Amitabh Bachchan

You have said that you sense some sort of media hostility towards your family.

It's the kind of reportage that has been happening. Trivial things are gaining momentum and I feel the time has come to clarify.

Let us take a bad example. There has been an accusation or perception that Aishwarya is manglik and that we've taken huge efforts of religious and superstitious nature to get rid of the dosh. All this is maliciously untrue.

You are saying this manglik business is hogwash.

Totally. These accusations emanated from the electronic media. It was said that my brother (Ajitabh) took Aishwarya's horoscope to an astrologer in Bangalore. This is totally untrue. To date, we've not asked for Aishwarya's horoscope. We don't believe in it. We don't know what she is. All this talk is ridiculous and we didn't clarify it because it is too silly. Since we didn't clarify it, it was then assumed that since Aishwarya is manglik, she should get married to a tree as a cure.

So, you are saying Aishwarya was not married to a tree.

Not at all. Please show me the tree she got married to. Please show me these publicity-seeking astrologers, who married her to that tree.

Some reports even suggest that she was married off to a matka to rid of the dosh.

Please show me that matka. She did not get married to any matka unless you want to call Abhishek a matka.

Why were there so many visits to the temple by your family?

They were very normal visits. There have been four instances, all of which have a reason that has nothing to do with getting rid of some sort of manglik dosh that Aishwarya is supposed to have. We went to the Sankat Mochan in Benaras to pray since it was my late father (Harivansh Rai Bachchan)'s birthday. Since at that time Abhishek was seeing Aishwarya, she joined us. We went to Vindhyachal on Amar Singhji's birthday. I went to Siddhivinayak because I wanted to. As for the Tirupati visit after Aishwarya and Abhishek's wedding, we had decided that the day after the wedding we would go there to seek blessings. What is wrong in that? It is alarming to see intellectuals suggesting that a public figure going to temples implies propagating superstition.

Do you agree that Abhishek-Aishwarya's wedding was a PR disaster?

I don't like the words 'PR disaster'. It wasn't a PR exercise for us. I've to say that you people give me the onus of popularity way too much but I don't believe it. I know a lot of people will have problems believing this but it is true — I'm shy; I have problems with crowds. About the wedding, it was a tough decision for us. We didn't want a big celebration since my mother (Teji Bachchan) was in hospital. She is suffering from an advanced stage of Alzheimer's and dementia. It was emotionally shattering for me to see my mother struggling and come back home to a wedding. I had to swing between grief and celebration. So we decided to keep it simple.

We decided to keep it at our family home, Prateeksha, and made sure there was no noise, sound or fireworks. We invited very few people.

Don't you think if Ash and Abhi had posed for a few pictures, all this could have been avoided?

We wanted to do that but Aishwarya and Abhishek wanted to seek the blessings of their ailing grandmother first. But the scene at the Leelavati hospital became so chaotic that they couldn't even come out of the car. We were alarmed and when you are alarmed, you end up making mistakes. It wasn't deliberate but if the media feels we have hurt them I apologize to them.

What's your reaction to the photographer's ban on you?

What happened during the wedding was unfortunate. My security people did not misbehave with the photographers. Even though it wasn't my responsibility, I volunteered to apologise. After that a Mumbai tabloid carried views of five photographers who said that they have put a photo ban on me. I wrote to all five of them explaining my situation. Next thing I know that those letters got published and then it was said I was trying to apologise. Then the photographers said I should apologise personally. This can just go on. Show me a face and an address. I'll go and apologise. I don't sit on any high horse. I'll do it.

Why did Aishwarya and Abhishek refuse to give interviews to the Indian media at the recent IIFA awards?

This is not true. We didn't tell anyone that we wouldn't be giving interviews to the Indian media. How could you believe this without checking with me? Nobody came and asked us for interviews.

Do you think that Aishwarya and Abhishek are being unnecessarily targeted?

I think ever since Aishwarya and Abhishek expressed their association there has been excessive reportage of everything related to Aishwarya especially her astrological status. It's unethical and disturbing. There is a talk that she's a curse to the family and how since she has come in the family, everything is going wrong for us. I don't understand why she is being badgered so much. She's my bahu but much more that that, she's my daughter. She's a blessing for my family. She's not unfortunate or unlucky for us. Enough is enough, please stop it.

Were you hurt when Dilip Kumar sent back the wedding mithai?

See, Dilip saab is my idol. I will always respect him and I respect his sentiments.

Do you feel that you praised Abhishek too much in the media especially after the release of Guru?

Oh yeah, he's my son and I'll do it again. I wept when I saw Guru. I was a proud father and I wanted to tell everyone about my son's achievement.

But the lobbying continues. Abhishek and you are doing a lot of films together. The trade says it's like a Single Ticket, Double Bachchan bonanza. React.

We are doing Sarkar 2 because you can't make the film without the cast of Sarkar. In Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, it was just a song and I did that because of my association with the director, Shaad Ali.

Of your recent performances, which ones do you like?

I like Nishabd, which was very challenging. It's unfortunate that to the audience the film came across as a dirty old man going after an 18-year-old. Nishabd taught me that a lot of people don't want to differentiate between the actor and the personality. I like Cheeni Kum also. In Eklavya, I liked the climax. There was a scene, where I don't let the tear drop from my eyes. Crying is a technique. Waheedaji (Rahman) and Shah Rukh do it so well; they will drop a tear at exactly the right moment. I wonder how they do it. Shah Rukh never uses glycerine.

Have there been any performances that made you cringe?

No, I've liked everything. Even Jhoom, which was a totally mad film. It's a pity that a lot of people couldn't get into its madness.

Is there any particular role that you want to do?

I can't think of it. When it comes to me, I do it. In Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, I play an aging theatre actor in the Kolkata of the late 40's. It was his greatest desire to play Lear but he couldn't fulfill it. Then he gets an offer to play a clown in the circus. And he has to take it up. That's the pathos of the film.