Hyderabad (PTI): In spite of doing a wide variety of roles in his illustrious career, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan still hopes to do roles that will challenge him as an actor.
"I don't know what is there for me in the future. But I think there are roles that will challenge me as an actor," he told reporters here, when asked whether he still dreamt of doing any particular role.
Bachchan, his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya, were in the city tonight to promote Ram Gopal Varma's new film 'Sarkar Raj'.
Talking about the movie, he said Varma has proved that a film can do well commercially though it did not have typical song and dance sequences.
Film critics in western countries earlier used to criticise Indian films for their song and dance numbers but now they have come to accept it, he said.
Varma said coming to the PVR cinema at Punjagutta Circle for the event was an emotional moment for him as he was born and brought up in the locality.
He said 'Sarkar Raj' proved that a film can do well at the box office without necessarily having comedy scenes and song and dance items.
He thanked the Bachchans for doing a great job in the film.
Asked to comment on Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek's performance, Aishwarya said Bachchan senior is an institution onto himself and still has the attitude of a student towards work, while Abhishek too worked with total commitment.
The cast of 'Sarkar Raj' and the director were in the city as part of the 'Idea Yatra for Sarkar Raj'.
Still looking for challenging roles: Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan cleared in tobacco ad case
Panaji,(PTI) In a relief for superstar Amitabh Bachchan, a local court has cleared him in a case of an alleged violation of Goa's law against smoking after a poster showed him puffing a cigar. National Tobacco Eradication Organisation (NOTE), an anti-tobacco organisation, had filed a suit against Bachchan along with others objecting to his poster on the hoarding which showed him smoking a cigar and accusing him of violating Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act, 1997.
District and Sessions Judge U V Bakre nullified the legal process against Bachchan initiated by judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) in the case. NOTE had accused the actor of indirectly suggesting and promoting smoking on a multi-coloured billboard advertisement that depicted him puffing a cigar while endorsing a brand of electric appliances.
The board was prominently displayed on Goa's national highway. NOTE had asked the court to prosecute Bachchan for violations the Goa Prohibition of Smoking and Spitting Act.
Bachchan's lawyer had in a revision petition filed before sessions court said the criminal case was registered despite the actor conveying in writing that he was not a party to the hoarding. PTI.
No one needs to question what I've done: Big B
Stung by comparisions with superstar Rajnikanth, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan said no one had the right to question what he has done for Mumbai.
"No one needs to question what I have done for Mumbai, for I know what I have done," Bachchan said.
He was reacting to a question on an article in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna that compared him with Tamil superstar Rajnikanth, who is agitating for Tamil Nadu on the issue of Hogenakkal water project.
The article: 'Rajnikanth Khalya Meethala Jaagla' (Rajnikant has been loyal) said though he was born in Maharashtra and grew up in Karnataka, he took sides with Tamil Nadu after achieving superstardom.
The article said, 'several actors who live in Mumbai achieve fame and glory. But when it comes to taking a firm stand on the issue of Marathi or regional pride many of film stars including Amitabh Bachchan backtrack'.
Reacting to the allegations, Bachchan said, "do you think I am not doing much for Maharashtra? If that's what you think, then it is unfortunate".
Article attacking Big B not my views: Thackeray
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray distanced himself from the article on Marathi pride in party mouthpiece attacking actor Amitabh Bachchan, and said the views published in the paper were not his.
"Amitabh Bachchan is our family friend. I have neither said anything against him nor written against him in the editorial. The hue and cry which has been created by the media regarding the news in Saamna is condemnable. Our relations with Amitabh are not so weak that it can be broken by electronic media news," Thackeray said in a statement.
He said people were beginning to 'lose faith' in the electronic media because of the way they were making mountains out of molehills, but the relations between him and the Bachchan family would be unaffected 'because it is a bond of love'.
A front page article in Saturday's edition of the party organ edited by Thackeray, targeted Bachchan who was born in Uttar Pradesh but achieved stardom in Mumbai on the issue of Marathi pride.
While praising his Tamil counterpart Rajnikanth for taking the side of Tamil Nadu on the issue of Hogenakkal water project issue, it said actors like Bachchan would backtrack when it comes to taking a firm stand on the issue of Maharasthrian regional pride.
