My blog keeps me awake at night - Amitabh

My blog keeps me awake at night - Amitabh

Apr 24, 2008

At the age of 66, Amitabh Bachchan is hooked on to his blog. He says that he is enjoying advanced methods of technology and enjoying this phase of life more than others.

Q Despite the debacle of your films such Nishabd and Aag with Ram Gopal Varma, were you not skeptical of working with him again in Sarkar Raj?
I had no doubts at all. I always had great faith in Ramu as a director. Both Nishabd and Aag were very challenging roles for me and I was gratified. Every actor and director goes through a phase of ups and downs. There isn't a single producer or director in the world who has not faced criticism. But sometimes my personal satisfaction as an artiste also needs to be looked at. I had to search within myself. I would rather learn from failure than succumb to it. Ramu was generous enough to apologise publicly but I don't think he was wrong. Nobody in this world is perfect.

Q In the last few months how have you coped with the numerous controversies that surrounded you?
If you are a public figure, you have to be prepared tolerate all this. As a star I know I will be questioned and written about and criticised. I do not think we should take objection to it. Many times I have felt that the mood and intent with which I have spoken to an interviewer were different when it is reproduced. It must be the acumen of the interviewer to be able to represent that mood in his interview. Sometimes I felt cheated that I was not given an opportunity to clarify it because it was not what I intended to say. I think we should have a platform to be able to respond to it like the media has. Now have a wonderful alternative in the form of blogs, to express ourselves and challenge it.

Q So will you be posting regularly on the blog?
Yes, it is keeping me awake till very late in the night and my fingers hurt because I do not have any assistance at the moment. But it has been a great revelation. I never realised that there were so many people who were interested in talking to me. This is a new medium and I have almost 80 pages of posts and each page has 10-20 letters. I do not know how I am going to handle it, but I want to be able to address all of them. My father was a great responder to mail. He used to respond to every letter in his own handwriting and post them daily. I am going to try and respond to as many queries as possible and I hope I live up to my father's mode of operation. I am a common man and I am in a medium which involves the masses.

Q You do not seem to shy away from technology...
When Abhishek and Aishwarya go out of India, I speak to them everyday on Skype.

Q How do you review your son Abhishek's performances now? He is also singing songs and has taken after you...
Everyday I see that there is some progress. His films have not worked at the box office. Every actor goes through this phase and he shouldn't back out. It is important that he learns from his mistakes. Abhishek sang with Wyclef Jean recently. Abhi told me that he is a great hip-hop artiste. I don't know who he was until I met him recently. Abhi is also doing an album with Vishal-Shekhar, which has eight tracks.