To all those that come from Assam - a very happy Bihu to you, greetings for the new year..

And for those that come from Nepal, your New Year falls on April 14th.. wishing you a very happy new year..

A very Happy Bihu to those in Assam…

And to my friends in Nepal – on the 14th of April, a Happy New Year

There is an energy that cannot be assuaged ! There is a spring in the feet, that defies age ! There is laughter and gaiety around, when there is no celebration ! There is a lightness in the body, there is quick repartee and instant reaction…

Happiness is everywhere. Engulfing every nook and corner with music and dance and light heartedness. Colors abound and bloom, objects of delight swing from tree to tree. The smell of auspicious marriage abounds. Excited bodies move about in their best…

Ram Gopal Varma is shooting a marriage sequence in his film ‘INDIA 24/7 !!

I was with Karan Johar the other evening when he was over at the house. He had a story to tell on his latest production that he shoots with ShahRukh. He gushes that for the first time in his movie career, he is encountering harnesses and wires on his set ! And he has for the first time had to interact with Kaushal, the renowned action director in his film, My name is Khan !!

What is with this juxta positioning ?

RGV shoots a wedding sequence, bhangra and all.. well actually in his own tongue.. bang rah !! And Karan does action.

The world.. it is a changing.

I alter his name of address on set - call him, Mr Ram Gopal Karan Varma, much to the amusement of the entire unit and to the great discomfort of RGKV himself. As it is his camera department is in shock. They have never had to deal with so many bright lights on a Ram Gopal Varma film. It has always been the dark and dingy and smoke infested mysterious atmospheres. Shadows lurking around and intrigue like a pungent body of air piercing the sparse and vacant drawing room.

His shot taking is rapid by normal standards, but he does dwell on moments in his film that he personally relishes. The marriage band and formalities are rushed through, as though they were a sore point in his personal existence. But the moment that is over he is back to close photography, interesting frame ups and silent dispositions. His forte is his ability to construct a moment in a film, out of nothing and fill it with sufficient intrigue to make it delightfully watchable.

Not before long, and expectedly, he disposes off the marriage atmosphere as though it were a plague and starts to spend quality time with Paresh Rawal and me for the intense moments to follow in the film..

I release ICONS, the book by Anil Dharkar, once again after its inauguration in Delhi, tomorrow. For this to happen I shall need to travel from Madh Island to South Mumbai in record time. I shall have to request RGV to leave me early in order for me to be able to do that. To leave me early would mean for me to come in early. And for that I would require to shut the laptop and shut the eye …

Love and love and love always …

Amitabh Bachchan