Amitabh Bachchan to judge Aishwarya
IndiaFM
For the Big B it seems that the reel life seems to be following the real life. We are talking about Amitabh Bachchan's relationship with the name 'Aishwarya'. At home, he is a loving father-in-law to the dutiful Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He is also planning to start 'Aishwarya Girls School', amongst many others to follow.
At work, Amitabh is all set to be the judge to the beautifully talented Aishwarya! We are not talking about his bahu, but a contestant Aishwarya Mazmudar, the finalist of the mega reality show Amul Star Voice of India - Chhote Ustad, who is pitted against Anwesha Dattagupta, yet another volcano of talent.
The finals of this show will happen on Saturday April 5, 2008. What remains to be seen is that, after months of hard work and eliminations, who will finally be crowned the winner: Aishwarya or Anwesha?
Raj Thackeray watches excerpts from Sarkar Raj
Raj Thackeray, chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the man whose remarks and activities of his followers sparked off parochial unrest in Mumbai, has met Bolloywood director Ram Gopal Varma to watch a part of Sarkar Raj.
Loosely based on Shiv Sena's chief Bal Thackeray's life, Sarkar Raj is a sequel to Varma's Sarkar and stars Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in key roles. Raj Thackeray had also taken on Amitabh Bachchan in his diatribe.
"Raj and Varma have been friends for some time now. In fact, when Sarkar was made, it was Raj who coordinated between Varma and the Shiv Sena supremo," a source close to Varma told IANS.
"Raj is keenly interested in movies. So when after chatting up, Varma asked Raj if he wanted to watch some of Sarkar Raj, he readily agreed. He watched about 30 minutes of the film and apparently loved it," the source said.
Raj was amused to see one of the actors in Sarkar Raj resembled him. "Yes, one of the actors does resemble Raj, but his role is not modelled on him," added the source.
Bachchan concerts to feature Saif Ali Khan and Madhuri Dixit
Mumbai(IANS) The 'Unforgettable' concerts in July that will see the Bachchan clan of Bollywood perform live across Europe and United States has new glamour quotient.
Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit (Nene) will join Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai at different venues across Britain and the US, a source close to the family said.
Riteish Deshmukh, Bipasha Basu and Akshay Kumar are also part of the entourage.
'Saif and Shahid showed absolutely no hesitation in joining the Bachchans on their tour. The price being offered was fine and the dates for venues where they'll perform also worked out to their convenience. As for Madhuri, it would be the easiest thing in the world to join the Bachchans for the concerts in the US because that's where she lives,' the source said.
Lara Dutta had opted out of the concert earlier. 'There's much more to her sudden withdrawal from the concert than a painful knee,' a source said, without elaborating further.
UP govt accusing amitabh bachchan of evading stamp duty
The case against superstar Amitabh Bachchan by the UP government, accusing him of evading stamp duty of just Rs 695, is ridiculous and an attempt to defame Indian art and culture, Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh said.
"Amitabh is a personality who can pay Rs 6 lakhs. Rs 600 is nothing for him. Registration of such a case against megastar like him is ridiculous and an attempt to defame Indian art," he said.
The Barabanki district authorities on Monday issued a notice to the superstar accusing him of undervaluing the stamp duty on a plot of land he bought in the area.
Additional District Magistrate (Finance) of Barabanki Shirish Dubey said that the cost of the land purchased by Amitabh was Rs 843,639 but it was shown as Rs 6,000 less and accordingly the actor paid Rs 695 less in stamp duty.
Amar Singh, along with MPs Jaya Bachchan and Jayaprada, has arrived in Harda to campaign for the party candidate ahead of the Betul Lok Sabha bypoll.
The party MLA from Multai in Betul district Dr Suneelam is the SP candidate for the bypoll, in which the BJP has fielded Hemant Khandelwal, whose father's death necessitated the by-poll. Congress has fielded sitting MLA from Masod Sukhdeo Panse.
When asked whether Amitabh is being troubled at the behest of Gandhi family, he avoided a direct reply on the issue.
Even Jaya Bachchan refused to comment.
Uttar Pradesh government not targeting Big B: official
Lucknow, April 1 (IANS) Refuting allegations that the Mayawati government was 'unduly harassing' Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, a top Uttar Pradesh bureaucrat Tuesday said the action against the actor for evading a marginal stamp duty was 'routine'.
The Uttar Pradesh government had slapped a notice on Big B for evading Rs.690 in stamp duty on registration of land bought in Barabanki for a college named after his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The case came up for hearing Monday.
Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and Amitabh's wife Jaya Bachchan alleged that it was 'political vendetta' by the Mayawati government on account of their close proximity to the opposition Samajwadi Party.
But a top government official told IANS: 'Action would follow in a routine manner against anyone charged of undervaluing a property with a view to chopping off the stamp duty payable against a deal.'
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: 'I fail to understand how the media was trying to establish a connection between the action initiated by the Barabanki additional district magistrate (finance) and the dismissal of a Special Leave Petition moved by the state government against a high court order giving Bachchan a clean chit in a land scam in Barabanki district (about 40 km from here).'
The Bachchan family laid the foundation stone of the college on the plot of land Jan 27 at a high-profile bash in the village where they also flew in prominent politicians like Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, the party's leader Amar Singh, former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah.
The official said: 'The first notice for underpayment of stamp duty was issued to Bachchan way back on Dec 26, 2007, while the Supreme Court had dismissed the state government's petition March 31.'
When his attention was drawn to the fact that the underpayment was only Rs.690, he shot back: 'If you look into land records of any village or town, you will find umpteen such cases filed for violation of the Stamp Duty Act.'
While giving a detailed account of the case against Amitabh Bachchan, Barabanki ADM (finance) Shrish Dube told IANS: 'Bachchan had purchased three bighas (0.810 hectares) of land in Daulatpur village of Barabanki district that was registered in his name July 13, 2007 for a declared consideration of Rs.837,000.'
Dubey said: 'Subsequently during a routine cross-check, which is done in most sale deed cases, we discovered that the plot had been undervalued; as such, the stamp duty should have been paid on a value of Rs.843,695 as against Rs.837,000 shown by Bachchan.'
The case was listed for hearing before the ADM Monday.
Bachchan's counsel Ram Gopal Shukla sought to argue that the marginal difference in the valuation was attributed to the existence of a few date-palm trees on the land.
'Even if the officially estimated value was to be taken into account, the matter was too trivial. And considering that the chargeable stamp duty was only 10 percent, the total alleged default would not exceed Rs.690,' he said.
The ADM has fixed May 4 for the next hearing in the case.
Ash, Big B at Advani's book launch
IndiaFM
That could explain why actor Amitabh Bachchan, his daughter-in-law Aishwarya, ace art director Nitin Desai and Manoj 'Bharat' Kumar were in full attendance at the grand launch of Advani's book 'My Country My Life'.
It's too early to even speak about the book review, but looking at the creme de la creme who had come for the launch, this book does promise to make a good read.
Mr. Bachchan, a Style Icon!
By movietalkies
He came and changed the face of Indian cinema, the way we knew it. With him was born the angry young man and the new look of the rough & tough, real looking hero. And so many years later, he continues to set trends and rule our hearts with his acting skills and his sheer persona. And style is an intrinsic part of that strong personality. On one hand, filmmakers are still churning out scripts tailored for him, altering all the ground rules of popular to make an older man the central character of their plots so as to fit in the great Mr. Bachchan, on the other hand, his styling and presentation makes him a style icon for today's youth.
Be it his hip sunglasses, to the coloured spectacles, to a new colour streak in his hair, to his torn jeans look…he can carry all this and more with style and élan. He can easily eat up the gym-built able bodied newcomers of today with his style statement! Even though he is 60 plus, he still walks tall (of course) and is the heart throb of many femme fatales (Malika Sherawat included)
Mr. Bachchan is here to stay and we love him!
Amitabh to play Abhishek's grand pa in the film 'Dilli 6'
Confused? You should be. Bachchan Sr. who does not have any restrictions for the roles that he portrays has got a role never before attempted by him.
Yes, Amitabh has got a role to play son Abhishek's grand pa in the film 'Dilli 6'.
Acting for over four decades and reigning Bollywood, this is one role that will raise the curiosity of most of the film goers. How will it be for a dad to play the grand dad's role? Easy is what we would say, for an actor with the talent and calibre of Big B!
'Dilli 6' is Rakeysh Mehra's semi-autobiographical film and the Big B's role will be shot by the director come May. If reports are to be believed then this director has a few more films in the pipline for Big B and after 'Dilli 6' the director will cast Bachchan in 'Paanch Kaurav'. A few more films are getting ready for which the talks are going on.
This Mehra-Bachchan combo seems to be doing magic, all we hope is that this magic continues!
Courtesy:IndiaGlitz