First off – many many thanks for the prayers and get well wishes for Jaya, it worked, she improves. The fever is down and the infection in the stomach that had grounded her yesterday has abated, but the medication and rest shall have to continue for a few more days ..

Interesting birthdays today – Dr Farook Udwadia from Breach Candy Hospital, who looked after me during my Coolie accident and saved my life, Jeetendra and Ram Gopal Varma. Ramu responded immediately and we exchanged a few sms, the contents of which I dare not share, for some things need to be left between the boys ! Jeetu and Dr shall acknowledge later, I know.

But I was just wondering how different the three were in their characteristics. Surely the credibility of the astrologers and the ‘stars foretell’ would be challenged if we were to study each. Dr Udwadia, disciplined, thorough, respected in his profession, no nonsense, lover of classical music and Napoleon. Jeetu, shy and a bit reticent, builder of a huge empire in the field of TV and one that remained a pertinent force within his own contemporaries with his unique style, sincere friend, self deprecating in nature. And Ramu, passionate about his cinema, self made director and abhorring any kind of social life.

But all three so different from each other – and born on the same day.

It is not necessary that those born under the same date and under therefore the same stars and signs, be similar in nature. But somehow when we encounter those millions of pages of what the stars foretell this week, or what the month holds out for us, we all categorize ourselves according to the divisions made as per our birth. And we all fall prey to what the predictions are. What the day or week or year shall hold for us, what miseries shall befall us, what excitements there be in the future …

The human is such a fragile creature. Always anxious and keen to know what time predicts for him or her. Always keen to know the good or the bad that may befall us. To then conduct our lives accordingly. To wear stones, as do I, and threads and conduct specific prayers for the preservation of our being, for success, for health, and that may befall us in negative.

So much is unknown to us and so complex our world, that these sooth sayers, these men of great sensory capabilities, who read faces and minds, and birth charts and who give us the opportunity to revel in the unknown, become the guiders and controllers of our minds. How we subject ourselves in such servility to them and how devotedly we look upon them as some divinity is what the human succumbs to. To perish or to gain.

Did a film very close to that, Jaadugar and it failed. Providence too did not approve of the idea of questioning the gifts and capabilities of such divinity !!

Oh, dear ! Such an intense and complex subject this. We should have a debate on this sometime. I am certain there would be some very interesting results.

Tomorrow then, more meetings for future projects and the way forward in the days left over in the year. Such a task this, choosing what to accept and what to reject. I invariably leave it to the directors and writers. My own capability of being able to judge a good product, a good opportunity is so severely incompetent. Maybe I need to start an opinion poll after each story session for some kind of advice and assessment. Would make life so much easier.

Hmm …

Saw a lovely soft French film in the day – ‘Coco before Chanel’. The leading lady Audrey had such an interesting face. Quite remarkable.

My love to you … and some more …

Amitabh Bachchan