Amitabh Bachchan did not answer a question on Tanushree Dutta’s allegations against Nana Patekar while promoting Thugs of Hindostan.
Poor Amitabh Bachchan. People just expect too much from him.
Think about it. Zanjeer was 1973. That’s 45 years ago.
How can you expect poor Amitji to still keep the anger at the same boiling point? He’s not some perpetual anger machine. Once he could rail at the establishment on screen. Now he is the establishment. The angry young man has aged, become a grandfather, a Twitter superstar, and we keep wanting him to get angry and be the fiery conscience of the nation while he just wants us to breathe the khushboo of Gujarat and buy Kalyan jewellery.
There he was, trying to promote his new film Thugs of Hindostan, and the media ambushed him with a question on actor Tanushree Dutta’s allegations of harassment against Nana Patekar. “Neither my name is Tanushree nor Nana Patekar. So, how can I answer your question?” Bachchan replied.
A few months ago, while trying to promote a song for his film 102 Not Out, Bachchan was asked about the rapes in Kathua and Unnao, and what he thought about sexual attacks on women that just keep happening over and over again.
“Please don’t ask me about this issue, as it disgusts me to talk about it,” Bachchan replied. “It’s terrible to even talk about it.”
It’s just so unfair. The media seems to forget that he’s promoting Thugs of Hindostan now, not Pink. That was in 2016. And didn’t Amitji do his baritone best for the cause back then?
His on-screen persona, grumpy old lawyer Deepak Sehgal, drilled ‘Consent 101’ into us, a speech hailed as groundbreaking in Bollywood. “No ka matlab no hota hai. Use bolne wali ladki koi parichit ho, friend ho, girlfriend ho, koi sex worker ho ya apni biwi hi kyu na ho. No means No. And when someone says so, you STOP.”
When producer Shoojit Sircar brought the idea of Pink to him, Bachchan told The New Indian Express, “the topic was so strong that in minutes I told him that we will work on this”. He did not know enough about his role or who would be directing it. But he was ready to serve. Doesn’t that speak volumes about his commitment?
If we need even more clinching proof, there was his moving video letter to his granddaughters. “They will tell you how to dress, how to behave, who you can meet and where you can go… Don’t let anyone make you believe that the length of your skirt is the measure of your character.” Cynical naysayers commented snidely that it was timed to the release of Pink, but perhaps that was because those issues must have been weighing heavily on his mind at the time, after he got into the skin of Deepak Sehgal. Now, Badumbaaa, he must be thinking about other pressing issues like ‘Baap COOL, Beta OLD SCHOOL’, yet the media just wants him to reprise Pink all over again.
No wonder he does not want to talk about it anymore. He must be tired. Perhaps he has been talking non-stop about these issues since Pink. It’s the media that must have not been paying attention.
At that time, a few carping critics wondered what it meant that even a film like Pink needed a knight in somewhat rusty armour to rescue the partying damsels in distress. They were told they were being over-critical. If that message had to resonate with the “lock kiya jaaye” impact, it needed to come with the gravitas of an Amitabh Bachchan. The likes of a Shabana Azmi declaiming those lines would have been just too predictable, and caused those who really needed to hear it to tune out, even if, in real life, a Deepika Singh Rajawat is taking on the Kathua rape accused at great risk to her own life and liberty.
Some will think it’s peculiar that a man who is the brand ambassador for the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ campaign should be so disgusted by these stories of rape that he cannot even entertain a simple question about it. They would say it could have been a powerful moment to underscore the urgency of a campaign called ‘Beti Bachao’.
But the word from the top now is that rape is apparently being politicised. What if a superstar expressed outrage and then got awkward follow-up questions like whether Christine Lagarde, chief of the IMF, should have said “what has happened (in India) is revolting” and Prime Minister Modi “should pay more attention”?
After the 2012 Delhi gang rape, Bachchan put out an anguished tweet saying he had penned a few words in Hindi for ‘Nirbhaya’, ‘Amanat’, ‘Damini’, telling us that though the candles in the candlelight march would melt, the fire lit by nirbhayata or fearlessness would keep burning in our hearts. Just because he does not want to take questions about it anymore does not mean that fire isn’t still burning fearlessly.
But then why pick on poor Amitabh Bachchan? There are many other candles checking which way the wind is blowing these days. In 2012, Smriti Irani had demanded the Congress-led UPA convene a special session of Parliament to “assure the people of this nation that in this time of grief we stand united in our resolve and rise above our words to initiate action”. This time, when journalists first asked her about the incidents, she just drove away. Later, she said, “Don’t victim-shame and politicise.”
