The film releases tomorrow world wide and  we shall await the verdict from the people, soon enough. A verdict that shall determine whether liberation from foreign rule, fought with fervor and sacrifice, dedication and selflessness was aptly portrayed or not. Whether a small band of freedom fighters, ill equipped and ill armed were capable of shaking the very roots of the establishment then. And whether we shall be able to consummately answer the question that we had raised a while ago - ‘What were you doing when you were 13 years old ?’

And not many among you would be able to say what these 13 year olds were able to say in 1930 - ‘we were fighting for the freedom of our nation and ready to sacrifice our lives for it’ !!!

A quiet salute to those gallant men and children that form the base of the story of KHJJS …

Someone … I cannot remember who … spoke about some unsavory moments on KBC that they were distressed to see, more so because it was attributed to me. The bouquet thrown to the audience, and the box of pan thrown across to another section of the audience, both given to me on the game show in progress. They said it was rude and not a very correct thing to do, especially since they had been presented to me by the contestants that came on.

Firstly the flowers and the box were not thrown. They needed to be given away from my hands as soon as possible because I needed to get on with the game. Each section, each act is all so minutely controlled by computerised lights and electronics that the slightest mis placement can shut the system down. At the position where I conduct the FFF question, it is not possible for me to be holding any object. So I quickly gave it to someone to hold. The flowers and the box of pan came back to me after the recording was over. The flowers decorated my vanity van and the pan went across to my house to Jaya, who loves her pan after dinner. So the accusation that I was inconsiderate and not respectful to the gifts given by the audience is incorrect. Do come and see my personal little room in the studio. You will find every little gift given to me on set, placed respectfully there.

The other complaint was - why have so many cheques written in advance, when only one check should be kept and given to the contestant. This from an environmentalist who showed concern over the wastage of paper in a show of this magnitude. But dear friend, we need to keep all the marked cheques, because we do not know how far the contestant shall go. And giving a material cheque to him or her, confirms not just the money earned, but in a way reflects on the standard of the show. It is a harmless procedure, which has been documented to be followed. The cheques come after 3, 20000 because that is the bottom and assured limit.

The other observation was how come the names of the contestant is mentioned on the cheque even before he has reached the hot seat ? Well this is quite simple really. When we know of the ten contestants who will appear for the Fastest Finger First test, we know that one of the ten shall be legible to come up on the Hot Seat. And not knowing who it shall be, we need to keep all the cheques named and ready, so that when a particular contestant wins the FFF, no time should be wasted in naming the cheque and getting it across. That is the procedure laid down by the rules and regulations of the game and cannot be conflagrated !

I believe there were some other concerns too from some readers on the subject. Do not hesitate to write in and we shall take care of it.

I shall hurriedly end now because I do want to beat the sun to rising before I get into slumber mode  …

Love and more as always …

Amitabh Bachchan