Its raining endorsement activities. Day before, Agra and Max New York Life and today Binani Cement. Very interesting conceptually on how Indians that have gone out of the country have made a name for themselves and now how its products from motor vehicles to well, cement, are invading the overseas markets. Lots of kids on the promo and they are such a delight to work with.

The producers of ‘Rann’ dropped by to discuss the promotion of the film and some extremely novel ideas were discussed, some of them involving participation on the TV in a rather unique manner. A manner which could have long term considerations. The meeting involved the presence of Siddharth Basu, of TV production fame and most importantly of KBC fame. Always a joy to catch up with old friends and learn from them what transpires in the world. And what transpires in the world seems to be transpiring in the right direction. Maybe in time to come there can be greater discussion on this.

Abhishek having finished with ‘Ravana’, much to the consternation of certain deliberately biased and sold over media that has been dutifully panning the film and its delays in order to destroy its presence and importance, on his drive back, swung by Kamalistan Studios where I was leaving large footprints in tons of cement, to have lunch and to discuss various developments in both the area of brand endorsements and film. Aishwarya finishes on ‘Ravana’ tomorrow and thats a wrap for her on the film. More consternation for sold over biased media !!

It has been a distressing past few months with regard to the kind of talk that I hear emanating from various quarters. Talk of money being spent to sabotage rival films, money being spent to buy reviews, money being spent to bolster failed enterprises, money being spent on negative write ups for the other. As a member of a fraternity that has existed and flourished in a temperament of brotherhood and integration, an industry that I have with great pride professed is the only known institution which truly represents a secular nationally integrated unit, I am appalled at the alleged goings on. Heads of media in print have confessed quite unabashedly how they had received large funds to ‘kill’ a rival project, through untruthful and deliberate debasing articles, to snatch away any importance that the merits of the film in question would garner.

And I am amazed at our own FmXt, Satyam at * 44’s response, talking liberally on this very topic and with perhaps greater perception than I would have knowledge of. What do they gain who indulge in this most unsporting and callous behavior. Will they have sufficient funds to buy out the mass that patronizes in millions the love they have for their devoted stars ? Will they have the airborne capacity to intercept that ball which has been hit outside the park ? No they will not and cannot ever. Nothing ever stops a good product and nothing ever propels one that is bad. Why then must those who envelope themselves in unfair and utterly repulsive acts waste so much of their energy and time in thinking and planning the demise of others ?

The Economic times does a half page article on the diminishing Bachchan Brand. I am never one to question whether I gain or diminish, simply because I have never accepted that I have ever gained in the first place. Why then such a dedicated article on my extinction ? Especially since a few other print media have a different view altogether. I am not interested in where the ratings lie or who occupies which position. At 68 its a miracle that I get any work at all. I couldn’t care less whether that work is rated in positions or not. But what of the reader. How does he ever get to decipher the truth when two conflicting reports hit the marquee simultaneously. Take a look -

Now … what does a normal reader make of this ! Economic Times says its over for me. The above two publications rate me among the top three in places and in some the top most and most influential. I am not enamored by what the ratings assess, I am enamored by the ruthless and biased inefficiency of the reportage. When incidents like this happen it sends an unpleasant feel to the intention of what one did and the other did not. Especially since such focussed attention is given to one individual. Why would you want to concentrate on one single being and his defeat Mr Economic Times and what is the great need to bring it to prominence. How many 68 year olds do you find in the list that you bandy about in your assessment ? How have you not bothered to mention the fresh brand ambassadors that have been added to the list ? How do you skip the fact that all the ones that a certain Mr AB endorses have all gone into extension of their associations. I do not mention all this out of immodesty, but out of concern for incorrect and confusing tabulation.

Take the recent bold and prominent head lining of the accusation of a Rs 500 crore fraud against me. The FIR, or the First Information Report at a police station, in some remote area of Kanpur, firstly does not even mention my name. I have still to receive any notice from the police to appear or explain or present myself for an enquiry. But that apart, may I just put forward a few very informal, yet pertinent questions -

* has any one in the media got a copy of the FIR and read it ?

