Amitabh Bachchan

Calcutta, May 19: If you thought blogging was meant to be a personal diary on the Internet, that function is passe. As Amitabh Bachchan, the newest blogger on the block, makes it clear, it’s a chosen medium to get back at detractors and clear matters with colleagues.

“If the process (blogging) is being looked upon as a vehicle for clarification and rejoinder so be it,” Bachchan wrote to The Telegraph from London, where he has gone to meet his daughter and grandchildren after his trip to the Cannes film festival. “I think for celebrities or those in the public sphere who sometimes desire a method for response this could be the answer.”

Bachchan’s blog, called the Big Blog (blogs.bigadda.com/ ab/), has been a rage on the web in the last few weeks where he has dismissed Shatrughan Sinha’s comments on “fixed awards”, showed how Shah Rukh has not matched his TV TRPs and torn apart film critics for biased reviews.

Most of his posts have been getting an average of 700-plus comments from Netizens all over the world. No wonder Bachchan is thrilled. “Their (the people commenting on his posts) criticism and abuse at times needs careful consideration, for they are able to see and observe what we may not have and that it is the most joyful experience to connect with them first hand,” he says.

It’s been just over a month that Bachchan is blogging but he already wishes that he did it right through his acting career. “The media boycotting me and vice-versa did erase the opportunity of any documentation or record of events that may have happened in my professional career.” He adds: “But now that there is a viable medium (his blog) I am happy to be able to express myself.”

Bachchan plans to start his own website where not just him but the entire family, including son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, are expected to blog. “Plans are under construction for the website and it should be up shortly. It will have the presence of all members of the family, most particularly my father (Harivansh Rai Bachchan) and his prolific work,” he revealed.