When Karan Johar defended Jaya Bachchan’s image; “She’s the warmest person I know,” says; the ‘Rocky Aur Rani’ set loved her

They say the first impression is the last impression, but in today’s world? That’s just outdated advice. Take Jaya Bachchan, for example. She’s often labelled the icy queen of Bollywood—stoic, unbothered, and occasionally throwing death stares at the paparazzi. But let’s set the record straight: she’s not rude, she’s just fiercely private—and honestly, that’s a flex.

So when Karan Johar cast her as the iron-fisted Dhanlakshmi Randhawa in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, jaws dropped. She owned the role, no doubt—the stern matriarch vibes were on point. But plot twist: off-screen, she’s the total opposite. In a 2023 interview, KJo spilled the chai and revealed that if you asked the crew who their favorite person on set was, the unanimous answer would be Jaya Bachchan. Now that’s how you win hearts.

From remembering every assistant director’s name to sending sweets and snacks for the tired and overworked crew, Jaya—or as Karan lovingly calls her, “Aunty J”—was the soul of the set. Warm, thoughtful, and effortlessly graceful. The woman may have played an ice queen on screen, but on set, she was pure sunshine.

And about those viral videos where she looks... less than pleased? Karan cleared that up too. It’s not the paps she has beef with—it’s the invasion of privacy that gets her guard up. And really, can we blame her? Some people yell at mosquitoes; she just doesn’t want ten flashbulbs in her face while buying groceries.

Let’s also take a moment to talk about how genius that casting was. Karan wasn’t just breaking Jaya’s on-screen typecast as the sweet maa or Guddi-girl-next-door—he was flipping it entirely. As he said, “She’s not Dhanlakshmi. Far from it.” But the internet, being the internet, had its hot takes. Some insisted she was just playing herself. To which KJo bluntly responded, “No dude, you don’t know anything about Mrs. Jaya Bachchan.” Period.

The film also starred the iconic Shabana Azmi and evergreen Dharmendra. Karan cast Shabana for her grace and truthfulness on screen, and Dharmendra for his timeless warmth and effortless romance. But it’s Jaya who sparked the most conversation—on and off the screen.

So next time you see her giving the paparazzi the side-eye, remember: the real Jaya is the one passing out snacks and calling everyone by name. And if that’s not queen behavior, we don’t know what is.
**This news was published on Times of India on 29th July, 2025.

 

 

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