Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor had at one time ruled the Indian film industry. They had worked for some memorable films like ‘Deewar’, ‘Trishul’, ‘Namakhalal’, ‘Kala Patthar’, ‘Kabhi Kabhie’ etc but now things have changed for Shashi Kapoor, who is sadly confined to a wheelchair. Amitabh Bachchan in his blog expressed shock at the plight of the veteran actor, who received the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award in a wheelchair.
 
Amitabh Bachchan, who gave the Filmfare Awards a miss owing to conflict with Mumbai Mirror, wrote, “At the Filmfare Awards, when Mumbai Mirror had not appeared, the affable editor Jitesh Pillai had asked me if I would give the Lifetime achievement Award to Shashi Kapoor and I had agreed. I missed that more than the expectation of winning the best actor award. Seeing him confined to a wheel chair, was something I could never associate with Shashi ji.”

“Shashi Kapoor, that handsome gentle man. A smile on his face forever. A considerate calling on each meeting, now in this condition? Never!” the actor wrote. More

Its the second year on the trot where the Bachchan family has decided to give Holi a miss. It is due to the death of a close family member of their politician friend Amar Singh and also due to the recent Pune blast that killed 17 innocents.

“We do not celebrate again this year. Primarily because of the death of a close relative of our family friend Amar Singhji, but also we do not feel comfortable in celebrating when our own have lost lives in the Pune blast recently,” megastar Amitabh Bachchan posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com Saturday night, from his Prateeksha residence. Last year they skipped the festival as a mark of respect to the 26/11 terror attack victims and also did not celebrate Holi in 2008 due to Amitabh’s mother Teji Bachchan’s death.

Though Big B is not celebrating, he is not behind any other to wish his fans a happy Holi. “My wishes and those of my family remain, however, with those that do bring in this festival, a festival that fills us with the joy of achievement and change and produce,” Big B wrote.

“Happy Holi! And may the colours bright and beautiful ever remain with you in celebration. May it bring peace and calm and may it become the turning point for good tidings,” he added. Source

Earlier we had reported that Ash has had to delay pregnancy plans because of her ailment, but the Bachchans have rubbished reports that Aishwarya Rai is under treatment for stomach tuberculosis.

“I am completely shocked, appalled and extremely upset with the contents of the article. It is fabricated and false,” Aishwarya said in a letter to the paper. On Twitter, Abhishek Bachchan said the media had crossed a line this time.

“You want to write and malign me or my father, I will take it. But the ladies of my home are off limits! They’ve gone too far this time….. I have never reacted to all the fabricated stories written by the media about me and my own. BUT THIS IS THE LIMIT!!!”

“As a husband and a man I’m shocked that one can talk so irresponsibly about a woman, that too…falsely!! On a personal note, as a husband I will not stand for such rubbish being written about my wife,” Abhishek wrote on his Twitter handle @juniorbachchan. More

The shahenshah Amitabh Bachchan is all set to be the new brand ambassador for Gujarat.

In a message to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Amitabh Bachchan conveyed his acceptance. He wrote, “You have very graciously considered my appointment as brand ambassador for Gujarat. I accept this offer of yours with great humility.”

During a visit to Gandhinagar in January for a screening of Paa for Narendra Modi, Amitabh had expressed his willingness to be the brand ambassador of the state. He had said, “I would be happy to lend my face and voice for the cause of Gujarat.” He had also said that if the government planned a documentary to showcase the state, he’d like to be a part of it. A thrilled Modi followed up the conversation with a formal offer and the filmstar conveyed his acceptance. Source

Abhishek Bachchan is all set to make his TV debut with “Idea National Bingo Nights”, where he will be seen playing the game with his father Amitabh Bachchan in the inaugural episode of the show to be aired on a private channel. Dressed in a formal black suit, Abhishek was at his wittiest best at a press conference here Monday. With his one liners and spontaneous answers, the audience was in splits and enjoying every moment of the session.

Explaining why his father is featuring in the first episode, Abhishek said that he wants him to do some aaram (rest) through the show. “As a son, I want my father to relax a bit, slow down his work and take care of his health. But he hardly takes my advice. So I called him on this show to take some aaram,” Abhishek told reporters.

Talking about this show, Abhishek said: “The sheer simplicity of the idea and the fact that this show is highly interactive is what attracted me to it. Winning here is easy, you need not answer any difficult questions or perform any strenuous physical tasks. The idea is simple - leave behind all your worries, relax and enjoy.”