Mr Amitabh Bachchan is a wise man. That is why he is the great survivor. We should all learn from him. He knows when to speak and when to let his silence speak. Remember how, in the first days of the uproar after the Kathua episode, so many of the government’s voluble ministers, the ones who had demanded the death penalty for rapists in 2012, became eerily silent. Like Mr Amitabh Bachchan, it must have disgusted them so much they were unable to talk about it.
Both Mr Modi and Mr Bachchan know that the price for being eloquent is that uncharitable people will try and read all kinds of nonsense into their silence. But all those criticising him today should remember the silent ghin or disgust of a Shahenshah must surely be worth 100 tweets if you listen with your heart.
As he told us long ago in Trishul, “Sahi baat ko sahi waqt pe kiya jaye to uska maza hi kuch aur hai, aur main sahi waqt ka intezaar karta hoon. (It’s a different kind of joy when the right thing is said at the right time, and I wait for the right time.)”
It is clearly not the sahi waqt right now.
Sandip Roy is a journalist, commentator and author.
(An earlier version of this was published on 20 April, 2018)
Virtually everyone in the country is his fan.Perhaps that’s why expectations too are high to look so pathetic and helpless.
As you rightly point out, he is a wise old man. Once he comes out in support of an actress, there will be several others who will speak up about their miseries, and soon the entire bollywood will be engulfed in controversies, though there will be little action beyond meaningless talk. Remember when students started speaking up about having been assaulted by their professors, many of whom were great scholars of our country, and women scholars and activists just laughed it off in TV studios. And media has conveniently forgotten those accusations too. Everyone tries protecting their own. So why blame the old man?
Amitabh Bachchan, the eminence grise of Bollywood, his wife and daughter in law both actresses, is sending out a clear message to young women who may be thinking of making a career in the film industry : Ladies, this is a jungle out here, filled with predators. When you enter, a tremulous doe, you take your chances of being eaten alive. Don’t expect your colleagues and seniors to come to your rescue. It is each one for herself. For the few who succeed, fame and fortune abound. The others take their chances outside the industry.
Sandip, well said. Hope it helps Mr Bachchan and other senior and respected members of our community that their voice matters and they don’t have to worry about the money and fame any more. They have it all. At least, now they can say what is right. They need not fear the ‘might’ of the self-serving politicians. It is absolutely fine to take a position, particularly when people of this great country have given one so much.
hypocrite writer … AB has said enough and he means it .. why he should pander the morons who want him to say everything on his behalf…yeah the fact that not a single congressi has been hanged and or jailed despite supporting covertly many of the jihadi bomblasts and hiding n letting escape the terrorists before their arrest .. congressis have let illegal immigrants inside india for their vote banks n many times acted against the national interest … i hope people dont revolt and bring a bloody end to congress politics …..until AB was congress he was god now when he voices his opinion and rightly so ; the same squealing whines are objecting him ….where r those khans who refuse to say any word against the bomblasts by jihadis all these years … n in fact invite pakis to come n earn money here in their films when their taxes are going to fund from pakistan to kill our own soldiers !! hypocrite cowards like the writers …. they can never match the graciousness and command of the legend AB
Amitabh with his pan India fame could have used this for the good of India but alas he chooses to be mum and only speaks when moolah is thrown his way !!!
Shame … look at Hollywood actors how they use their star power to highlight social issues !!!
Amitabh hang your head in shame!
u hang yourself ….AB has already condemned it .. where are ur eunuch khans n others when terrorists strike n kill n rape our citizens soldiers … traitors like you are the reason why nation hates you all
Take your teenage angst elsewhere Aryan, adults are talking.
Whatever an actor in movie or during promotion of movie speaks, is all scripted. Why we should bother about what does he speak and what doesn’t he speak. At this age he doesn’t have strength to speak up on real matters. On one side he is ambassador of beti bachao , beti Padhao and on the other side he is friend of Congress. I hate him because of his statement during 1984 riot.
Great write up.
