DAY 624 Amitabh Bachchan Blog
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DAY 624 Amitabh Bachchan Blog

Up at 6, gym by 6.30, out by 9, in BR Dubbing by 9.15, out at 10.15, into Jalsa by 10.30, with Navya and Agastya the early risers, others being asleep, and their morning cartoons, a quick meet with Abhishek who is setting off to the gym and then Bingo shoot, back to Prateeksha to finish morning paper work of office and correspondence chores, back in Jalsa for lunch with just the two of us Jaya and I, the rest having gone to Chembur to pay respects to Krishna ji, signing up New Year cards for promotion of Teen Patti, a good 500 hundred, back in a few hours to Prateeksha and Salman Rushdie and Deepa Mehta and ‘Midnight’s Children’, a call from MohanLal that great talent from Malayalam Cinema on his way to Vietnam and wanting to send a director across to listen to a script, a quick re look at the progress on the animated book on Auro, a meet with director Priyadarshan and Toonz on the animation film with twin AB’s of the 70’s - creatives , shapes, sets costumes and story discussions, checking on arrangements in Ahmedabad for the show of Paa to the CM there tomorrow, back to Jalsa to pick up a small bite of the delicious speciality sent across by Krishna ji through Shweta, packing them all into a car and driving them to Siddhi Vinayak Temple at Prabhadevi for the evening Tuesday ‘arti’, picking up some friends of the children who had been wanting to have a ‘darshan’ of the deity for long, in to the temple amid thousands of worshippers, Preity Zinta among them, a prayer of thanks and well being, back into the drive home, cuddling up with Agastya as he explains some intricacies of his Black Berry and observing the lightening speed of Navya on her iPhone … and eventually here among FmXt to put thought on blog and retire to rise early for Ahmedabad …

I cannot believe I just did that ! Narrate my entire day in one breath. Utterly uninteresting and boring, I should think. But it took up 336 words and that is lamentable !!

I wait with some haste at my command for my computer specialist to return from his sojourn in New Zealand, and to give me the low down on how to convert ‘my folders’ on my N82 Nokia to my MacBook Pro. They contain messages from .. well all kinds of sources and I wish to share them with my extended family.

Oh ! Yes ! A call from Rajdeep Sardesai, the head of CNN/IBN and the eminent journalist whose article on the ‘paid media’ had been published on the blog a few days ago and who I thought had been extremely brave to have broached this sensitive subject, now wanting me to be chief guest at their Citizen Journalist Awards in mid February and who had been informed by his staff of my reference to him on my blog and the fact that we needed to meet and talk the issue over … we will be finding time for it soon !

A congratulatory sms to Aamir, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Raju Hirani, Boman Irani for ‘3idiots’. Aamir and Vinod respond back and Aamir wishes to see Paa, for which he would want for me to organise as soon he returns from his promotional tours. They are in Ahmedabad I believe, where I travel to tomorrow, Vinod just smsed me on that. I asked him to compliment Sharman too for his performance, especially the one scene of his interview in the film. I also sms Shahrukh to tell him how I enjoy his MNIK promo and the behavioral pattern of his character in the film, especially the glazed look in his eyes. Vindu Dara Singh sms’s me to inform me of how Abhishek is rocking BINGO and that all is well with the show, where he and Pravesh have already recorded an episode. This is Vindu and Pravesh Rana from Bigg Boss 3, ladies and gentlemen of the jury … just in case.

RGV, alias Ram Gopal Varma forwards a text message from his friend Puri Jagganath, the dynamic director of that sensational film ‘Pokhiri’ in Tamil Telugu, where he describes in some ecstasy his impressions after seeing Paa. I clarify today to Subhash K Jha in Patna, Bihar, the journalist and friend who remote controls the information on the Industry with such efficiency that he never has to travel to Mumbai to get all the juice. Quite remarkable !! He cautions me that the electronic media thinks the next film of mine with Puri is on Gautam Buddha simply because the title approved for that film is ‘Budda’ as in an old man, and NOT Buddhist saint Gautam Buddha !! Either the electronic misunderstood the title because of the spelling or they mixed the other news of Vivek Sharma, my director of ‘Bhooth Nath’ wishing to make a film titled ‘Buddham Sharanam Gachchami’ with me, a rather powerful script I might add. Along with what has just been singled out for reference there are the Pritish Nandy ‘Actor’, Ravi Chopra ‘Pocket Maar’ and Sanjat Leela Bhansali produced ‘Chenab Gandhi’. But where is the time for this and where the conditioning to accommodate that which really ought to be my personal work priority. And what of the several script ideas and deliciously lovely story ideas heard from some very talented makers. And what of TV and the several proposals within the year. Dear o dear … the problem is not the degree of work or its quantity, the problem is of inability to refuse.

That mixed with this constant missive on health that percolates the very thin and porous sheet of concern from not just family but also those that perceive a project, keeps me occupied for long. And I can only but sit here in isolation wondering how and what needs to be done and undone.

Setting alarm on my Nokia. Wake me up dear mobile without failure or repetition at 6 AM. Put away the power cable on the Mac. Do away with the lights that surround. Cover up the twisted and contorted frame of 6′2″ on slender pillow. Duvet over the head. A deep sigh, shut eyes, days and hours gone by and then ….

Good night !!

In love and beyond …

Amitabh Bachchan

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