Amitabh Bachchan is suffering from multiple hernia in his lower abdomen that have swollen up and cause him sharp pain whenever he exerts himself. Doctors have advised surgery, which he has been avoiding due to his busy schedule, the superstar has revealed.

Amitabh has already undergone three surgeries ever since he met with an accident on the sets of 'Coolie' in 1982.

"... a stomach surgery, indeed two in quick succession always have the possibility of hernia developing. And that is what is of concern now. There are now two urgent hernia in the lower abdomen which have swelled up dangerously and cause me problems," Big B posted on his blog http://bigb.bigadda.com/ yesterday (May 2).

"Sharp pains when I stand for too long or walk too much. During dance and action scenes there is huge pain and I counter that with a hernia belt which is temporary and not really a cure.

"So the doctors have been after me for a surgery, well two actually on either side of the abdomen and I have been avoiding it because of my busy schedule. But I shall have to take care of it now," he wrote.

Now there is a third hernia developing, he writes.

"And now after my third surgery of the stomach a few years back, when I was diagnosed for diverticulitus, there is another hernia that is developing. Of that later, say doctors. Because of the several times that the stomach has been opened up, there are lesions, and they at times stick and cause problems," posted the 67-year-old who is also asthmatic.

Amitabh says he has been operated upon so many times that he has developed a slack shoulder muscle now -- the reason why his left shoulder droops, believed to be a style. He has revealed that due to this his "left arm has become longer than the right".

Indo-Asian News Service

June 3, 2010 : Today is a big day! Not because IIFA commences today but also because it's been 37 years since the day, Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan got married. The most admired couple of Bollywood got married on June 3 back in 1973.

The legendary couple has been seen together in many movies, like Ek Nazar, Chupke Chupke, Zanjeer, Abhiman and more recently K3G. Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan have been as successful a couple in reel life as they are in real life.

A year back, on a TV show, Jaya Bachchan had said that she had first seen Amit-ji at an institute and liked his personality. She had also argued with her friends who disagreed with her then.

After Zanjeer was released in May 1973 and became an instant hit, Jaya and Amit-ji (not married then) decided to go for a vacation to London. However, Amit-ji's parents objected to it as they were not married and the couple decided to tie the knot.

Amitabh Bachchan asked her parents for her hand, and the couple got married according to Bengali rites in June, 1973. The couple has been happily married since then.

Abhishek Bachchan was the first to announce it to the world via his tweet that his parents would celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary today. Since then wishes are pouring in for the couple on Amit-ji's Twitter account.

Amidst receiving the best wishes, Amit-ji is busy spending his wedding anniversary in the wild - at Gir.

Sampurn Wire wishes the evergreen couple many more years of marital bliss!

You have again started signing in films after a long gap. Please describe the projects that you've taken on.
Yes I had not signed a film for a while. There had been an accumulation of 5 films one after the other, due to the multiplex strike. All of them have released, barring one.

I have signed up with Raj Kumar Santoshi, and there are projects on the verge of finalization with Pritish Nandy Communication, Prakash Jha, Puri Jagannath, Abbas Mastaan and of course R Balki.

You were in Paris recently for a recital of your father's poetry. How was that experience.
Yes, I was in Paris to do a recital at the prestigious Theatre des Champs-Elysee, of my father's poems. It was a first for me and a first for the Theatre too. Almost 70% French audience, subtitled facilities inside the theatre and a most remarkable evening for me.

A venue that has played host to greats in philharmonic orchestra, world renowned ballet and opera to be hosting Hindi poetry recitation was unique. Some of my fans came in from New York and London, Germany and Spain to witness this occasion. I thought it was most endearing on their part.

For me it was a privilege to be able to introduce my Father's works to a foreign and alien audience. Just such a honour. My Father would never have dreamt that this would happen someday, but it did happen and it filled me with a lot of pride.

In London you had dinner with Aamir Khan. Any projects together coming up?
Why would you assume that when two actors meet and have dinner together that they would be doing a project together!! Aamir was in the same hotel as me, he called we met and went out for a meal. Just another social evening, nothing more. Though working with Aamir would be a joy, particularly if he were to direct the film.

Lately Mr Amar Singh has had a lot of comments to make on your family. Your comments?
Amar Singh ji is family and any matter about him becomes personal. I would not comment on such matters.

Does the savage criticism Abhishek's solo films Delhi 6 and now Raavan strike you as being perhaps a little unjust to him?
No not all. People pay to go and see a film if they do not like something they have the liberty to criticize it. I cannot understand why you particularly mention 'solo'. None of my successful films Deewar, Trishul, Muqaddar ka Sikandar, Sholay, etc. were solo.

