The Dusit Thani Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand   #Majesty Suite    

April 30, 2008   7:45 pm ( Bangkok Time)

My most cherished and beloved,

Your candor and your affection, your outbursts of immense joy and wonder at our connectivity, your allegiance, your confirmation of the path i stumble on, your notice of the incorrect ‘i’ to the corrected ‘I’, your exuberance and the length of it, your time that you spend on me and your undying love, all provide me with the belief and the strength that, if ever i were to stretch out my arms and seek a supportive shoulder, if ever I were to ask you to steady my faulted steps… you would all without hesitation or purpose, not just provide that to me, but lift me up towards the sky and give me the satisfaction of breathing fresher air and perhaps a clearer vision !!

Ah !! Music !!

Dramatic, thunderous, heralding… drums and cymbals !!! Ha ..ha

I jest with you !! You must pardon me !!

I am in Bangkok as you may have noticed. Came in this morning for the press conference that generally precedes the main IIFA event. That over there were visits to the Royal Palace of Her Highness the Princess, then the United Nations, and now I rush to the airport again to catch a flight to London, for the press conference for ‘BhoothNath’. 

My love for the media so so so apparent !!

I beg my absence from the blog then and shall on landing be back with you with more !

Till then..

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha, Mumbai   April 28-29, 2008    2:15 am

It is late, but it has been a full and constructive day.

Promotional activities have consumed most of the time, after shooting for ‘Aladin’ ended.

Srinivasan Jain and Barkha Dutt from the same channel NDTV being the last two.

The former a little more rushed than the latter, but both hinging on topics already expressed upon in the print media. Barkha more incisive, Sri in a hurry ; maybe his time limitations were somewhat acute.

The questions had similar content. Not to say that the other 42 interviews that I did in the evening were any better, but ’similar’ was the unchallenged constant. Shatrughan Sinha, Salim Khan, Raj Thakeray, Anurag Basu. Commerce and sensationalism still riding high on their intelligent shoulders. 

Why so angry now ? Would you still be friends with them ? Why do you think you are attacked ? Would you still greet them ?

 And i wait for the dynamic headlines announcing the interview. Some thing that will draw attention, keep the audience unmoved from their channel. Phone in’s may get constructed around comments of mine. Do you think he is right in saying so - phone in your comments at 58822 something, put Y and gap and N and gap. Get the graphics of the percentage going, call in a semi intellectual, preferably from the film Industry and certainly not ‘Bachchan Camp’ into the studio, repeat the questions asked in interview, expand them, cover half hour or else the adverts will not fructify. Culminate the proceedings on a note where the channel looks good and unbiased, yet signals its last cynical or sarcastic ending, dynamic background music and…. channel ID !!

Matter over.

Anchors move on to the next programme - a rape or shoot out, car having run over pedestrian sleepers. Get the blood, get the relatives in various stages of shock and dismay, weeping and distraught close ups would help. Catch the cops for comment and the ambulance taking away the bodies. Didn’t get the shot ? Damn !! No problem, pick up the visual from the day before as the bus plunged into the river, patrol cars and ambulances were seen there as well.

Anchor at news asking their on the spot colleague, to report what is happening, in the same tone as when describing Dhoni hitting a six at a cricket match !!

An average scene at any given time on any given channel.

And they talk of monotony and lack of fresh content in our cinema. They talk of ripping off foreign DVD’s and plagiarism. Where did they get there programme ideas from ? Are any of their presenters sitting in front of studious looking desks any different from the sets of the BBC or ABC or CNN Studios. Is ‘Seedhi Baat’ not ‘Hard Talk’ is KBC not ‘Millionaire’ ?

Afternoon of 28th, CNN-IBN 12:25pm news on review. Title, ‘Busy Big B’ a recap of the launch of a game show for Bhooth Nath. Launch over, media questions. The same rumor laced spicy barbs.

The blog is occupying much debate. Thank you. I am honored there is interest in it. How do you get there ? I give them the address. Next question- are you anxious about what the media writes about you. I respond yes for i do not know what abuse will come my way. Back to condescending anchor, male, in a fetching suit and tie, a tinge of sarcasm and one up manship, a wry smile and the closing before the signature tune takes over.. ” Far cry from the Amitabh Bachchan that had boycotted the media not so long ago” !!

Brilliant, CNN-IBN !! You have denounced the BIG B and come out looking superior. After all media credentials must always be on top. The last word must be ours. ‘News is not what happened, news is what media says happened’ - famous editorial  quote from the owner of a daily.

Except its the other way round !

Media blacked out Amitabh Bachchan in the 70’s on the ridiculous assumption that press censorship during the Emergency was instigated by him, because of his proximity to Shrimati Indira Gandhi.

My name my activities my photographs all banned from any and every journal, in retaliation. Even in the credit titles of a film under reference in print, would not carry my name in the star cast. It would be reduced to a comma !

 It was then that i decided that if they had the liberty to ban me, I had similar liberty to ban them. And yes for almost 10 years I never entertained them.

(its 3:37 am, i must rest - my mind is foggy. will take up the rest early tomorrow)

2:55 pm  Mehboob Studio

I am protective of my fraternity and my profession - who isn’t !

I lament the fact that an Industry that has become the parallel culture of the country, whether it is good or bad for the country I do not know, should not be given its due status in society.

The word ‘filmy’ is often used in derogative term, often to describe an act or subject which is considered below par or not of sufficient quality in comparison with other prevalent accepted norms.

Why ?

