One is growing insane with every passing day. Blame it on old age! The other is nasty and mean like any other tabloid. Whom to trust, thats difficult to judge, but we are loving it!
To celebrate Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday, Mid Day’s editor Abhijit Majumder did an interview with him and it was carried as the cover story on Sunday Mid Day (Oct 11). As expected, Bachchan’s interview was boring as always. Who’s the best director you’ve worked with? All. What are your favourite Bachchan films? Very, very tough. I like different films from my different phases. Women the world over have chased you. Have you chased any woman? No. And I don’t believe women chase me. Well, I did chase my wife and married her. Of all your female leads, was Rekha special? They’ve all been special. But people remember Rekha and your screen chemistry. I don’t know what screen chemistry is.
Huh! Boring as hell! Nothing new, nothing interesting! Only if it were all true. You can read the full interview here. The interview might be boring but post-interview it got interesting.
Later on, Bachchan got to know that the interview was recorded on a video camera too and he wasnt told about it. Bachchan felt it was a sting operation (see the pic. courtesy Mid Day)! On his blog, he attacked Abhijit Majumder and how! To quote from his blog…..
Two days later an FmXt member draws my attention to a video clip of my interview with the paper. I am surprised to hear it because I had never expected either the paper or any one else to have posted something which I would be unaware of. I saw the interview that has been put on air through a MidDay enterprise which works as a electronic news maker and now realize why Mr Majumdar wanted a personal meeting. He had placed a small ’sting’ camera on the table in front of me, without informing me that the interview was being video taped as well. He never told me that they had a video net facility in operation and that the recorded interview would find a place there.
Mr Majumdar, you were dishonest with me ! You insisted on a one to one interview not because you were being deprived of the opportunity of your ‘first’ with me, but because you had malefide intent of recording the interview to be used as a live input on a video electronic facility medium that your paper runs. Had you told me that you were recording this for a net broadcast I would never have minded. I was doing several electronic interviews every minute and another would have not made any difference. But by lying to me, the integrity that I had associated with you as an Editor for the paper you work for, has been damaged. Your entire effort, now that I look back, in assuring me of wanting to bring in change, of giving me the impression of an upright and erudite journalist has unfortunately been destroyed by this one incident. You have proven to me, yet again, that you or your tribe cannot be trusted.
Woohoo! You can read the full post by Amitabh Bachchan here.
In today’s edition of the paper, Abhijit Majumder has issued his clarification through a column and claims that he had not only told Bachchan about it but had even asked the same to his secretary. To quote Majumder…
Either you are lying or I am. I would like to believe it is neither; it’s just your memory playing tricks at twilight.
Which is acceptable.
What is not acceptable is loosely accusing a journalist who has learnt journalism the hard way and prides in his integrity of mala fide intention, lying and suchlike. If my intention were to malign you, I wouldn’t have spent a considerable amount of my time and energy trying to build bridges with you ignoring your past rants against MiD DAY in your blog, sought an interview and played it up on the front page.
Also, your accusation that what you said was misrepresented is facile because the interview in a pretty straightforward question -and-answer format and all that you said is recorded.
Click here to read the full column by Abhijit Majumder. He has also been tweeting about it. Check http://twitter.com/abhijitmajumder .
Next, its Bachchan’s turn! Will he respond to Majumder’s letter ? Lets see. BTW, surprisingly we cant trace the Mid-Day video interview on youtube. It was online till yesterday! Or is youtube playing hide and seek with us ? You can search for Mid-Day’s video channel on youtube here.
UPDATE (17th Oct) – On his blog, Bachchan has responded to Majumder’s open letter. And this is getting better. To quote from his blog…
Mr Majumdar you say that you ‘had mentioned that both audio and video would be recorded’. That is undiluted garbage stinking rubbish. Every sms of yours seeking my interview is saved on my mobile. Every telephone conversation that you had with my office in this regard has been recorded. And, as you have yourself accepted, every move, action and word that you spoke on the day from the moment you entered my office to the time you left, is on video tape with me. No where, and I repeat, no where have you mentioned, that you would be doing a video recording. If you say your photographer Pradeep Dhiver was there, may I also inform you that my photographer Paresh Mehta and his two assistants were also there. You are not going to beat me by throwing names. These videos can be put up on my blog at the press of a button. Wanna’ see ?