Abhishek, too has had his share of solo successes and non -successes. Some work some do not. Its film making. Happens the world over. One accepts the public verdict learns from it and tries again.

His recent hit was Paa, where you also starred. Any more projects featuring you and Abhishek?
I hope there will be. There are a few talks in progress, when they are ready we can talk about it. Do you think the subversion of the Ramayan especially towards the end was justified?
Firstly, we need to understand that the film is not Ramayan. It is Mani's concept of a story with elements of the epic and his own interpretation of it.

This is the director's take on a story. We cannot comment whether it is justifiable or not. It is best left to his sensibilities as a creative artist. Comment yes, justify perhaps not.

I remember your vocal and emphatic support of Mani Ratnam's Guru. Do you feel as strongly about Raavan?
Yes, but in different ways. Guru was straight storytelling and Mani's brilliance in its presentation was very clear to observe. 'Raavan' is asking me to study and think and analyse and probe

. It's taken a while to comprehend, so it is not immediate. It is driving me to intellectualize, something that most viewers are not prepared for when they go to see a film.

Mani's technique and approach may already be the subject of discussion and inspiration or imitation even as I write. But then that is a personal and individual view. It cannot be generalised.

Apparently you've been reminding Mani Ratnam and Abhishek that they've worked thrice together and that it's about time you got a chance to work with him. Is a film with Mani around the corner?
I wish it was true, but there is no such offering. Could you put in a word for me??

I can't help asking...you're tweeting and blogging. Do these means of communication make the press redundant for you?
How could you possibly ask this question at the end of this most exhaustive response of mine to the press!! No the media will never be redundant. Yes I Blog and Tweet and Vog and soon shall also video blog, but the press shall always have its presence and importance.

For me, these mediums are a wonderful opportunity to connect with my fans and well wishers independently and instantly. The internet is becoming a vast medium for the future. Most of the requests for interviews have also reduced because the media picks up all the daily news from our blogs and tweets.

Look at the vast amount of information that these mediums provide on individuals you would perhaps have never had the opportunity to interact with. It should be allowed to grow and prosper its use and misuse notwithstanding.

Tweeting...what has been the most memorable experience in that sphere of activity?
To have had the great opportunity of a chat with Lata ji!!

By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai, June 25 : Lately he has been interacting a lot with Bollywood perfectionist Aamir Khan and even convinced him to join Twitter. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan admits it would be nice to work with the talented actor, but there is no project in the pipeline yet.

"Why would you assume that when two actors meet and have dinner together they would be doing a project together? Aamir was in the same hotel as me. He called, we met and went out for a meal. Just another social evening, nothing more," Big B, who recently dined with Aamir in London, told IANS in an interview.

"Working with Aamir would be a joy, particularly if he were to direct the film," added the megastar who is unperturbed by the negative feedback of his son Abhishek's recently-released "Raavan".

"People pay to go and see a film. If they do not like something, they have the liberty to criticise it... It's filmmaking. Happens the world over. One accepts the public verdict, learns from it and tries again," he said.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: You have started signing films after a long gap. Please describe the projects.

A: Yes, I had not signed a film for a while. There had been an accumulation of five films one after the other, due to the multiplex strike. All of them have released, barring one. I have signed up with Raj Kumar Santoshi. There are projects on the verge of finalisation with Pritish Nandy Communications, Prakash Jha, Puri Jagannath, Abbas Mustan and of course R. Balakrishnan.

Q: In London, you had dinner with Aamir Khan. Any projects with him?

A: Why would you assume that when two actors meet and have dinner together they would be doing a project together? Aamir was in the same hotel as me. He called, we met and went out for a meal. Just another social evening, nothing more. Though working with Aamir would be a joy, particularly if he were to direct the film.

Q: Any projects featuring you and Abhishek?

A: I hope there will be. There are talks in progress; when they are ready we can talk about it.

Q: Does the criticism Abhishek's solo films "Delhi 6" and now "Raavan" strike you as being unjust to him?

A: No not all. People pay to go and see a film. If they do not like something, they have the liberty to criticise it. I cannot understand why you particularly mention 'solo'. None of my successful films 'Deewar', 'Trishul', 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', 'Sholay', etc were solo. Abhishek too has had his share of solo successes and non-successes. Some work, some do not. It's filmmaking. Happens the world over. One accepts the public verdict, learns from it and tries again.

