Celebrities are always under the scanner. In the world of glitz and glamour, they are often regarded as the epitome of poise and grace. However, they are also humans. The recent spate of celebrity interactions with fans and paparazzi—whether it’s Jaya Bachchan at Manoj Kumar’s prayer meet, Kajol at a public event, or Sunita Ahuja at a fashion show—has raised an interesting question: Should celebrities be more gracious, or is the public's intense scrutiny simply part of the job they signed up for?
At Manoj Kumar's prayer meet, Jaya Bachchan snapped at elderly couple who were attempting to take pictures of her. The clip captured Jaya engaged in conversation with a group of women when an elderly woman tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. At the same time, the man raised his phone camera, trying to snap a photo of the two. As Jaya turned around, the woman extended her hand for a handshake, but this gesture seemed to unsettle Jaya. She brushed the hand aside and scolded the man for attempting to take the picture.
While the video went viral, many slammed the actor for being rude. Others, however, defended her actions, arguing that the situation demanded a level of respect for the solemnity of the moment.
Another video netizens slammed and were clearly not happy with was of Kajol denying laddoos at an event. At he event, when offered a box of laddoos and sweets, Kajol refuses to take them and says, "Distribute the laddoos to the students who need it."
While some found her response to be perfectly understandable, given the overwhelming nature of fan interactions, others labeled her as rude and dismissive.
One Instagram user wrote, "It is neither polite or generous when you say words like “I don’t need it”; the appropriate well mannered way to say this is “ I would love to have these laddos distributed to the students please," while another netizen wrote, "This was so rude and unbelievable. It's common sense that even if you don't want a gift, it's kind and generous to at least accept it with grace and gratefulness and later gift it to someone else. I don't think Ajay would be that rude. The lady must have gone overboard to buy her the best quality ladoos, and she refused to accept it right on her face."
At a recent fashion event in Mumbai, Sunit Ahuja, Govinda's wife was asked about her husband while she was walking the ramp. Not willing to answer the question, Ahuja asked the paps to "Zip it up."
The harshness of her response caught the attention of fans and media outlets, reigniting the discussion about celebrity behaviour in public spaces.
So, what’s at the heart of these controversies? On one hand, celebrities live in a world where every action is under constant scrutiny. Fans and paparazzi demand access to their lives, expecting them to be always approachable and accommodating.
However, celebrities, like anyone else, are entitled to their privacy, especially during personal or emotional moments.