Jaya Bachchan made me laugh, says Anjali Anand as she talks about her playful side: ‘Why should she be cute to everyone’

Jaya Bachchan's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani co-star Anjali Anand talked about how the actor is misunderstood by the people.

Bollywood veteran Jaya Bachchan often makes headlines for her curt reactions towards paparazzi and her no-nonsense attitude in public spaces. Every time a video of her asking photographers to stop clicking goes viral, the internet quickly labels her as “rude” or “arrogant.” However, her Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani co-star Anjali Anand has now come forward to defend her, calling her “the cutest person on the planet” and explaining how she's misunderstood.

Anjali Anand reveals Jaya Bachchan made her laugh during Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

Anjali Anand on Jaya Bachchan's pap videos

In a podcast with Filmygyan, Anjali spoke about Jaya’s viral paparazzi videos and explained how people often misjudge her. She said, “She is the cutest person on the planet. She is also a grandmother, and people forget that. She’s walking with her granddaughter, and she doesn’t even know what paparazzi look like. Woh thodi raaste pe chalte hain, voh apne mehalon mein rehte hain, unka ho gaya hai, ab voh aaraam kar rahi hain, unko mat disturb karo. Aur agar kar bhi rahe ho, then be ready for a reply (She doesn’t usually walk on the streets; she lives in her own palaces. She has done her part in life and now she’s resting, so don’t disturb her. And if you still do, be ready for a response). She’s a grandmother who lives in palaces, goes on holidays to Italy, travels in big cars — she doesn’t even know what paparazzi look like! So if someone tries to take a picture of her granddaughter, of course she’ll stop them. I’m sure she must also be laughing at those videos.”

Anjali went on to recall her experience of working with Jaya in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. She shared, “She is a sweetheart. She has fed me when I was hungry on set. She’s made me laugh in the middle of scenes. We used to hang out the most because most of my scenes were with her, so it was a lot of fun. Sabse pehle aake sabki taang kheenchengi set pe and she’ll say the funniest of things (She would be the first to come and pull everyone’s leg on set, saying the funniest things). She is not even one per cent of what people portray her as. But why should she be cute to everyone? She’ll be warm only with her people. She doesn’t need to pretend.”

Anjali played the role of Jaya Bachchan’s granddaughter in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Directed by Karan Johar and written by Ishita Moitra, Shashank Khaitan, and Sumit Roy, the romantic drama also starred Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Churni Ganguly, Aamir Bashir, and Kshitee Jog. The film was a major box office success, grossing ₹357.5 crore worldwide.

About Anjali and Jaya Bachchan's recent work

Anjali Anand was last seen in Dabba Cartel alongside Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, and others in key roles. The show received positive reviews from critics. She will next appear in Dhamaal 4, which is expected to release in 2026. Jaya Bachchan, on the other hand, was last seen in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and is yet to announce her next project.