Veteran actor and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan on Tuesday charged that the film industry was being defamed and slammed those from the entertainment industry indulging in it, saying they are biting the hands that feed them.
Though Bachchan did not take any names, her remarks come a day after BJP’s Lok Sabha MP and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan said there was the problem of drug addiction in the film industry and also actor Kangana Ranaut’s recent remarks calling Bollywood a “gutter”.
Through a Zero Hour mention in Rajya Sabha, Bachchan said the entertainment industry was being flogged by social media and asked the government to protect and support it.
Without taking names, the Samajwadi Party MP said she completely disagrees with those who called the entertainment industry a “gutter”.
People who have made a name in this industry have called it a gutter. I completely disagree and I really disassociate,” she said.
In a reference to Kishan’s statement in Lok Sabha on the alleged Bollywood drug cartel, Bachchan said she was “really embarrassed and ashamed.”
“Jis thali mein khate hai Usme chhed karte hai. Galat baat hai,” she said referring to a popular Hindi proverb that means to bite the hands that feed you.
“I was really embarrassed and ashamed that yesterday (September 14) one of our members in the Lok Sabha, who is from the industry, spoke. I am not taking names. It is a shame,” she said.
She said the entertainment industry in the country provides direct employment to 5 lakh people daily and indirect employment to 5 million people.
After veteran actor and Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan slammed those who are tarnishing the image of the Indian film industry in the Upper House of the Parliament, actor Taapsee Pannu and filmmaker Anubhav Sinha supported her statements.
“For we have always stood by the initiatives, causes, and awareness campaigns. It’s time for payback. Hitting the nail on its head and how! Yet again a woman from the industry spoke up #Respect,” tweeted Taapsee.
Source: Hindustan Times
