There is sadness in declaring that this evening actor Mac Mohan passed away.

He was a soft hearted gentle soul. His frail body defeated the strength of his character and his kind nature. A person of great care and concern for all.

I worked with him in several films, films that can be identified as being some of the most memorable in my repertoire. Some of the roles he did were evil in nature, quite the opposite of his own personal demeanour. His laughter was full throated and free ; a symbol of the free spirit he always depicted.

He will be missed and remembered for many reasons, but perhaps the most for his reference in the film ‘Sholay’ as Samba, Amjad’s, and the dreaded character he played of Gabbar Singh’s, gang.

Our prayers and condolences to his family and his near and dear.

I have placed the promos of ‘Raavan’ on DAY 749. These are the authentic and complete promos that will be officially aired and are being aired. I do hope you enjoy them. My promise of putting them up is now complete.

I like the serenity of the woman and the madness of the man. I like the wildness of the environment and the calm of the blue waters. I like the eccentricity of one human trying to cope with multiple humans inside him. I like the opposites. For they always attract. I am attracted to the sound because it grows within and I am attracted to the maker that compels us to view this cinema without the expected expectations.

I read a comment by an FmXt and his anguished lament on the days gone by of the cinema of Guru Dutt and Bimal Roy. Of how he was pained to see the absence of form and language and thought in the ‘talkies’ of today. I read with great interest Shobha De’s column on the films of today, of the complete distance they project from any kind of sanity in visual or voice. I read comments of the critics every Saturday and am alarmed by the differences in the evaluation of their choices. I observe with great interest, how, if they are the guidelines for the common man to buy or not to buy their tickets in the ‘plex’, any individual could form opinion on the pedigree of a released film. I then also appreciate what Ms De describes an evening out at the movies, as being an event devoid of any sense, and that often it is advisable in order to maintain our equilibrium, that we invest in such act. In a world that is torn apart every conceivable moment with hardship, intrigue, compulsion and harsh labor, how wonderful then to be spending three hours locked in a comfortable cushioned enclosure, being devoured by senseless nothingness.

And that is a most pertinent argument that Ms De raises. Have our lives become so immune to the artistic, pure and aesthetic, that we seek a release in witnessing or being a part of elements that never test the algebra of the most complicated part of our system, the brain.

Will there then, ever be a time, when sense shall bear an equation with entertainment. Or does entertainment live a life of its own, alone, singular, by itself, but by its tremendous commerce ? How intriguing a world that would make for all of us to inhabit !!

To say that there is no concern on the very nucleus of this matter would not be entirely correct. I see and learn from sources that those that have abilities with the pen, wish to combine together on a singular platform to collectively take up the challenge of content. To take on the degradation of the written word and thereby the mutilation of our centuries old traditions - traditions that have made us respect and admire the diversity and the beauty of it in a land that is Bharat.

May those that endeavor thus be with the blessings of the creator !

In a land where the line of poverty extends to levels humanly unacceptable to many in the developed world, this argument would be truncated without any remorse or thought. Can artistic appreciation or the lack of it ever be placed alongside hunger and squalor ? Political pundits would be compelled to side with the latter. Understandably. It assures them their votes. Quality and aestheticism be damned. Does it really bother one, how or what he is dressed in ? It covers the nakedness of my body does it not. And for some its soul too. So where does this sound in any manner offensive. Keep your purity and its applications within the four walls of your home ; that is if you have one - most of India does not. And let us think consider and care for those lesser privileged ! I would rather the politics was right than the emotion, they would say.

I would tend to agree, if the genuineness of their lusty proclamation fructified. Lets get the house in order first, all else can follow once that is done, would be the refrain. A fair and justifiable intention. But in a state where neither happens with any urgency, it becomes imperative and somewhat compelling to keep those at bay, who are willing themselves to a creativity which they now cannot hold on to for very long.

This loss of faith in the system is what instigates the makers and shakers of our world, to do the stuff they do. They are the pioneers, the people that dare and act. That respond to their inner instincts of how they wish to express, rather than be dictated by set and principled norms. The joy of adventure, of facing that breath of fresh air, of conquering the pristine whiteness of the mountain peaks, is what sets them apart. And it is they who bear the insults of ignominy, the banter of irresponsible tattle and the cruelty of unmitigated dislike. And it is so, because the ‘other’ was unable to match his or her intelligence in its creativity.

Which is why I admire Mani Ratnam !

I admire him because he will stand upright to face the envy and jealousy of those that will not be able to even endeavor to attempt his effort. His effort to bring in superior change.

And I am aware that even as I write, the wheels of discomfort have begun to rotate. To deliberately sow the disgusting seeds of dislike. To suggest and plant ideas and concepts into the thinking of the gullible. And to prepare ground for those that shall revel in the exercise of value destruction when the time arrives.

To them I have just this to say. The ‘karma’ of hard and honest work has never succumbed to inane repulsive innuendo.

See and read for yourself. ‘Hard honest work’ - does it not sound so much more graceful and pure than - ‘inane repulsive innuendo’ ? See how your own physical appearance changes as you recite these two expressions. You decide. Which face would you rather go with ??

I do not need to even wait for a response !

With my love and concern and all that embodies the goodness in our beings …

Amitabh Bachchan