Mr Sr Bachchan ji really u r too old to respond a right message at right time
By eating political rotis u become aged and thus by virtue of ur age u should be ashamed of being ambassador of beti bachao abhiyan and step down
Mr Sr Bachchan u r really too old to deliver right message at the right time, and u should be ashamed of ur being ambassador of beti bachao abhiyan
By eating political rotis, u become so aged that even can’t see the sensitive nature of the issue
Mr Se Bachchan u r really too old to deliver right message at the right time, and u should be ashamed of ur being ambassador of beti bachao abhiyan
By eating political rotis, u become so aged that even can’t see the sensitive nature of the issue
Too many people are commenting on these issues but We are hell bent to get a comment from a cine star. He is in his right to not give any bytes to media. There is absolutely no scope of penning a satire on this issue because historically no journalist or commentator or author ever have supported a celebrity or anybody in the time of their distress caused by their expression of thinking in public. Mr. Bachchan is a normal citizen like us and he has every right like us to reserve his comments in any issue.
This is no big deal. For every Mr. Bachchan , there is one Mahesh Bhat in the park. Go get it.
Please ask Mr Bachchan to stay within his right and not go out talking about Beti Bachao.
What’s that term –
Yes, Bol Bachchan.
Ask him to keep shut.
He is dumbstruck. Leave him to his fate. Several crore rupees are at risk on the Gujarat brand endorsements etc, if he speaks a wrong word or gets trapped by journalists. Pink acting was not out of conviction but for the molah
These media houses doesn’t care at all about girls or rape they are just concerned with their trp and how they can move on their agenda and if somebody refuses to that they will start writing shit about him too. The whole point of this article is frustration over why Amitabh didn’t criticized modi government. Even if Amitabh said something nothing would change and rape would still happen but they would have been able to put forward their agenda. Fucking bastard prestitutes.
Yes, the fucking bastard prestitutes have an agenda. The agenda is to get the rapists punished, and not shielded by the Hindu government that is protecting them. The fucking bastard prestitutes have an agenda of bringing justice to a country that is lawless and known across the globe as the rape capital of the world. The fucking bastard prestitutes have an agenda of not allowing Bachchan and Modi to get away with being irresponsible, incompetent, empty headed elders of a country. The fucking bastard prestitutes have a deep agenda to get this country on track, because it has been reduced to a drain by rapist sons of India.
And finally, it is far better to be a fucking bastard or a fucking prestitute than being an incompetent Prime Minister and a disgraceful actor who can only talk about betis and do nothing to protect them. Also fucking prestitutes are working hard in India, for India and not minting money and hoarding it in Panama. Also, fucking prestitutes have the balls to tell raping rapists to not rape. Which both Modi and Bachchan don’t.
Brilliant
Such a delightful satire. Hope people speak up. #politicize rape
For a long time, one felt, of the two, Ms Jaya Bachchan was the better politician, his plane having been shot down by a Bofors gun. Now difficult to judge. Had the kambakht Panama Papers not surfaced at the wrong time, he would have been starting the day walking amongst the tulips in the Mughal Gardens, humming to himself, Dekha ek khwaab toh yeh silsile hue …
Kathua doesn’t need Amitabh Bachchans histrionics or tweets. The police officers and their men and women and lawyers have done the job. There are real life heroes who can take this case to its logical conclusion in real life. Bachchan is irrelevant to reality. He entertains, and keeps chirping on Twitter, and is incapable of uttering a word against BJP whom he has endorsed, but he’s completely not important to real justice systems. The Kathua child will get justice whether Bachchan or BJP want it or not. They can stay disgusted. There was a time when Bachchans wrath meant something, even if it was scripted. People know now that neither his disgust nor his delight, mean much. One should be happy that he goes through this career without any major incident against women himself. That ll be peak hypocrisy.
I agree with the thrust of your lovely post. AB is a celebrity actor and his opinions do not merit a long article here.
However, I disagree with you when you say that “the Kathua child will get justice”. If justice means prosecution, well let’s not forget that Dr((!) Maya Kodnani, Amit Shah, Swami Aseemanand and even PM Modi have evaded the long arm of the law. The way the law works in India depends on whether you are powerful or powerless.
yeah the fact that not a single congressi has been hanged and or jailed despite supporting covertly many of the jihadi bomblasts and hiding n letting escape the terrorists before their arrest .. congressis have let illegal immigrants inside india for their vote banks n many times acted against the national interest … i hope people dont revolt and bring a bloody end to congress politics …..until AB was congress he was god now when he voices his opinion and rightly so ; the same squealing whines are objecting him ….where r those khans who refuse to say any word against the bomblasts by jihadis all these years … n in fact invite pakis to come n earn money here in their films when their taxes are going to fund from pakistan to kill our own soldiers !! hypocrite cowards like the writers …. they can never match the graciousness and command of the legend AB
Brilliant. Diplomacy is not the preserv of Diplomats alone Even stars are adept at it .