Jaya walks out of Parliament as a demonstration of her right as an MP, in disagreement with proceedings in the august Sabha. Commentator on TV, “these 20 somethings, that believe History started when they were employed” adds her little bit of savvy … ” and Mrs Bachchan walks out in typical filmy style”.

What is filmy style pray ?

 I shall tell you. Its a lot better than slogan shouting, fisticuffs flying, microphone ripping, female denuding, helium gassed black ballooning, well entering, other public representatives of our nation !!

Will the media coin a word for them and their actions please. For I see them exhibiting their histrionics somewhat regularly on national TV !!

Or would you dare to call it ‘filmy’ ? And if you did, would you also kindly give a reference to the film in which you found this example ?

Amitabh Bachchan

Prateeksha, Mumbai April 27, 2008   12:13 am

The day started early as always. Somewhere my father’s words haunt me. He rose early every day and after his morning formalities would set off on his morning walk, waking me up to study. If i dithered he would recite in Sanskrit -

“Suryodaya chya ast maye, chasha enam,

Jahaati lakshmi, rapi chakra vartinam”

Surya uday hone ke baad aur asth hone se pahle, jo insaan sota hai, uski lakshmi chali jaati hai chahe woh chakravarti raja hi kyun na ho.

After the sun has risen and before it sets, the one that sleeps, shall loose all his wealth even if he is a wealthy and devout Raja or King.

It has been something that I have not taken personally or seriously, but because it came from my father there is a desire to respect and inadvertently obey it, without considering its content or its threatened conditions.

 Somewhere an adherence to tradition and values. To recognize the thought that has been there through centuries. Just an obedience perhaps towards the elder, leaves one enlightened. In possession of some godly belief and some reverence.

So, early mornings are not deliberate, they just happen. Now perhaps through routine and age. But it still smells of a deliverance of sorts.

Bhoothnath was launching a game show through Zapak.com, my eventual website manufacturers and the people that manage my blog. Children abounded at the meet and the eventual media. Questions and more questions on everything but the film.

Salim Khan, the one half of the powerful writer duo of Salim-Javed fame, Salman’s father, the media says, has made detrimental remarks in the press against me. I wonder. He has been a balanced mature individual and the writer of some of my greatest films - Deewar, Sholay, Kala Pathar. Why would he do that ? I insist that until i read what has been said i cannot comment. The press increases its decibels, he says ‘ you are being ill advised by your advisors’, ‘money for advertisements on UP’, ‘intelligence and language’.

Unable to decipher i tell them my comment will come after i have seen the statement.

Anurag Basu sms’s me and explains his stand and that of the media distorting it or cooking it up entirely. I feel he should seek clarification from the magazine that printed his statement. I do not need any proof. Media asked me a question, I answered. The rest is really up to him to justify or not.

Many amongst you desire that i practice the age old dictum of ‘dignified silence’.

Why is it that when you are silent it is looked upon as being dignified ?

 Jaya, justifies my stance of asking Anurag to seek clarification from the magazine or at least to express his remorse through them rather than seek conversation with me.

 She fortifies her stand by saying -’This is an age old practice. Abuse in public, apologize in private’. Not acceptable. What is the good of apologizing in private when the public damage has already been done. How does this act repair the bigger.

A dear blogger has a dilema.  Her daughter likes ShahRukh, and she me. I want to console her with a fact that is quite universal. During my electioneering in Allahabad in 1984, there were political splits inside one family. The women were voting for me ,the men for my opponent ! But a factor that weighed heavily during my short stint in politics and perhaps became the decider in my decision to withdraw was an incident that occurred in Assam. For the Assembly Elections in that state I was sent to canvass for the party. An error of judgment forced my helicopter to land at the wrong destination. It belonged to the opposition. There was instant physical reaction and the pilot advised we make a hurried exit. As i sat back in the plane, a young student broke the cordon, ran up to me, thrust his fist through the glass window and handed me a piece of paper. It read - “Mr Bachchan, I am a big fan of yours, but I am with the opposite party. Please leave this State, you are making life very difficult for me for I am torn between two desires”.

It was an emotional plea and one that I thought of many times over. 

I felt for 25 years I had tried to woo my audience to love me as an artist as an actor. And once I had accomplished that I was now telling them to love my politics as well. Not acceptable to me. It was wrong. I was wrong. I was dividing my audience , my fans. I was asking them to sever a leg from their body and donate it to my party. I could never do that. it was distressing for me and still is. My reticence from politics is ruled and governed by that incident and it is the reason why I shall never ever go in that domain again. I would be unfaithful to myself and to my greatest asset - my well wishers, my fans.

 I will not mind losing my domain through indifferent work or sub standard performance, but never through force of will.

In Chennai, i took time out to visit a Hospital that had supplied my blood platelets during my accident on the sets of ‘Coolie’. They now run a cardiac facility for poor children. In my speech i mentioned my faith in the Indian Medical fraternity and them being more proficient than the Western doctors. A message from a blogger has taken objection to my comment on Western doctors. I am not deriding anyone. I am merely saying that despite the fact that I had the means to travel abroad for my treatment I chose to stay in my own country and put my faith in the hands of Indian doctors who I have found to be no less in their acumen from their Western counterpart. This is not to take anything away from the talent and expertise of the foreigner. It is merely an expression of my faith in my own countrymen.

I rest now, with the belief that there is warmth and love in the hearts of millions that write to me and who I attempt to answer in as best a manner as possible -

Wit love -

Namaskar, Satsriakal, Shubba Khair, Shubh Ratri and Good Night

Amitabh Bachchan