Jaya Bachchan recalls resisting oversexualisation of her character amid Janhvi Kapoor's Peddi backlash

Jaya Bachchan. Pic via X

Actor Jaya Bachchan, who is known to be vocal in expressing her views, has now condemned the objectification of women in films. Her remarks come amid the controversy surrounding Janhvi Kapoor's character in Peddi. The veteran actress also recalled an incident where she resisted such a portrayal of her character.

Jaya Bachchan reacts to oversexualising women

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Jaya Bachchan recalled an experience from her own career when she said she pushed back after a director tried to oversexualise her during one of the scenes.

The actor and politician has often raised issues concerning the film industry in Parliament. During the recent chat, she said it is important to stop such incidents on the set itself. Recalling her own experience, she said that she acted immediately when it happened to her and how nobody crossed that line with her after that.

Jaya said, "Nobody ever dared to cross the line with me," adding, "I had only one unpleasant experience of being objectified by the director. I never worked with him again."

According to the report, the actress was referring to an incident during the shooting of Manoj Kumar's Shor, wherein she played a streetwalker. The director reportedly wanted her to wear a ghagra-choli throughout the film; however, Bachchan insisted that she would wear it with a dupatta covering her upper body. The disagreement between Jaya and the filmmaker led to a dispute between them.

About the Peddi controversy

The controversy around Janhvi Kapoor's role in Peddi began after social media users pointed out her problematic portrayal in the film. In multiple scenes, the camera repeatedly focuses on her navel, cleavage and waistline. In one of the most debated scenes from the film, Ram Charan's character kisses her without consent when the lights go off and later justifies it, saying it is the only way he knows to express love.

Several artistes from the industry have objected to the filmmaker, Buchi Babu Sana's treatment of the heroine in the film. Amid growing scrutiny, the filmmaker issued a statement on Saturday stating that he would remove the problematic scenes from the film. He even apologised, saying he would be mindful of the issue in future.