Amitabh Bachchan

Mumbai, Jan. 17: Amitabh Bachchan today chose to go public over his cold war with the International Indian Film Academy, the organiser of the annual IIFA awards which has had the actor as its brand ambassador for a decade.

Tweeting from London a day and a half before the IIFA holds a much-publicised news conference in Toronto, Bachchan wrote: “We are not coming to IIFA... IIFA said our services are not required!!”

He added: “It’s not me... it’s the organisers of IIFA that do not want me in Toronto... Sri Lanka was the same.”

The Canadian city of Toronto is the scheduled venue for this year’s IIFA awards, slated from June 23 to June 25.

A source in Wizcraft, the event management company behind the IIFA, said the battle lines had been drawn when Bachchan refused to participate in last year’s awards ceremony, held in Colombo, thus failing to honour his contract as brand ambassador.

The Bachchans had backed out after members of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce demanded they not attend the event in a country where a large number of Tamils were killed during anti-LTTE operations. Some Mumbai-based Tamils had protested before Bachchan’s home in Juhu.

Film industry sources, however, said the reason the Bachchans skipped the Colombo ceremony was the IIFA’s decision not to premiere Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, which featured Abhishek Bachchan, at the event.

The annual IIFA function had always been a showcase for the Bachchan family since Amitabh officially became its brand ambassador. Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj, which starred Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, had premiered at the Bangkok IIFA in 2008.

Bachchan Senior had therefore expected the Colombo event to give a kick-start to Abhishek’s big release last year. Ratnam later argued that the film wasn’t ready, but industry insiders say Wizcraft had refused to screen Raavan after the pro-LTTE lobby got the entire Tamil film industry to boycott the Colombo show.

The Wizcraft source said: “The year 2010 was the last year of Amitabh Bachchan’s brand ambassadorship, but after fans in Tamil Nadu said they were opposed to the venue... Big B just refused to participate, ignoring the contract he had signed and the commitment he had made.”

The IIFA had then drafted Salman Khan for the awards event. “So, when it came to deciding on a new brand ambassador this year, Bachchan Sr was not considered,” the Wizcraft source said.

On the IIFA website, though, Bachchan’s name still figures as brand ambassador and member of the film academy’s advisory board.

A statement issued this evening by Sabbas Joseph, director, IIFA and Wizcraft, said: “Due to unexplained reasons, after announcing the event as Brand Ambassador, Mr Bachchan couldn’t participate in the IIFA Weekend Sri Lanka last year. Following this, IIFA aborted the concept of a Brand Ambassador. Keeping in mind the huge respect that Wizcraft and IIFA have for Mr Bachchan and the deep relationship that we’ve always shared, we are not having anyone replace Mr Bachchan.”

The statement added: “The Bachchan family has been an intrinsic part of IIFA every year, and in this regard we have already shared with them a proposal about their participation this year too. Mr Bachchan’s reason for non-participation is best known to him. IIFA and Mr Bachchan are inseparable. We will continue to pursue his participation for this year too.”

The Wizcraft source said Joseph would hold the Toronto news conference with Anil Kapoor, who is being projected by the IIFA this year.

“Anil Kapoor is a truly international star after Slumdog Millionaire and the immensely popular American television series 24: Season 8. His association will add to the brand IIFA,” the source said.

Bachchan did not respond to this newspaper’s text-messaged queries. A tweet from him this evening said: “ok.. Emergency in my Hotel in London.. everyone evacuated out on the street in biting cold.. Suspecting explosion in next door - managed to get into a car and driving away from site of emergency.. Police not allowing anyone near.”