Veteran actor and parliamentarian Jaya Bachchan has stirred a major discussion online with her latest remarks about marriage and modern relationships. Speaking at the We The Women event, the senior star said she does not believe her granddaughter, Navya Naveli Nanda, needs to get married, calling the institution itself outdated for today’s generation.
During an open conversation on stage, Jaya Bachchan said that the idea of marriage doesn’t hold the same meaning it once did. When the moderator asked whether she truly felt the tradition had lost relevance, she nodded in agreement and admitted she wouldn’t like Navya to feel pressured into it.
At We The Women Mumbai, veteran Bollywood actress and parliamentarian Jaya Bachchan spoke candidly about family, tradition, and changing times.
She said she doesn’t want her granddaughter Navya to feel pressured into marriage, calling it “an outdated institution.”
Jaya then… pic.twitter.com/Xif1pIcTnX
— Mojo Story (@themojostory) November 30, 2025
Jaya, now a grandmother to an almost 28-year-old Navya, explained that young women today are not only more aware but far more independent in their choices. She added that she doesn’t consider herself “old enough” to advise them on raising a family because the world has changed so rapidly in terms of expectations and dynamics.
Jaya further emphasised that the validity of a relationship cannot be defined by a wedding ceremony alone. Using humour to lighten the moment, she referenced the old saying about the “Delhi laddoo”, implying that marriage is neither easy nor obligatory, and that life should be experienced freely rather than through societal checklists.
Who Is Navya Naveli Nanda?
Navya, the granddaughter of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, is steadily building her own identity outside the film industry despite belonging to Bollywood royalty.
A graduate of Fordham University, she co-founded Aara Health, a women-centric healthcare venture that focuses on awareness, access, and digital solutions. She also hosts the podcast-style show What The Hell Navya, where she discusses generational perspectives alongside her mother Shweta Bachchan and grandmother Jaya.
Navya is also enrolled in a blended MBA programme at IIM Ahmedabad while continuing her entrepreneurial work. Her family links extend to Kapoor lineage as well, with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Ranbir Kapoor being her cousins through her late grandmother Ritu Nanda.
Her brother Agastya marked his acting debut with The Archies last year.
Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan’s Timeless Chapter
This year marks 52 years of marriage for Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, a partnership that has produced some of Hindi cinema’s most iconic pairings in films such as Abhimaan, Mili, Chupke Chupke, Zanjeer, and Silsila. Jaya was last seen in Karan Johar’s 2023 film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
Despite being part of a long-standing marriage herself, Jaya Bachchan’s latest comments underline her belief that personal freedom should come before traditional expectations, and that today’s young women, including Navya, should write their own rules.
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