And dear Sir, its not about your ‘word versus mine’, its about your video tape versus mine. And mine says that your conscience is not ‘clear’ at all. It is as densely clouded as the monsoon sky, so ironically visible on the day you came to take my interview.
If you were to look me straight in the eye and challenge me, I would not hesitate to look you straight back and justify. Put this cap of self righteous zeal over your own head and then come riding with me. I’ll whip your horse and you mine and lets see who rides the furthest and the longest.
You can read the full post here or in the comments section, as Ajay has put it there.
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 
And my response is –
Dear Mr Majumdar,
I am glad that you have found mention of your name on my blog in good or bad frame and that you have found it important now to respond as an exception, since you have felt it doubts your integrity and accuses you of lying. May I inform you most humbly that your desperate attempt at a clarification has done nothing to change that. Your integrity is not ‘in its rightful place’ and the accusation of you lying, remains.
You talk in your letter of misrepresentation. Strange. I have never mentioned anywhere that you have misrepresented me. Indeed I fail to remember that I have even made use of such word. I merely mentioned that the interview you did was below quality – in text, writing and language. The eloquence of my responses were just not captured adequately, despite the ominous presence of your ’sting’ camera. And please, don’t try and educate me on operations of ’sting’ cameras. I’ve been in the profession long enough – well certainly beyond your age – of knowing the intricacies of such gadgetry. Nobody comes along to shoot a video interview of a subject, as you so foolishly propound, by placing the camera at an angle that prominently exposes only his posterior and little else. Or maybe, that was your vain attempt at artistic representation. The ‘backside’ may well have been this great symbolic metaphor, of what you wished your interview would eventually be. It needs a brave man to think so poorly of his own creativity even before starting, and for this I must compliment you.
Mr Majumdar you say that you ‘had mentioned that both audio and video would be recorded’. That is undiluted garbage stinking rubbish. Every sms of yours seeking my interview is saved on my mobile. Every telephone conversation that you had with my office in this regard has been recorded. And, as you have yourself accepted, every move, action and word that you spoke on the day from the moment you entered my office to the time you left, is on video tape with me. No where, and I repeat, no where have you mentioned, that you would be doing a video recording. If you say your photographer Pradeep Dhiver was there, may I also inform you that my photographer Paresh Mehta and his two assistants were also there. You are not going to beat me by throwing names. These videos can be put up on my blog at the press of a button. Wanna’ see ?
And dear Sir, its not about your ‘word versus mine’, its about your video tape versus mine. And mine says that your conscience is not ‘clear’ at all. It is as densely clouded as the monsoon sky, so ironically visible on the day you came to take my interview.
You say ‘it is hard to believe that a man of my standing will lie’ and that ‘I have forgotten that bit’. I have not forgotten any bit, mister. From Bofors to Barabanki I have not forgotten any bit. From the Royal Courts of London, to the Honorable Supreme Court of India, they have all conclusively passed written judgement that I have not lied. Now, if you wish to challenge that, lets go to the highest justice authority anywhere in the world. It shall give me the greatest joy in securing another defamatory victory against you or any of your representations.
Your explanation of ’sting’ and ‘interview’ and ‘record’, is again very fuddled. I know that when a interview is on record there can be no ’sting’. But where have I said that ? I have merely said that you have recorded the interview ‘with a sting camera’. I am not as well educated as you are, but even a four old would have made out the difference.
You talk of coming up ‘the hard way’ and even your ‘fiercest critics’ not doubting ‘your integrity’. Mr Abhijit Majumdar, you are not the only one that has come up the hard way, we all have and we all have cherished and still do cherish the value that our parents instilled in us on our integrity. Your attempt at this puritanical white wash is soiling the walls even further.
‘People who know me will only laugh at anyone that suggests I’m not honest’, is what you say in your letter. I have news for you. The 100,000 extended family members that visit my blog everyday and 25 times that number that visit it each month, ARE NOT LAUGHING AT ALL !! And they far outnumber your ‘fiercest critics’.
