Jaya Bachchan wanted to join the army: ‘I was very disappointed because they did not admit women, except as a nurse’ | – Times of India

Veteran actress Jaya Bachchan and her daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda recently graced the podcast show hosted by their granddaughter and daughter, Navya Naveli Nanda. During their conversation, the trio delved into the topic of evolving gender stereotypes while sharing their personal experiences.
Shweta initiated the discussion by reminiscing about the strict gender roles prevalent in the past. She talked about how there were certain academic courses that women took in college versus what men took in college. “And it would be odd if a man was sitting and the woman would be driving. Today, that’s not there and we have really progressed,” she shared.
The conversation took a personal turn when Jaya Bachchan revealed her own aspirations to join the armed forces, only to be met with limitations due to gender restrictions at the time.

“I remember a time when I was very disappointed because I wanted to join the army. At that time, they did not admit women, except as a nurse,” Jaya disclosed, highlighting the barriers faced by women pursuing traditionally male-dominated fields.

The dialogue expanded further as Agastya Nanda, son of Shweta Bachchan Nanda, shared his perspective on growing up surrounded by strong, opinionated women.
“I’ve grown up around very strong, very opinionated women who said everything they wanted and did whatever they wanted. So, I grew up in a very different environment so my thought process is different,” he expressed.