Apart from Big B, Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, Farhan Akhtar, Pravesh Rana, Vindu Dara Singh, Arshad Warsi, Vidya Balan, Sonali Bendre, and Kirron Kher will be seen in subsequent episodes. The show will go on air from Jan 23 at 9.00 p.m. Source

The veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan is all set to promote his upcoming release Teen Patti. And if sources are to be believed, he will be doing so on the reality show ‘Dance India Dance’. Salman Khan too was recently invited on the show whose shooting is going to be wrapped up by Jan 12.

“Bachchan has been invited on the show so that 18 finalists left can seek his blessings and go ahead with the competition. Amitabh will talk about Teen Patti and thus, will introduce his film to every household watching television.”

“The shooting process the episode is not yet done but will telecast on 29th of this month. It will be great fun when Big B with his different style will give some dancing tips to the contestants.

“Big B is likely to put on his dancing shoes and shake legs with Mithun Chakrobarthy,” source adds. Source

With his each and every step this legendary actor, seems to have done it all, but every times he comes up with something bigger. After trying out almost every personality, Amitabh Bachchan will take the seat of a news reader for popular news channel and said to be taking on an hour-long news slot.

Sources are to be believed that here the actor will cover important global issues of 2009 and this will be broadcasted toady in a popular satellite news channel with a view to round-up the year.This activity, in fact, is a part of the promotional exercise for Ram Gopal Varma’s Rann.

Also sources add that Big B seems to have taken upon himself to promote his films in the guise of the character he plays, instead of ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ himself.

In Rann, Bachchan plays Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, owner of a news channel. Source

Has Auro become a bigger star than Amitabh Bachchan?
Ha ha…There is genuine love being expressed towards him and several people have unabashedly desired to take him home!

Did you expect Auro to have such a far-reaching impact on the nation’s psyche? What are some of the most memorable reactions you’ve had to Auro’s character?
No, I never ever imagined that Auro would be picked up, caressed and so warmly embraced. It is miraculous. A description of the reactions is unrequited at this moment. I do have them all stored and shall be happy to share them with you at an opportune moment.

There is a feeling of dismay when Auro dies at the end of ‘Paa’ because people want more of this metaphor of the life-force. How do you plan to take Auro forward?
Yes people want more of Auro, but I think Balki felt his presence was sufficiently enough. How he goes forward is for Balki to decide. More

The greatest legend of all times Shammi Kapoor has been admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital with a chest infection — and one of the many fans visiting him was old friend Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh made it a point to visit Kapoor, 78, Sunday itself, a day after he had been hospitalised.

“The evening started with a visit to Breach Candy Hospital where the great Shammi Kapoor has been admitted with a chest infection,” Amitabh wrote on his blog bigb.bigadda.com

“Seeing him confined to a bed has been disturbing, but his spirit and his will has been one that requires no words to express his nonchalant reserved demeanour. Shammi Kapoor, who sang and danced his way into our hearts from the snows of Kashmir to the endless soirees he held at his apartment in town. Sad to see him like this, but how wonderful to find his spirits alive and his humour intact,” he added.

Amitabh said he was nostalgic during the visit and recalled the times when he had to spend time in the same hospital. “Entering Breach Candy is always full of the (memories of) many difficult episodes we as a family went through. My illness in 1982 and 1983 and 1984 and the many visits of my father and my mother and the very special manner in which they took care of all of us,” he wrote. Source

Its quite shocking but a lawsuit has been filed in a court charging Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan with violating the disabilities act through his latest film “Paa” in which he plays a 13-year-old boy suffering from progeria, which accelerates the ageing process. Big B has been accused of poking fun at people with disabilities. The case has been filed by Patna High Court lawyer Shruti Singh in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate under The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It has also been filed against “Paa” director R. Balkrishna.

“I filed a case in the court demanding a probe into whether ‘Paa’ violated the act or not,” Singh said.

“My stand is simple: If it violated the disability act, the authorities should act against the producer and actors of the film for making a joke of disabled people,” she added. She said the court will hear the case next week. According to Singh, the act is guided by the philosophy of empowering people with disabilities and their associates. The act endeavors to introduce an instrument for promoting equality and participation of people with disabilities on the one hand, and eliminating discrimination of all kinds on the other. Source