Don’t Judge People by Their Fate: Jaya Bhattacharya

In an exclusive chat with DC, actor Jaya Bhattacharya talks about the evolving theater culture in India, the behind-the-scenes realities that artists face and explains why her character Zeenat in ‘Kaneez’ is her most impactful role

Talking to Jaya Bhattacharya instantly feels like standing in a warm ray of truth. She laughs, remembers, thinks, and refuses to sugarcoat everything as she settles in with the ease of someone who has seen enough life to stop pretending.

When you ask him about today’s theater scene, he doesn’t hesitate. “The theater scene in India has evolved a lot,” he begins. “Before, people had to be forced to come and see plays. Now musicals are happening and people want to come. It’s a welcome change.”

For him, the revival isn’t just about performances, it’s also about dignity. “Theater artists get almost no money. What will the revival be like? Rehearsals take time, travel takes time… There must be appropriate compensation so they can live comfortably.”

He remembers meeting brilliant artists “walking the walk,” whose ambitions were solid but whose livelihoods were fragile. “To be honest, it pained me,” he says. Has anything changed? “Not exactly,” he admits. “But there is constant progress. Earlier actors were not highly regarded. Today everyone wants to be an actor.”

But his journey was never driven by despair. “I’ve always been har funn maula – marzi aayi toh kiya, nahi aayi toh nahi kiya,” he shrugs. She remembers being initially warned, manipulated and even threatened.

“Many years ago a well-known producer said: ‘Tujhe Mumbai mein rehne nahi dunga.’ I was naive, it hurt. But then I thought, what does it matter if I live in Mumbai or not?”

That one moment shaped him. He learned that longing could be dangerous. “If those who want to abuse you know your longing, you are dead. So always keep your head on your shoulders.”

He recently stepped back and took a short break because he felt stuck. “After playing Payal, everyone wanted to put me in the same frame. I felt inadequate. I thought, let me re-evaluate whether I still need to be here.” The break helped. “Then I got very good characters. It was projects one after the other. I am grateful.”

And now he is playing the character of his love interest, Zeenat, in his new musical ‘Kaneez’. “Zeenat is healthy. She has all the emotions. She feels defeated, but she stands up for the next generation. She doesn’t want the girls under her to suffer the same fate.”

Jaya pauses and thinks about the women she has met in real life. “I saw the living conditions of women who left the profession in dilapidated huts near nalas. I was heartbroken. How can you judge a woman who has no other options and is supporting her entire family?”

It continues. “Every person has a heart. Everyone has good and bad parameters. No one is brainless.” His life also took shape with unexpected turns. “No one asked me what I wanted to do. My father wanted to make me a classical vocalist and Kathak dancer. Then acting became like an outlet.” He discovered he was good at it and stayed. “I worked with Gulzar sir, Manoj Joshi sir… I didn’t even know who half of them were then. I was lucky.”

But what drives him today is something beyond fame. He has been running his own NGO, Thank You Earth, for 25 years. “I rescue animals. I have 38 cats and dogs at the center, and seven elderly people at home. I want to establish a free animal hospital 24/7. This is what keeps me going.”

He smiles while talking about ‘Kaneez’, a musical love story and an emotional tribute to the legendary Meena Kumari, conceived and directed by Randhir Ranjan Roy. The show will take place on 28th and 29th November at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA. “I am happy to do Kaneez. The whole team is full of life and love. The atmosphere is: chal, stage pe chalte hai!”

He believes theater keeps the actor honest. “Using different mediums keeps us alive. We discover something new in every rehearsal. You can grow, you can’t fall behind.”

In every line, in every memory, in every fact he shares, one thing stands out: Jaya Bhattacharya survived in this industry by standing tall, not bending down. “I lived on my own terms,” he says simply. “And I’m grateful for everything that comes my way.”