Patna, Aug. 7: Amitabh Bachchan, who was once the angry young man, has decided to play it cool with RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s bouncer. At a private function in Delhi, the superstar said he respected the personal opinion of the former chief minister of the state.
Amitabh said: “I respect the comment made by Lalu Prasad. He is free to make any comment. I had not said anything against anyone. When I visited Bihar, I was asked to comment on the state. I said whatever I felt during my visit.”
He added: “I saw the development in the state. It was evident. I don’t mind what he has said about me. I respect his personal opinion.”
Lalu, however, did not have any compliments for the veteran actor. Lalu Prasad, while responding to a question put to him by The Telegraph, had yesterday said that Bachchan was his least favo- urite actor.
“Amitabh Bachchan se muh larayenge? Sabse napasand kalaakaar vohi hai mera. (Will I now argue with Amitabh Bachchan? He is my least favourite artiste.) I don’t think there is any value to his comment on the development in Bihar. Who has shown all the development to him? It’s all rubbish. I don’t want to discuss the issue of development with him,” Lalu had said at the mahadharna at JP roundabout near Gandhi Maidan yesterday, when The Telegraph had asked him to respond to the superstar’s praise for the development in the state.
The RJD chief’s comment may come as a surprise not only to political observers but also to fans of Bollywood films, as Lalu always had amicable relationship with the film industry.
When Lalu was in power, 1 Aney Marg — the official residence of the chief minister — used to be frequented by Bollywood actors visiting the state. He has played host to stars like Dia Mirza, Mahesh Bhatt, Suniel Shetty and Pooja Bhatt. The RJD chief also played a cameo in the 2005-film Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav, where he had starred with Bollywood bigwigs Mahesh Manjrekar and Johnny Lever.
Despite being a political rival, Lalu always had cordial association with BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha. Hema Malini, too, had faced Lalu’s charming music when he asked her to get him a role in one of her films.
The Big B’s praise for his archrival Nitish Kumar, however, seems to have upset Lalu, who did not hesitate before taking on the original Don.
RJD MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav today told The Telegraph: “Amitabh Bachchan is a great personality. Everyone in India loves him. I love him too. As far as the comment of our party chief Laluji is concerned, that is his personal opinion. He did not say that he hated Amitabh. He said that he does not like him. You cannot force anyone to like somebody. He may prefer some other actor or actress.”
The JD(U) state president, Bashishtha Narayan Singh, said: “It is very disappointing that Laluji has made such a comment. If an actor like Amitabh Bachchan comments on the development of the state, what’s wrong in that? Instead of attacking him, we should welcome his comment. Whatever he said came from his heart. He must have observed the changes and the development in the state.”
On August 3, Amitabh had come to the state capital to promote Prakash Jha’s film Aarakshan.
He had said: “Bihar is changing. Whatever I have heard about the state seems to be true. Bihar has developed in all senses. It is developing from all angles. The atmosphere of the state has changed. This is the reason I am here and sitting in front of you”
When Amitabh met Nitish, he told the chief minister: “I congratulate you for bringing change and development in the state. I would also like to request you to watch Aarakshan.”
Amitabh had also praised Nitish in his blog and written that his efforts to bring development to the state had attracted praise from all corners.
Aarakshan, which will release on August 12, also stars Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Prateik Babbar and Manoj Bajpai. The music for the film has been composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy.
