Angry ‘young’ man!

Amitabh Bachchan slams reports for twisting his Lord Krishna invocation

The usually restrained Amitabh Bachchan on Monday took on a media outlet for misrepresenting his words in the praise of Lord Krishna, saying in an angry post that 10 per cent of his 50 million follower base is enough to strike back and is just waiting for his signal. His post on October 29 was simply an invocation to Lord Krishna, Bachchan wrote on social media platforms. He had said then, “Go bring your elephants, we will also... Haathi ghoda palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal ki.”

The media outlet reported it saying that Bachchan was challenging his opponents by telling them, “Bring your elephants and horses.” 

‘Thokne ke liye taiyaar baithe hain’

“Listen up, media folks, with your ears wide open... There is a 50 million-strong follower base, media folks. The day I give the signal, just 10 per cent of them are ready and waiting to strike. (‘Jis din humne ishara kiya, to usme se keval 10 pratishat hi, thokne ke liye taiyaar baithe hain’).”

The 84-year-old superstar, often refers to his over 50 million followers across platforms as extended family, or ef. “The more you twist my words and condemn them, the 100 times greater capacity the Ef has (they’re) lying in wait to do the same. It’s just a matter of them speaking up,” he added.

Sharing the headline that had irked him, he said, “Look what the media prints. Did you see the insult to the religion? Nothing could be more laughable than this... If we make a mistake—mistakes happen—we immediately apologise and try to make amends... But here it seems like this is their birthright...” 

Big B doesn’t criticise son

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has revealed that he consciously refrains from criticising son Abhishek Bachchan at home.

The revelation came during an interesting conversation with actor Ranbir Kapoor on the popular quiz reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati, where the two reflected on father-son relationships, parenting and unconditional love. During the interaction, Ranbir asked the megastar whether he openly expressed his opinions to Abhishek or communicated them through his wife, Jaya Bachchan.

Bachchan explained, “Alochana dekhiye karne ke liye bahut sare hazaron karodon log baithe hue hain, ji... agar ek aur ghar mein aa jayega alochak toh achha nahi lagta, ji... toh humne kabhi alochana nahi ki, humne bas kewal aashirwad diya ki koi baat nahi ye aaj film nahi chali hai, aage aur bhi filmein aayengi aur aur bhi kaam milega, is tarah se ek aashirwad ke tor pe humne baat kiya, kabhi unki is tarah se alochana nahi kabhi critisise nahi kiya aur... bahut se samay woh log yeh sochte hain jaise Abhishek wagaira kehte hain ki hamari alochana honi chahiye kyunki jab alochana hoti hai tab hamari samajh mein aata hai ki hum kya galat kar rahe hain aur kya sahi kar rahe hain aur phir jo galat kar rahe hain usko sudharne ka avsar milna chahiye, toh is tarah se unhone hamesha apne aap ko dekha.”

Sunday darshan behind bullet proof glass

The actor also attends Sunday darshan every week to greet fans who gather outside his Mumbai house Jalsa. He stepped out of his residence to greet cheering fans this Sunday too – but behind a bulletproof glass. The extra layer of protection followed an October 23 email sent to Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde threatening bomb blasts at Bachchan’s residence and the Mumbai venue of singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert.

Commendable Commitment

Noorulain Sayed

Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic Sunday darshan tradition outside his Jalsa residence in Mumbai has been going on since September 24, 1982. The idea germinated as soon as he recuperated from his near-fatal internal injury on the sets of Coolie (1982). Since 40+ years, the Bollywood legend has rarely skipped greeting his fans whenever he’s in Mumbai on Sundays. He’s the only actor who does it.

Despite the bomb threat, he still remained unwavering in this particular commitment towards his ‘ef’. He still came out to greet his fans even if it was through a glass shield box. Not to forget, a week prior, a crazed fan had tried to get too close to comfort. Another noticeable thing was that this time, Abhishek stood behind him, a concerned look on his face. It was endearing to witness a son being all protective towards his father.