Ha ! Ha ! So before the brickbats come my way for another inconsequential sounding, philosophical post for today, may I be permitted to ‘clean up’ the air by stating that the reference to the context is in reference to what one can safely refer as a referendum. The consequences of inconsequential banter shall eventually turn up to be devoid of any consequence. And thus as a consequence we often get referred to referendums that bear no consequence what soever to what one may wish to refer to.

Quite simply, we eventually land up being consequentially vague and without any coherence.

Welcome to the world of Amitabh droned- out- in- nonexistent- stupidity Bachchan !! Madness of some order can be attributed to conditions where there is little or none. Order, I mean. And decidedly there was none today.

436 interviews in the spate of one day starting 12 noon and ending a short while ago ! 436 is metaphorical, ‘12 noon to now’ is not. It is an actors workshop - the art of handling the media. Vidhu Vinod Chopra called in the morning inviting me over for a chat, on his salubrious terrace, in an aesthetically designed home. His wife Anupama, and one that does film reviews on the electronic, had just reprimanded him towards behavior to the media. At a ‘3idiots’ press conference that took a slant on the Chetan Bhagat novel and the rights that needed to be covered, Vinod had lost his cool and asked in fairly strong voice for the journalist to’ shut up’ ! This had caused umbrage and resentment among the fourth estate, who did not hesitate to shut him down instead. She was drawing his attention to the fact that for a question that came my way during the reading of the latest Filmfare, when told to comment on Naseeruddin Shah’s remark on how I had become a victim of my star hood and forgotten how to act. That he had preferred me in my earlier ventures due to the simplicity of playing characters who were closer to the earth, to which I had replied that when an actor of Naseeruddin’s stature speaks, you just listen head down and quietly with your hands behind your back.

This Anupama felt was a genuine manner in which an individual should behave with the media. And she was wishing Vinod would follow suit. We broke our backs laughing on this !!

But coming back to the refurbished Novotel Hotel previously the Holiday Inn and that one single conference hall, where the 436 media sat anxiously for their turn to turn up, I must have to admit, rather immodestly that I was able to accomplish this feat which really was headed towards severe consequences. Our most accomplished performances come when we meet the media in quick succession on an issue that has no novelty - the promotion of a film. The questions are the same, the replies are the same, just the facial expressions change. And of course the interviewer !!

Promoting RANN, a media based film to the media was never going to be an easy task. They all live in apprehension towards its content and intent. Ha ! Nice usage of words eh ! Yes, so not an easy task at all. But there is nothing in the world that cannot be resolved with a broad smile. And now … my cheeks ache because there has been an excess of it !! My back too is now in revolt. Different chairs, different postures for different one-on-ones has done it in.

Tonight !! ha ha …

Another pain killer !! And may God have mercy on my liver, already eaten up by the Australian antigen virus, that attacked my insides through contaminated blood, transfused into my system during the Coolie accident, through one of the donors that contributed to the 60 bottles of the ‘red stuff’ that my comatose body urgently required.

Tomorrow … BINGO !! with the Colors team and Abhishek. His first TV appearance and his first episode on this game show. Thereafter straight into Film City to record an item on stage for TV and for the benefit of our Cine Artists Association. They wish to build their own individual office and are in the process of collecting funds to be able to do that. And then on to the first look of the film - Rann !!

The head throbs. The nose sniffles. The back beckons. The eyes blur and the bed invites.

INDIA WON !!

My love to those that give me so much in abundance …

Amitabh Bachchan