After Jaya's RS speech, Bachchans to get additional security

Mumbai, Sep 16: Security has been tightened at Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan's home a day after she spoke emphatically in parliament against what she called attempts to vilify the film industry with allegations of drug abuse related to the Sushant Singh Rajput death investigation.

Mumbai Police has provided the additional security outside Jalsa, the Bachchans' iconic bungalow in Juhu, reports NDTV.

Bachchan on Tuesday criticised those tarnishing the image of the film industry. Her remarks came a day after BJPs Lok Sabha MP and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan said there was a problem of drug addiction in the film industry.

Bachchan's speech, in which she used a Hindi proverb to say those defaming the industry were biting the hands that fed them, earned her fulsome praise from many of her colleagues in Bollywood that has been under a cloud since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June.

Though Bachchan did not take any names, her speech came a day after BJP's Lok Sabha MP and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan said there was a problem of drug addiction in the film industry.

She also said she completely disagrees with those who term the entertainment industry a "gutter", a term used by actor Kangana Ranaut to describe Bollywood in a tweet last month.

Through a Zero Hour mention in Rajya Sabha, Bachchan said the entertainment industry was being flogged by social media and asked the government to protect and support it.

"People who have made a name in this industry have called it a gutter. I completely disagree...," she said in a speech that not just made her the toast of Bollywood but was also trending on Twitter for much of the day.

"I was really embarrassed and ashamed that yesterday (September 14) one of our members in the Lok Sabha, who is from the industry, spoke. I am not taking names. It is a shame," Bachchan said in a clear reference to Kishan''s statement on the alleged Bollywood drug cartel.

"Jis thali mein khate hai Usme chhed karte hai. Galat baat hai," she said referring to a popular Hindi proverb that translates to biting the hand that feed you. She said the entertainment industry provides direct employment to five lakh people daily.

"I think it is very, very important that the government supports this industry and not kill it. Just because there are few people, you cannot tarnish the image of the entire industry," Bachchan said.

"At a time when the financial situation is in a depressing state and employment rate at the worst levels, in order to divert the attention of people, we are being flogged by social media," Bachchan said, adding that there is no support from the government.

The government, she said, must stand by the entertainment industry because it always comes forward to help in times of crisis.

"...If there is a national calamity, they come forward, they give money and their services," Bachchan said.

The issue of the alleged nexus between people in the film industry and drug traffickers came up in the Lok Sabha too.

Bachchan's speech trended on social media with many within the industry tweeting and retweeting it and praising the actor for speaking up against the negativity surrounding the film industry since Rajput's death.

The Producers Guild of India, which had come out with a statement to criticise the singling out of the industry as a drug den recently, tweeted Bachchan's speech with the hashtag 'Respect'.

"The Producers Guild of India applauds Jaya ji for standing up for our industry #Respect," it said on Twitter. The hashtag was used repeatedly.

Director Anubhav Sinha, actors Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor and Tapsee Pannu also lauded the MP.