Veteran actress Supriya Pathak has weighed in on the ongoing debate surrounding India’s intense paparazzi culture, offering a grounded perspective following Jaya Bachchan’s recent “gandi pants” remark. In a candid interview recently, the ‘Khichdi’ star reflected on how the digital age has amplified the “temporary” nature of fame, comparing the current social media boom to the influx of talent during the television revolution of the 90s.
Supriya Pathak on Jaya Bachchan’s ‘gandi pants’ remark
Reacting to Jaya’s recent remarks on the current paparazzi culture, Supriya shared her honest perspective during a chat with Bollywood Bubble. The actress opened up, “I personally feel that it’s all momentary. Mujhe lagta hai ki yeh jo daur hai — agar aapke andar dum hai, toh aap last out karoge. Nahi toh aap sirf cheezon ko chhoo-chhoo ke nikal jaoge. Yeh pehle bhi hota aaya hai. Aisa nahi hai ki abhi hi ho raha hai. Haan, abhi thoda zyada exposed hai. Pehle bhi aisa hota tha ki koi bhi ladki ya ladka hero ban jaata tha, chhoti-chhoti pictures banne lagti thi. Ek time par jab television aaya tha, tab har aadmi ko lagta tha ki main actor hoon. Mere ghar ki ek neighbour thi — woh housewife thi — par unhe bhi lagta tha ki main actress ban sakti hoon.”(I personally feel it’s all temporary. I believe that in this phase, if you have real strength and talent, you’ll last. Otherwise, you’ll just move through things without leaving a mark. This has always been the case; it’s not something new. It’s just more exposed now. Even earlier, any boy or girl could suddenly become a hero, and small films would start being made around them. When television came in, everyone thought they could be actors. I remember my neighbour — she was a housewife — but even she believed she could become an actress)Pathak continued, “Toh aisa ek mahaul tab bhi bana tha jab television aaya tha, aur actors ki jo actual necessity thi, woh itni nahi rahi thi. Kisi ko bhi bol dete the, ‘Arre yaar ek role hai, kar lo.’ Aisa attitude tab bhi aaya tha. Bas tab woh chhote level par tha, aur aaj bahut bade level par hai. Lekin phir bhi sawal yeh hai ki woh log kitna last out kar paaye. Unhone ek scene kiya, phir chale gaye, baat khatam. Shayad do-chaar scenes aur mil gaye honge, par usse zyada nahi. Mujhe lagta hai ki jismein dum hota hai, jismein asli maada hota hai, wahi sustain kar pata hai aur wahi aage badhta hai. Baaki sab cheezein momentary hoti hain. Haan, woh aapki life mein interfere zaroor karti hain, aur isi wajah se aapko pareshan bhi karti hain.”(A similar situation had come up when television first arrived. The real need for trained actors started to fade, and anyone could be asked to play a role — people would casually say, ‘Hey, there’s a role, you should do it.’ That attitude existed even then, though on a smaller scale, while today it’s on a much bigger level. But the real question is how many of those people actually lasted? They did one scene and disappeared. Maybe they got a few more chances, but not much beyond that. I believe only those who have real strength and genuine substance manage to sustain and move forward. Everything else is temporary. Yes, it does interfere with your life, and that’s why it can also trouble you.)
Sana Kapur shares her view on pap culture
Speaking about the same topic, Pathak’s daughter Sana Kapur said, “I don’t know, I mean, I’m very young, toh main honestly pap culture ko enjoy karti hoon. Agar koi photo le le toh mujhe accha lagta hai. Lekin main yeh bhi samajhti hoon ki privacy naam ki ek cheez hoti hai. Especially jab aap ek actor ho, toh aap apna talent aur acting ability duniya ke saamne rakhte ho. Iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki aap chahte ho ki aapki personal life bhi har jagah public ho.”(I don’t know, I mean, I’m very young, so honestly, I enjoy the paparazzi culture. I actually feel good when someone takes my picture. But at the same time, I also understand that there’s something called privacy. Especially when you’re an actor, you share your talent and acting abilities with the world — but that doesn’t mean you want your personal life to be public everywhere)Kapur concluded, “Aur especially jo stars ke bachche hote hain — unko continuously follow karna mujhe bahut dangerous lagta hai. Toh us hisaab se mujhe lagta hai ki thoda sa distance maintain kiya ja sakta hai. Jo public events hain, promotional events hain — wahan toh of course paparazzi hone chahiye, woh sab hona chahiye. Lekin personal life mein agar thoda level of privacy respect kiya jaye, toh woh better hoga.”(I find it quite dangerous when star kids are constantly followed around. I think a bit of distance should be maintained in that regard. At public or promotional events, of course, the presence of paparazzi is totally fine — that’s part of the job. But when it comes to personal life, it would be much better if a certain level of privacy is respected)
Supriya Pathak work front
On the work front, Supriya Pathak has worked in movies like Bazar, Masoom, Khichdi: The Movie, Wake Up Sid, and Satyaprem Ki Katha. She last appeared in Ajay Devgn‘s ‘Raid 2’.
