Don’t Judge People by Their Fate: Jaya Bhattacharya

In an exclusive conversation with DC, actor Jaya Bhattacharya opens up about the evolving theatre culture in India, the realities artists face behind the scenes and reveals why her character, Zeenat from ‘Kaneez’ is her most moving role

Talking to Jaya Bhattacharya instantly feels like standing in a warm beam of truth. She laughs, remembers, reflects, and refuses to sugarcoat anything as she settles in with the ease of someone who has seen enough life to stop pretending.

Ask her about the theatre scene today and she doesn’t hesitate. “The theatre scene in India has improved a lot,” she begins. “Earlier, people had to be pushed to come watch plays. Now you have musicals happening and people wanting to come. It’s a welcome change.”

For her, the revival isn’t just about performances—it’s about dignity. “Theatre artists hardly ever got paid. How would revival happen? Rehearsals take time, travel takes time… there should be proper compensation so they can live with ease.”

She remembers meeting brilliant performers who were “trudging along,” their passion intact but their livelihood fragile. “That used to pain me, honestly,” she says. Has anything changed? “Not totally,” she admits. “But there has been continuous progress. Earlier actors weren’t even held in high esteem. Today, everyone wants to be an actor.”

Her journey, however, was never driven by desperation. “I have always been har funn maula—marzi aayi toh kiya, nahi aayi toh nahi kiya,” she shrugs. She recalls being warned, manipulated, even threatened early on.

“Many years ago, a well-known producer said, ‘Tujhe Mumbai mein rehne nahi dunga.’ I was naive, it hurt. But then I thought—how does it matter to anyone whether I live in Mumbai or not?”

That one moment shaped her. She learnt that craving can be dangerous. “If people who want to misuse you know your craving, you are dead. So always keep your head on your shoulders.”

She stepped back recently, taking a short break because she felt boxed in. “After portraying Payal, everyone wanted to put me in the same frame. I felt stunted. I thought—let me re-evaluate whether I should still be here.” The break helped. “After that I got lovely characters. Back-to-back projects happened. I am grateful.”

And now, she is deep in ‘Kaneez’, her new musical, playing Zeenat—a character she has fallen in love with. “Zeenat is wholesome. She has all the emotions. She feels defeated but stands up for the next generation. She doesn’t want the girls under her to have the same fate.”

Jaya pauses, thinking back to the women she has met in real life. “I saw the living conditions of women who had left the profession… near nalas, in dilapidated huts. My heart broke. How can you judge a woman who had no other option and was supporting her whole family?”

She goes on,. “Every human has a heart. Everyone has their parameters of good and bad. Nobody is brainless.” Her life, too, was shaped by unexpected turns. “Nobody asked me what I wanted to do. My father wanted to make me a classical vocalist and Kathak dancer. Then acting happened—like a way out.” She discovered she was good at it and stayed. “I have worked with Gulzar sir, Manoj Joshi sir… I didn’t even know half of who they were at that time. I was fortunate.”

But what drives her today is something beyond fame. For 25 years, she has run her own NGO, Thank You Earth. “I rescue animals. I have 38 cats and dogs at the centre, seven seniors at home. I want to build a free 24x7 animal hospital. That’s what keeps me going.”

She smiles when she talks about ‘Kaneez’, a musical love story and a soulful tribute to the legendary Meena Kumari, designed & directed by Randhir Ranjan Roy. The show will happen at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA On November 28 and 29. “I am happy doing Kaneez. The whole team is full of life and love. The vibes are like—chal, stage pe chalte hai!”

Theatre, she believes, keeps an actor honest. “Doing various mediums keeps us alive. We discover something new in every rehearsal. You can grow—you don’t remain stunted.”

In every line, every memory, every truth she shares, one thing stands out: Jaya Bhattacharya has survived this industry not by bending, but by standing firm. “I have lived on my own terms,” she says simply. “And I am grateful for everything that came my way.”