When Jaya Bachchan said she isn't 'chidchidi' but can't suffer stupidity

Jaya Bachchan, who turns 75 on April 9, opened up about why she is often perceived as short-tempered. She felt that she is impulsive and can't stand stupidity.

Jaya Bachchan has been in the film industry for six decades. She made her film debut in Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar (1963) as a teenager and broke through Bollywood with her performance in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Guddi in 1971. The veteran actor, who turns 75 on April 9, has been married to Amitabh Bachchan since June 3, 1973. (Also read: Jaya Bachchan laughs, interacts with Shashi Tharoor at Swara Bhasker and Fahad Ahmad's wedding reception)

In an old interview, Jaya Bachchan had said that she is more of an impulsive person.

Over the years, with her interactions with the media and photographers, Jaya is often perceived as short-tempered. She countered that view and said she is spontaneous and can't plan the response she has to someone else's actions.

The veteran actor, who is also Member of Parliament from the Samajwadi Party, has been filmed on the red carpet and at film events, getting angry with the paparazzi or members of the press if they cross any personal boundaries with her family. On Karan Johar's talk show Koffee With Karan, Jaya's daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda had shared that Jaya doesn't like if people take her pictures without asking her. Furthermore, she feels claustrophobic if too many people crowd around her.

While appearing on the TV show Guftagoo in 2014, the veteran actor had explained, "I don’t have patience for stupidity. If you tell me something where I can learn something or you’re giving me some knowledge, you will never feel that I am ‘chidchidi (irritable)’– I am finicky yes, but not chidchidi. I get angry because people waste my time. I cannot suffer foolishness."