Incidentally, do critics have critics. Never heard of any !!
You mention in your article under reference that I should not forget that the media has had a distinct hand in my stardom. Ho ! Ho Ho ! … now we are all laughing !
Firstly, I have never ever accepted or believed in this media created epithet of stardom or any other ‘dom’. And secondly, for 18 years under the ban of the media, Amitabh Bachchan ‘the actor’ that you admire, had his most successful run at the box office. So get off your high horse and smell the dung. Media will be incapable of making or breaking an actor. Only the masses have that strength and you are still very far away from that criteria.
Your claim in the penultimate paragraph of your article, sorry open letter, states –
“I think in our zeal to be self-righteous, some of us forget to thank the Indian media for exposing corruption and injustice every day …”
Ha ! Mr Majumdar either you have deliberately blinkered your myopic blurred vision, or you wish to hide behind your inexcusable naiveté. Tell me honestly.. oops.. sorry, cannot trust you with that term.
Tell me how many times have you exposed corruption in your own profession ?
Are you trying to tell me there is no corruption in the media, no injustice ?
How come only you have the liberty of asking all the questions ?
When was the last time you gave any answers ?
If you were to look me straight in the eye and challenge me, I would not hesitate to look you straight back and justify. Put this cap of self righteous zeal over your own head and then come riding with me. I’ll whip your horse and you mine and lets see who rides the furthest and the longest.
Your guilt sir, has made you spend and subsequently waste precious news print in defending yourself in a medium you control and manage. Just look how far you have gone in clarifying your position. It would have been better if you would have used the space in exposing the ailments of ‘our civil society’ that you seem to cherish so much.
In closing Mr Majumdar, I am least enamored by the fact that you remain an admirer of Amitabh Bachchan, the actor. I don’t need you in that capacity. For me, my extended family that is the life and soul of my medium, is more important, because they admire Amitabh Bachchan , the human.
Oh ! And by the way. Why have you removed the video under discussion, today from the net. Covering your tracks or removing evidence ?
Warm regards,
Amitabh Bachchan
“your tribe cannot be trusted”
OUCH…who says that the fella is boring 🙂
@Ajay – thnx for the update. will add to the blog. this keeps getting better!
@Rick – the fella is boring when it comes to his affairs. with others, he is quite acidic n vivious!
Insanity is not necessarily a byproduct of age !!
See, your’s started even before you could reach there !!! 🙂 ( Just in case you are thinking otherwise, we all get old:)
@cynic – we r born old like benjamin button! btw r u born cynic ?
Oh Ok !!! So you end as an orgasm !! And my guess … current age five? 😛
acidity..ghor acidity all around!
I think this is new era of reporting..
Amitabh getting “stinged” thru a hidden camera would have made headlines in all news papers and TV Channels of India in any other era.. but it came thru a blog and got limited to his fans.. had it been thru a press conference, would have been a different story?
what’s up with AB what big difference it will make whether it is a video recorded or not?
His blog’s as well as interviews are always boring he acts like he is perfect I would appreciate his acting on screen not off it.
looks like promoting his movie ‘RANN’ through this mud slinging.
These stars stoop so low just to promote themself.
AB has more skeletons to reveal than any body else.
@raffuchakkar @harry no doubt it doesn’t matter weather they recorded the video, what matters is the conscience of the reporter behind taking the video without informing…
guess how would it luk like “AB caught fingering nose?”
@raffuchakkar – You’r right .. It doesn’t really matter it is a video recorded or not? .
I can think of one or two skeleton in AB’s closet … wats that … Rekhajeeeeeeee …… ya … Rekhaji is one …
you guys remember , AB calling khalid muhammad a gay ( AB referred to KM as begum or something) on his blog … AB takes cheap shots at peaople , if he gets a chance … He’s not all goody shoes as he pretenst to be.
Comon peaople … we are onto something here … can you folks try to list the SKELETONS in AB’s closet , at least one …
Harry..You should better look your skins first.
[…] We loved the fact that its editor Abhijit Majumder didn’t compromise his stand after his famous altercation with Amitabh […]