Actress and Samajwadi MP Jaya Bachchan in her recent Parliament address criticised people who were tarnishing the film industry by badmouthing it. Bachchan found support among several Bollywood celebrities, who lauded her for standing for the industry. However, her statements did not go down well with veteran actor Mukesh Khanna.
In a recent interview with Times Now, Khanna reprimanded Jaya’s speech. Citing examples from Mahabharat, he called her statements ‘ridiculous’ adding that because someone is “eating” from the industry doesn’t mean, they can’t say anything against it.
“If industry people start saying ‘Aapne yahi se kamaya hai, yahi se sab kuch kiya hai, toh you don’t talk anything against the industry’. Why? Everybody has a right to work in the industry and if some people say that ‘we have served’ that means they are owing the industry. Nobody owns the industry; industry kisi ke baap ki nahi hai. industry saalon se chali aa rahi hai. We can say aaj kal nepotism badh gaya hai groupism badh gaya hai,” Pinkvilla quoted the actor as saying.
Referring to Actor and BJP Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishan’s statements in Lok Sabha where he had claimed that drug addiction happens in the film industry, Khanna added, “If anybody feels uncomfortable of this investigation to be done for drugs, if a person like Ravi Kishan says ‘drugs chalti hai’ and then somebody says ‘jis thaali mein khaate ho usi mein ched karte hai’, it is ridiculous to say. You say whether he is right or wrong. You have not given us the food. Everyone works hard.”
For the unversed, Jaya Bachchan on Wednesday spoke in Parliament against the vilification of Bollywood by insiders. She sought government support for the film industry and also attacked those tarnishing the image of the entertainment world. Without taking names, in a loaded statement she reacted to Ravi Kishan’s statements and said, “Just because of a few persons, you cannot tarnish the entire industry. ‘Jis thali mein khaate hain, ussi mein chhed karte hain’ (biting the hand that feeds).”
