Ok .. first things first..

The BigB Yahoo Group PPT, my server tells me, is a huge hit. In fact their request to me is that there should be more of that. So if there are some interested and enterprising young PPT manufacturing EF’s… bring it all on… I shall post it on blog.

And secondly.. the BigB Yahoo Group presentation was ideated and conceived and executed by Group loyalist, Amit Sangani from Texas.. so if you must congratulate someone for it it must and should be Amit S.

Thank you Amit.. and sorry for not acknowledging your effort earlier. Not to take anything away of course, from little ‘hidden behind white square sheet faced Fatima’ who was the instigator in getting me to have it put up…

But really.. the enthusiasm and the numbers that you see in the comments section are quite quite amazing. The delight and the excitement of completing a year has been phenomenal. May our years ever abound endlessly and may we celebrate each year with enhanced gusto..

The shoot at Whistling Woods in Film City was quite unique - I never spoke a word throughout the day. Which, most near me would consider not a most unusual act. Sitting in an auditorium watching an award ceremony, sitting in my car watching a procession, sitting in my car driving home…

That seems to have been the highlight of the day..

And then ending up with Arnab Goswami of Times Now in front of a camera for a programme that they wish to do called ‘Total Recall’. A programme which they conduct to keep in touch with days gone by. The films, the moments, the actors and their attitudes, our own desires and assessments of the films we saw and worked in. That sort of stuff.

What was slated to be 20 mins, ended up being 2 hrs and an entire profile of my work in Mumbai as an actor was documented for posterity - we hope. In today’s times of uncertainty, one never knows. So a long journey was undertaken. From Abbas Saheb and ‘SAAT HINDUSTANI’ to ‘INDIA 24/7′ or whatever it shall end up being called. I felt it was rushed, but I guess the channel would have had time constraints. Arnab was keen to know more about INDIA 24/7. Most media is generally like that. When someone is documenting them, they get inquisitive. But not all. Arnab I do not think felt that, for, he and I discussed electronic media long after the interview was over. Its compulsions, its penetrative qualities, the effect repetition has on the minds of the masses, the drastic changes that it is generating in our social syatem, and so on. Interesting.

He filled me up with the period of TV during 26/11 and the major task they undertook to keep the flavor alive. Resulting now in, of course added eye balls and TRP’s, but a substantial positioning of their Times Now channel. Of him becoming a celebrity after that and the effect that an occurrence of this nature does to the profession of television. I told him we needed more time to discuss all this. It is a vast and pertinent topic and should be given the space - a large amount of space - it richly deserves for debate.

The IPL started and I watched the two opening games. The interest it generates is infectious. The beauty of the game now being that we have a result within three hours. Which if I might say so, is not too bad, compared to other fast moving sporting events. But what I did observe and liked was the passion with which the teams took to the game and to each other, despite being from different countries and having to mingle and enjoy teammates which not too long ago they were bitterly opposed to.

So.. a great integrator, this IPL.

And right now, within the media there is just the elections and this cricket 20/20 or T20 as it is popularly called. Nothing gets in even edgeways. Poles apart in thought and deed, yet becoming an integral part of our thinking or should one say entertainment, as Arnab himself describes it. Its an onerous task to evaluate and consider what he talks about. But I feel we should leave, and so we do..

Good night.. shabba khair… shubh ratri… sat sri Akaal..

My love

Amitabh Bachchan