* have the media seen my name mentioned in the report ?

* for a supposed fraud of this huge proportion why choose a small almost unknown police station, Babupura in far off Kanpur to register this case ?

* is it a fact that no police officer was willing to register the case because it did not find anything wrong with the premise ?

* is it a fact that the SHO, or Station House Officer, the inspector at the police station that refused to register the complaint had been transferred an hour before the ‘new’ inspector was brought on and that this was the first complaint that he registered ? Why would an administration execute this transfer, if not to deliberately assist in registering the matter ?

* is it a fact that the address given by the complainant Mr Tripathi, was not his but that of a sitting Judge of the High Court of the same name ? Why ?

* is it a fact that police protection in the shape of police personnel were at the time of the registration of the FIR immediately provided to Mr Tripathi ? Did not the police protection land up at the Judge’s residence causing him great surprise ? Why would the administration want to provide immediate police protection on the submission of an FIR ?

* is it a fact that on studying the papers, the administration discovered much to its dismay that all proper legal procedures had indeed been followed by the person against whom the FIR was launched ? That clearances from the Income Tax Department, The Company Law Board and the Honorable High Court of Kolkata had been obtained ? And that finding itself in an extremely embarrassing position, washed its hands off the case and sent it to the Police Department of Kolkata for further action stating that the matter did not have jurisdiction in the State of UP ?

* was the administration Corporate illiterate to not have observed these facts before ?

* is it a fact that the Kolkata Police has returned the case back to UP stating that it does not find any illegality in the matter ?

* is it a fact that the administration in UP is now setting up an enquiry to ascertain how this error was committed ?

* are those that make wrongful allegations aware of the Supreme Court judgement that rules that the monies collected by business enterprises to run and execute their business, when received by cheque cannot be questioned as was the case here ? If you need to question anyone it should be the person who gave the cheque, was that complied with ?

* when none of the share holders of the said Company are against the merger, how has the administration accepted a police complaint, an anomaly in itself, from an unconnected individual ? Matters like this are as per procedure referred to the Company Law Board.

* was the administration aware that the Corporate merger being questioned has the approval of the Government of India’s Corporate Affairs Ministry and that the merger had been executed by the complete consent of the shareholders and Directors of the Company ? Are they aware that a Company is a different entity like a Trust and in legality its activities are beyond the domain of a rural Police Inspector of Babupurwa, Kanpur reportedly posted the same evening, his first assignment being to lodge this FIR, causing a slur to the respected name of the allegedly involved ?

Just so many unanswered questions. Just so many deliberations to deliberately malign and damage an image or name. Time and again this process raises its ugly head every couple of months and innocent names get painted in all the wrong colors. For two years, Bofors accusations kept being labelled against my family and me. When we moved Court in London, not a single person that had been screaming from the roof tops came to justify their accusations. Dagens Neiheter the Swedish news paper apologized and settled out of court saying they had no evidence, the Swiss Government gave us a clean chit after investigating all the paper work submitted in the matter, and India Abroad the tabloid that carried the accusation lost in the London Courts of Law for defamation and had to pay compensation.

Look at the intense scurrilous accusations on the Barabanki Land matter. It finally came to an end after winning at the High Court and the Supreme Court of India on a final judgement.

Now wanting to build a school there for girls is being held up for permissions, or at times ridiculous legalities like a payment of having two trees on the property has not been complied, is leveled. No one is interested in the larger picture, that girls from that remote village have to travel several kilometers on foot to attend a primary school for their education and that if a school is built in close proximity, the girls shall be saved this ordeal which is not only exhausting but can turn out to be unsafe for them.

We started off from differing assessments by different media on brand value and look where we ended up. Take the brand value Mr/Mrs Media and boil it in your own convenient stew and eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner. You hunger for it, not I. You hunger for Bofors and Barabanki, not I; for alleged fraud and misappropriations and Income Tax and dunno’ what, every other day. Feed yourself well and do pursue your quest for your hunger. Its time for me to sleep !!

Good night !!

And my love,

Amitabh Bachchan