Amitabh questions Media's autnority

Mumbai, May 12: Bollywood doyen Big B is up in arms with the Media and has questioned its authority. Hitting hard at a section of the press, indirectly referring to the review of his latest starrer 'Bhoothnath,' Amitabh Bachchan in his blog wrote ''Nobody is perfect. It is demeaning, debasing and humiliating to be continuously told that you are not''.

''I cannot say about other celebrities or how they react or entertain that which comes out in the print and electronic media, but for me it was a catharsis of sorts to discover that many people were equally incensed by the unfair and biased attitude of the fourth estate. I do have strong questions in my mind about the media, a few queries do come up, they are not to look down upon media or to deny them their right of expression, but to give us a right as well.''

He said ''my dignity and my honor has lain dormant for too long, its picking up some rust and I believe if it is not exercised I shall completely lose it'' Referring to a saying in Hindi 'chadhee rushta, chadhe tushta'' (quick to be annoyed, quick to be appeased), he said, ''I shall not fall in that category. It is not in the category of dignified men.

If it has taken me 40 years to explode, it shall perhaps take me an equal number of years to calm down. The record for posterity must bear my voice as well.'' He said the strength of the media was the psychological effect it has on every reader. ''When we read an opinion, a comment or an accusation against someone or something, it comes across to me, as the opinion, comment and the accusation of a 100 million people.'' That is the strength of the press, he said, adding, ''instant, direct and final word.'' Words are constructed by one journalist, but they in fact become the words of millions of others.

''That is frightening. That is impressive. That is devastating,'' he said, adding, ''I want to be in a position where I have similar right. Why is it that just one community is beyond scrutiny, beyond questioning, beyond opinion. And I am not satisfied by the face saving odd comments, hidden in some unseen corner, justifying your fair play.'' The Big B said ''I want to have the liberty of doing a review of your review. I want to give you marks as well. I want to allocate 'star ratings' of approval or disapproval through my judgement. I want to be able to call an issue of a magazine or a tabloid or a daily, a flop. I want to then, on reading this, comment on the completely destroyed and deflated expressions of the editors or owners of named paper.'' Stating that he needed a platform to enable his observations reach the rest of the world, he said, ''I want the media to feel how we feel when we are faced with such disparaging assessment. It is the expression of abject despair and rejection. It breaks you, crushes you, destroys you.''

UNI