Tired of being branded intrusive and insensitive, Bollywood photographers are now calling out celebs for double standards
Bollywood’s paparazzi have had enough of being labelled overzealous stalkers. The latest flashpoint occurred when photographers gathered outside Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office to capture Ranbir Kapoor’s visit. In a video that quickly went viral, they can be heard protesting, “Aapne hi toh bulaya, phir photo kyun nahi lene de rahe ho?” (You invited us, so why aren’t we being allowed to take photos?)
Ranbir, however, defused the tension with a smile and a thumbs-up. Industry insiders say the clash simply exposes how celebrity culture really works. One event manager calls it a “pot-kettle” situation. “Actors act surprised, but everyone knows it’s orchestrated,” he says. “Why blame the paps and be abusive to them?”
“Hollywood paparazzi culture was about stalking and chasing with serious consequences. Here, we invite our paps. They’re always made the villains, but they’re not. I love them; they’ve always been respectful toward me. I would love to play a photojournalist whose life revolves around getting that one perfect shot—even at the cost of food or urgent matters. It’s a role I want to play.”
— Manoj Bajpayee, actor
Jaya reeks of ‘snobbish elitism’
Ranbir’s incident follows closely on the heels of Jaya Bachchan’s criticism of paparazzi as a menace. Filmmaker and IFTDA president Ashoke took to Instagram to slam Jaya as “snobbish” and “classist.” He wrote that while it’s understandable to criticise aggressive photographers, “to criticise the aggressive coverage of certain paps is one thing, but to demean the profession altogether, laced with downright classist remarks, is unbecoming of such a senior member of our film industry and a parliamentarian.”
