While Madhuri Dixit's Madhubala smile may have temporarily frozen over the Maggi noodles embarrassment, Amitabh Bachchan is an old hand at facing heat of all kinds. Years ago, I remember asking him why he endorsed colas when it was not the recommended beverage for the health-conscious. All too aware that he had to protect the product he was under contract to endorse, AB had given himself wiggle space and come up with a tame answer. But he was not a frivolous man and the inability to give a full and fitting reply bothered him.

There was, therefore, an unmistakable satisfaction in his voice when he could tell me at our next interview that he no longer endorsed any cola. "Abhishek doesn't either," he added. I don't claim that my question prompted the family's decision to stay away from such endorsements but it certainly contributed to it. Fortunately, Amitabh made the decision before it turned into a controversy.

But remember the Cadbury episode when worms were found in their bars? The damage control was led by AB who assured the public that he had personally inspected the chocolate making and packaging process, and was satisfied with it. The multinational company had tapped Amitabh's standing as a man of integrity, a man whose word could be believed. It is this reputation that Amitabh has to keep protecting every time it threatens to get tarnished because Brand Bachchan is all about his believable gravitas.

But attempts to dent it are endless, sometimes laughable. At a recent event, an ill-informed journalist stood up and asked a question that clearly showed she didn't know the difference between the Bofors scandal which had led to Amitabh's exit from politics and the Sikh riots of 1984. The scribe, who had not done her homework, began by saying that his Bofors case was back in the news and then went on to ask him if the authorities had quizzed him about his alleged involvement with Jagdish Tytler in 1984. That there was no connection between the beginning of her question and the latter part of it was lost on her. But Amitabh dealt with it with customary patience, showing no irritation. For me, the simple answer that could perhaps rest Amitabh's case in the 1984 controversy is that his mother Teji Bachchan was a Sikh; even at the prayer meeting after she passed away, her famous son had caringly brought in singers from her community to sing Shabad Gurbani (devotional music of the Sikhs).

However, Amitabh will forever have to be on the hot seat on Bofors, 1984 and the Emergency, as they are permanent elephants in the room. Therefore, he has perfected the art of facing every conceivable kind of controversy with equanimity and a rehearsed answer. Interestingly, in an interview to Arnab Goswami (all leading channels got an "exclusive" with Amitabh after Piku ), Amitabh talked against the Emergency and how censorship had curbed creativity by clamping down on violence and other such content.

It was interesting because in 1975, during the Emergency, Amitabh was the man closest to Indira Gandhi's dispensation. In fact, when even film magazines had to be censored by the dreaded V.C. Shukla (I&B minister during those dark days), Amitabh was considered the biggest beneficiary of the Emergency because l'affaire Rekha was peaking then but no hardcore gossip columnist could get a word about it passed by Shukla's censors.

There was also much criticism because, despite the strict censor rules about violence, the Amitabh-starrer Sholay was passed with more gore than was normally allowed. It was the general feeling then that Amitabh's proximity to the Gandhis and producer G.P. Sippy's friendship with V.C. Shukla had helped bypass the rules that were being enforced on the lesser mortals of the film industry. There was also boudoir spice sprinkled on the controversy when a starlet called Candy surfaced and was linked to both Sippy and Shukla. All this broke out with salacious details after the Emergency was lifted and Mrs Gandhi lost the general elections.

For those who know these stories, Amitabh's remark that the Emergency was wrong, would be very curious indeed. Allowing it to go unchallenged showed that perhaps Arnab too didn't do his homework with complete diligence.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and author