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Mumbai: The Shiv Sena worker on the street is unhappy. While following orders and protesting against film star Shah Rukh Khan for his alleged sympathy for Pakistani cricketers, he wonders why his party bosses are ignoring the doings of another star, Amitabh Bachchan. He wants a ban on Bachchan’s films, too.
On Tuesday, Bachchan took part in a poetry-reading session with Pakistani actor Zia Mohyeddin at an event organised in Bandra to foster friendship with Pakistan. Bachchan read poems of his father, the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan, while Mohyeddin read shairi by the late Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
“Why should Amitabh be spared?” said Shashikant Kadam, a Sena worker. “If Saheb [Bal Thackeray] orders us, we will protest against him, too.”
Rajan Kandekar, another loyalist, said, “Anyone who suggests that we should have good relations with Pakistan must be punished, no matter who he is. Bachchan should not be spared.”
Yogesh Mayekar said Bachchan’s films should also be boycotted. “I know Saheb has good relations with him. But when it comes to policy he should rise above friendship. Sachin Tendulkar and Mukesh Ambani are also his good friends. Still, he targeted them for their remarks on Mumbai. I hope he orders us to protest against Bachchan, too.”
Blogging about the event, Bachchan wrote: “The evening was most satisfying. I loved the ambience. That informal sit around, much like the days when my father used to recite. People just gathered around, sat on the floor, palti maar ke, and the evening went on for hours and no one knew how time passed.”
Asked if the Sena would call for a boycott of Bachchan, spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, “I will seek information about the event and [we will] look into it.”
That Bachchan shares an excellent rapport with Bal Thackeray and Uddhav is no secret. On several occasions he has said that Thackeray is a father figure for him and Uddhav is like his brother. In turn, Thackeray has always stood by the actor, whether it was during the release of Sarkar, a controversial film starring the actor, or when nephew Raj accused Bachchan of betraying Maharashtra.
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