Jaya Bachchan, Kangana may have met her partner. Ms. Bachchan is known for being outspoken, the complete opposite of her husband Amitabh Bachchan’s dignified diplomacy and confident approach to everything, especially politics. Jaya’s defense of her industry should come as no surprise. This is not the first time he has spoken his mind, either. In December last year, in response to the gang rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad, she suggested a “public lynching”. In her Rajya Sabha speech, she expressed her concern for women’s safety and crimes against women, urging the Modi government to give “an adequate and very definite response.” In 2012, she collapsed in Parliament protesting the Nirbhaya case. “I am very concerned for the parents of this girl. Everyone will forget but she will remember for the rest of her life. It will be a scar and a terrible mental torture rather than physical, ”she said at the time.
In Jaya Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut may have met her partner. (Express Photo by Renuka Puri)
While Amitabh Bachchan has been very cautious about her difficult relationship with Congress, Jaya Bachchan, on the other hand, was not afraid to express her dislike of the big game to NDTV in 2010, “Congress has not been fair to me.” Unlike her husband, who may have severed all ties with Congress but claims to have friends from across the political spectrum (he even shares a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi), Jaya belongs to the socialist ideology of the Samajwadi Party after having made his political debut with them in 2004. He is currently in his fourth term. In an industry that is wary of politics, the 72-year-old is the rare movie star to have succeeded in her parliamentary career. This puts her in the same category as other successful stars-turned-politicians like Hema Malini, Jaya Prada, Smriti Irani, Shatrughan Sinha (whose wife Poonam took on rival Samajwadi party in 2019) and the late Vinod Khanna.
It was reportedly the powerful duo Mulayam Singh Yadav and the late Amar Singh who recruited Jaya Bachchan into politics after Big B resigned from ‘rajniti’ following the Bofors fiasco. Speaking about his political role, he told writer and journalist Bhawana Somaaya in 2017: “I like to visit parliament, listen to discussions and ask questions. It is a stimulating environment and opens your view of the world. I am fortunate to have a home in both Mumbai and Delhi, and to be part of the cinema and the political world. They are both different and attractive. “
Meeting with porridges
In the same interview, she calls herself “a free bird, too independent to be tied down.” That kind of frank conversation explains why Jaya Bachchan is popular in the press. But at times, her strong personality coupled with her combative demeanor and sincere demeanor have turned her into an “angry woman,” a nickname that once suited her superstar spouse. Parents often report that she “lost her cool”, either criticizing the media for addressing daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai as “Ash” (“Is she your classmate?”) Or responding with a scathing “I’m not spokesperson for my family “when asked about her husband. At times, her honesty has cost her dear friends. Even her own children are not immune from her attacks. Case in point: The time she dismissed Happy New Year (2014) of his son Abhishek as “absurd”, a statement that had reportedly sparked a rift with Shah Rukh Khan.
Read also | Jaya Bachchan defends Bollywood at Rajya Sabha: ‘To divert attention, the film industry is being flogged on social media’ | Kangana reacts to Jaya’s thaali comment, Swara says her comments are disgusting | ‘Respect’: Sonam, Farhan and Taapsee praise Jaya in her speech in Parliament
For Dean Bachchan, who came of age in the significant era of Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Guddi was her breakthrough), Satyajit Ray (made her teenage debut with Mahanagar in 1963) and Gulzar (Koshish) and someone whose acting credentials were evident thanks to its passage. At the prestigious FTII, lightweights like Happy New Year will definitely not make the cut. She gave up a legendary career to start a family (she agreed to work with Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer when he was nobody while she was a bona fide star) and even while she remained in Big B’s shadow for decades, she has managed to create it. own niche, first as an actor and then as a politician. Kangana Ranaut fans delight in calling her “brave.” But ‘brave’ is a label Jaya Bachchan uses lightly, something the younger actress would do well to learn.
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