Amitabh Bachchan's Blog - 3rd Day 20 April

Prateeksha, Mumbai, April 19, 2008 / 10:42 pm

The flow of messages continues unabated and as someone on the blog has said i need to employ people to help me or else fear the loss of my fingers..!!

But thank you for this love and affection and some immensely emotional bondings that i have read and continue reading. It is a huge task to respond to each and everyone, which i am certain all coming on the Blog realize, but if i can make a few references, i do hope the others will understand. Hopefully their turn will also come.

The status on ‘Shantaram’ is asked. Mira Nair came and met me and set up everything, took my dates and time, discussed the look and the character, but wrote an email soon after that due to the Writers Strike in Hollywood, the project has to be postponed. She had shown my films to Johnny Depp, who has said some very complimentary things about me in his interviews. But that is all. I have not heard since from Mira.

Naresh Agarwal from Singapore did a huge page and description of his links with my films and my issues and i thank him for his views and his strong support.

Satyam’s review on “Sarkar’ was very sincere and most discerning. Very few have been able to catch this aspect of RGV’s film making - his complete liberty in capturing the close ups of artists. In Sarkar Raj, whose unveiling takes place tomorrow at JW Marriot, there is more of his desire to allow actors to perform in the freedom of close ups.

There are fans who remember my father, DR Harvansh Rai Bachchan and his poetry. I shall soon be able to dedicate an entire chapter on some of his works. But would wait for the website being prepared to be able to do justice to his enormous volume of work.

Divya wants me to work in a Telegu film. I shall try, though i do not have a hold on the language. I did speak a few lines in’ Lawaaris’ in Telegu though.

Arundhati, i acknowledge my being your ‘jamai babu’, since Jaya is a Bengali. I love that term.

Sreeram raised a pertinent point. Did i chose Jaya because she had the qualities of a strong woman much like my mother. I think, men when they look for a life partner quite naturally want a woman close in nature and stlye to their own mothers. And perhaps the same for women too when they chose their mate, a reflection of their own father is sought.

Dq, feels that the Blog is an ocean of messages and she will not be noticed - well she just did.

Thank you Pinky - you saw Cheeni Kum 15 times !! and Nishabd 5 times !! media critics will not want to digest this. Though i feel Nishabd was one of my most challenging roles. It is another matter that many equated the persona with the reel character and disliked the persona !!

SSMS complimented me for working in donating for those affected in the Gujarat earthquake, but questioned how much i donated to Muslims killed and raped in Gujarat violence. I appreciate your sentiment. No amount of material good can overcome a human life or its disgrace. Violence is not the answer to violence and it is unfortunate and should never happen. When we collect funds generally we give it to a Govt., or a body for its useful distribution. I do personal charity, but i do not want to talk about it. I would rather do it and quietly. So let me say this honestly. Yes i have done the required charity, but i find it demeaning to my intent to describe it.

There are fans from New Zealand - Veerana and from Afghanistan - Waheed and his reference to my visit to his country for the shooting of Khuda Gawah. Some day i shall elaborate on this trip of mine which was one of my most exciting visits.

Hitesh Patel wonders if his mail will ever be read..

A lot of the messages contain millions of ?????????, such images. I am presuming that they have written in the devnagri hindi script and my computer is not being able to decipher it.

Rushi has asked me call on her cell and put her number down too - not a wise thing to do Rushi !!

Saurabh Tankha, from Pioneer wants an email interview - sure, contact my office and it will be organised.

There are 54 pages of messages till the last count. A lot of work. But i am making the effort to try and give back as much as i can get.

Last night as i scrolled through the channels on TV, i came across Headlines Today, under their Entertainment programme giving a report on my Blog and its formation. I want to thank them for their generosity in providing me and my Blog the much required publicity of its existence. Though i found their comments laced most subtely with sarcasm ! They gave their reason for my Blog as an escape from ‘political attacks’ on me. Thats laughable. For a non politician it does not qualify me for political attack. Politicians may take my name, as i said earlier, but that does not include me into their profession and most certainly does not coerce me to start a Blog in order to shield any attack. They would gain nothing from it. Its an exercise in futility.

The report on Headlines Today ended with the comment ” well, he will have to learn to write now”

I am admittedly not as literate as the journalist community and certainly do not possess the ability required in their profession, but i do respond at times and for those on the Blog that may care to read i am ‘posting’ a few responses that i made last year, over an article that came out in the ‘OUTLOOK magazine. The article was heavily critical of and about the marriage procedures of Abhishek and Aishwarya and about my attitude towards various factors unacceptable to society in general and to some prominent thinkers and men of letters in particular.

I shall be happy to learn from readers what they thought of the accusations and of course my response to them.

With love and more..much more

Namaskar, Shubh Ratri, ShabhaKhair, Satsriakal and Good Night

Amitabh Bachchan