Oscars ! The grandeur, the protocol, the precision, the elegance and the grace of the stars present in their numbers, even when you have to get up at 5 in the morning to witness it on Tv, is a delight. The host Billy Crystal as always was his witty best, though I did find him and the entire ceremony somewhat subdued and  surprised to find our AR Rehman, as part of a group band up in the tiers on his keyboard playing the interlude music as recipients walked off the stage, or the programme went into a commercial break.

Strange was it not that we spoke of the ‘Artist’ just the other day and it sweeps most of the awards that matter. And to honor an Iranian film as best Foreign Film, despite the general politics that USA and Iran find themselves involved in was, well .. different !

The red carpet interviews seemed repetitive and tutored to reveal brand enhancements for all the clothes and jewelry that the ladies wore. I guess that must be a business understanding, since it all comes ex gratia for the celebrity.

The electronic media plagiarizing this concept in some of our Award functions here in Mumbai, once asked me similar question -

“And so Mr Bachchan, what are you wearing today ?”

” Clothes !”, I responded.

Messages for a hasty recovery, for rest and recovery pour in daily and I try to contend with them to the best of my ability. From over 1500 on the mobile its down to the 200′s and soon they shall all be responded to .. well most of them. It does take a while to sift the unknown from the known, for immediate response, but the desire is to convey gratitude to all. So if for some reason I am finding myself unable to thank all, may I just say that through this medium and all the other cyber platforms that I connect with, do take this as a recognition of your heartfelt concern and to treat this as my warm and thank full acknowledgement. And this does not just go with this blog and my dearest Ef, but those that connect on the TwFmXt and any other.

Your words of encouragement are indeed so full of inspiration and love that it is most moving to be a recipient of them. How ever do you find the adequate words to describe your feelings is a lesson I need to learn.

There is humor too in some and even though the laugh is, in these circumstances, not a recommended activity because of the stress on the wound, I thought it necessary to share this from that delectable columnist Bachi Karkaria of Times of India -

Her get well message, contained, I am certain, her well constructed personal limerick as follows -

“A man undergoing surgery for hernia,

Told his doc, I’m going to warn yer,

When you open my middle -

I beg you don’t fiddle,

With parts that do not concern yer !!”

The frequency of my visits to the OT and indeed the hospitals has now become a regular feature and each time I am released I wonder if this shall be the last. Javed Saheb of Javed Akhtar fame, poet writer and writer of most of my very successful earlier films along with Salim Saheb, does carry a bundle of other accomplishments too in his vast repertoire of knowledge, humor being one immensely special. I needed the translation of one of the words of a ‘nazm’ I was listening to in hospital, soon after it was feared I would have to undergo another surgery. In his incomparable style and wit he responded -

‘Before all else, I am happy to learn that the sequel to the OT is not being made …”

An obvious reference, somewhat guardedly, and tongue firmly in cheek, to the number of sequels that are being made of my films in recent times, some of them that have been written by him – Don, Zanjeer to name a couple … apart from Agneepath, Amar Akbar Anthony, Satte pe Satta …

Good night dear ones … sleep well and in happiness always ..

Amitabh Bachchan