Last Updated:November 29, 2025, 17:00 IST

Jaya Bhattacharya reveals she faced severe childhood abuse, was beaten with a hunter and shoes, and was forced into acting. She also recalls a casting-couch encounter at 17.

Actor Jaya Bhattacharya has opened up about her traumatic childhood marked by severe physical abuse, a toxic family environment, and being forced into acting against her will.

Actor Jaya Bhattacharya, widely remembered for her iconic role as Payal in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, has opened up about a painful and deeply traumatic part of her life. In a candid conversation with Siddharth Kannan, the veteran actor revealed that her childhood was marked by severe physical abuse, a fractured family environment, and a forced entry into the entertainment industry—experiences that have left emotional scars she still carries today.

“Being born a girl was my biggest misfortune”

Jaya began by sharing that her parents never wanted to marry each other, and their turbulent relationship created an unhealthy, unsafe environment for her as a child. Their conflict, she said, “trickled down to the child,” leaving her to navigate the emotional fallout.

Calling her birth as a girl child her “biggest misfortune,” she revealed the extent of the violence she endured at home.

“I have been beaten with a hunter, rolling pin, tong, shoes, and what not. I have been beaten a lot, and that made me stubborn. In the bargain, I have damaged myself a lot,” she said, adding that her mother’s own unfulfilled dreams contributed to an atmosphere of resentment and aggression.

Despite the chaos inside the household, Jaya shared that she always felt closest to her father, a bond that made the abuse from her mother even more difficult to reconcile. She admitted that she grew up learning behaviours no child should—judgment, mistrust, and emotional self-reliance born from a lack of protection.

“I was pushed into acting… I didn’t want to do it”

While Jaya is now recognised for her powerful performances on television, she revealed that acting was never her chosen path. As a young girl, she was passionate about dance and music, and had never imagined a career in front of the camera.

That changed abruptly when she got a chance to appear in a telefilm. She recalled, “The director spoke to my father and first made me dance as a woman, and then also asked me to enact the male part.” The shoot was scheduled three days later, but her father woke her up the very next morning at 5 a.m. and took her to set.

“I didn’t want to do it, but he took me there. That’s how it started…” she said, describing how her entry into the industry was more imposed than chosen.

A Disturbing Casting-Couch Encounter At 17

Her introduction to showbiz came with its own dark reality. Jaya described her first brush with the casting couch shortly after her telefilm shoot. “The director came with one of his friends, saying he wanted to take me out, but my mother kept dodging him,” she recalled.

Eventually, the director’s persistence led her parents to give in, and he took her to a restaurant. What followed was even more unsettling. “The director disappeared after that, but his friend started coming home every day. He taught me how to drive. Later, we found out he was involved with the mafia,” she revealed.

Eventually, the man offered to take her to Mumbai—a proposal she firmly refused.

A Celebrated Career Built On Resilience

Despite entering the industry under such traumatic circumstances, Jaya went on to build a successful acting career. She became a household name through some of Indian television’s biggest shows. Apart from Payal in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, she portrayed Jigyasa Bali in Kasam Se, Sakku Bai in Jhansi Ki Rani, and Sudha Buaa in Gangaa, often earning praise for her powerful negative roles.

But behind the poised exterior of the beloved actor lies a history of pain, survival, and resilience—one she is finally speaking about with honesty and courage.

Yatamanyu Narain

Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun…Read More

Yatamanyu Narain is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for all things entertainment. Whether he’s breaking the latest Bollywood news or chatting with rising stars in the OTT world, he’s always on the hun… Read More