Jaya Bachchan’s Marriage Comments Spotlight Bollywood’s Curious Obsession With Policing Romantic Relationships

In a country where marriage is still treated as a national sport, every celebrity's opinion on the subject becomes breaking news. Yet the past week has felt particularly exhausting. Actress-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan’s latest comments — calling marriage an outdated institution and urging her granddaughter to never marry in an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt— have reignited a debate that refuses to die: Why do Bollywood stars believe they are the custodians of our personal lives?

What’s striking isn’t just her tone-deaf remarks. It’s how familiar it all sounds. Every few months, another Bollywood figure steps up to declare what marriage should be, usually in ways that reveal how detached they are from real, contemporary relationships.

Take 2025 so far — a year that has quickly become a masterclass in celebrity absurdity.

Absurd Statements Made By Bollywood Celebrities On Romantic Relationships

Earlier too, veteran actress Jaya Bachchan sparked a significant online debate regarding traditional gender roles. On her granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda's podcast, she labelled women who offer to split the bill on dates as 'stupid.' She also expressed a strong preference for men to initiate proposals, stating she would feel 'very awkward' if a woman proposed, contrasting traditional expectations with modern self-sufficiency in relationships.

Separately, Kajol, Twinkle Khanna, and Karan Johar faced major backlash for their comments on infidelity during an episode of 'Two Much.' Netizens criticised their opinions as 'shameful' and 'pathetic' for seemingly normalising cheating, prompting a discussion on whether physical infidelity is a deal-breaker.

Actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut also made scathing remarks on dating apps, live-in relationships, and the changing dynamics of love and companionship. In an interview with Hauterrfly, she rejected modern dating culture entirely, calling it degrading and unfit for 'regular' people. "I have never wanted to be on dating apps. That is the true 'gutter' of our society," she said, adding, "People who desire validation and lack confidence go to such places."

She then expressed serious concerns about live-in relationships, labelling them 'not women-friendly things.' She stated, "Who's going to help you get an abortion? If you get pregnant tomorrow during a live-in relationship, who is going to take care of you? Men are hunters who can impregnate any woman and run away." Her comments sparked widespread backlash, with critics accusing her of moral policing and perpetuating outdated views on relationships in a modern society.

These declarations are not simply out of touch; they reflect Bollywood’s enduring fantasy that marriage is a neat script — boy meets girl, families approve, love blossoms, compromise cures everything, and hardships can be resolved in a song sequence. But that script expired long ago. The reality of relationships in India is far more complex, shaped by financial independence, mental health awareness, gender equality, and the growing refusal to stay in unhappy unions.

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A post shared by Barkha Dutt (@barkha.dutt)

Reality Behind Romantic Relationships

What’s ironic is that many celebrities issuing moral sermons have themselves lived far from the ideals they preach. Their own love lives, often marked by long separations, quiet reconciliations, marital arrangements, and social-media-performed affection, reveal a truth they rarely acknowledge publicly: relationships are messy, unpredictable, and deeply personal.

The disconnect reveals something deeper: Bollywood is struggling to understand a generation that refuses to treat marriage as destiny. Young Indians today are redefining companionship, choosing therapy over silence, compatibility over endurance, and self-respect over staying for the sake of staying. They know love cannot be sustained on sacrifice alone, nor can commitment be demanded like obedience.

Perhaps that is what unsettles the old guard. To them, changing relationship norms looks like rebellion. To young people, they look like liberation.

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This is why Jaya Bachchan’s comments felt less like advice and more like admonition, a reminder of the generational divide Bollywood still refuses to bridge. Instead of telling young people what relationships should look like, maybe it’s time celebrities admitted what everyone else already knows: marriages don’t survive on moral lectures. They survive on work, honesty, and equity, none of which can be mandated through public opinion.

And maybe, just maybe, India doesn’t need Bollywood’s approval to choose how to love.

Image courtesy: Gemini

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