Q: I remember your emphatic support of "Guru". Do you feel as strongly about "Raavan"?

A: Yes, but in different ways. "Guru" was straight storytelling and Mani's brilliance in its presentation was very clear to observe. "Raavan" is asking me to study and think and analyse and probe. It's taken a while to comprehend, so it is not immediate. It is driving me to intellectualise something that most viewers are not prepared for when they go to see a film...

Q: Ratnam and Abhishek have worked thrice together and it's about time you got a chance to work with him. Is a film with Mani round the corner?

A: I wish it was true, but there is no such offering. Could you put in a word for me?

Q: I can't help asking...you're tweeting and blogging. Do these means of communication make the press redundant for you?

A: How could you possibly ask this question at the end of this most exhaustive response of mine to the press! No, the media will never be redundant. Yes, I blog and tweet and Vog and soon shall also video blog, but the press shall always have its presence and importance. For me, these mediums are a wonderful opportunity to connect with my fans and well-wishers independently and instantly.

The internet is becoming a vast medium for the future. Most of the requests for interviews have also reduced because the media picks up all the daily news from our blogs and tweets. Look at the vast amount of information that these mediums provide on individuals you would perhaps have never had the opportunity to interact with. It should be allowed to grow and prosper, its use and misuse notwithstanding.

(Subhash K. Jha can be contacted at jhasubh@gmail.com )

Now that Amitabh Bachchan made it official he will be hosting the fourth season Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), the Bollywood superstar said it was his wife Jaya who supported him with his telly debut.

“I was scared and nervous not knowing what the public would have to say about the show, about my involvement and its eventual result”, blogged Bachchan about his first day's experiences of anchoring the block buster game show..

“I had come home and isolated myself in my office room and quietly had put on the TV, almost not wanting anyone to hear that I was watching the program.

"After 5 mins of its start I put it off, unable to bear what the rest of the country was thinking about it and waited silently for it to get over. And when it did I hesitated to face the family. It was in vain though. The family, represented by Jaya had watched the entire show and when I came to her she said “Amit ji ! This show is going to be a super hit!” said Big B in his blog.

Bachchan said he is excited about hosting KBC 4.

“KBC is back! So its Kaun Banega Crorepati after 10 years of its first broadcast in year 2000 and goodness it all feels like it was yesterday. And yes it can be said now that I shall be hosting it, ” said Bachchan.

He tweeted about the show: “T51 -Through with press conference. Kaun Banega Crorepati is on and I host it for Sony TV! One of the best PC's I have attended.”

Kaun Banega Crorepati was launched ten years back in 2000 and it turned out to be one of the most popular game show in Indian television history.

KBC was hosted by Big B himself for the first two seasons, while Shah Rukh Khan anchored the third edition of the popular show.

All the three seasons were telecast on Star Plus, but this time it will be aired on Sony Entertainment Television.

New Delhi, Sept 15 : Tinsel town sultans Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are the recipients of the the 57th National Film Awards along with Bengal's critically acclaimed filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, according to the announcements on Wednesday.

Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots has been named as the Best Popular Film while Amitabh Bachchan has bagged the Best Actor award for essaying the role of a Progeria-afflicted character in his home production Paa.

Rituparno Ghosh got the Best Director Award for his Bengali film Abohoman, which also fetched popular Bengali TV actor Ananya Chatterjee the Best Actress Award.

The Best Supporting actress award went to Arundhati Nag for Paa.

Amit Trivedi won best music director award for Dev-D while Nilanjana Sarkar gets Best Playback Singer (Female) Award.

Bengali rock singer Rupam Islam got Best Playback Singer (Male) Award.

Delhi-6 got the award as the Best Film with Social Message.

In Department, which starts shooting early next year, Amitabh Bachchan plays a gangster turned politician whose exploits are the stuff Chulbul Pandey would enjoy getting high on.

At the moment the film, said to be the ambitious Ramu's most expensive project to date, is being feverishly scripted. Details are being kept desperately under wraps since it involves some volatile characters.

When confronted Ramu says, "All I can tell you at the moment is that Mr. Bachchan plays a gangster turned politician in Department. Whom he's modelled on is open to conjecture and I am certainly not telling. There're too misconceptions floating around about the project. Mr Bachchan is NOT playing a cop in Department. It is NOT a sequel to Company (I wonder where that came from) nor a prequel to Ab Tak Chappan."

Ramu wants Big B's character to be a kind of grasroot-level super-hero. "I've always seen Mr. Bachchan as a hero of the masses. I want him to be cast as larger-than-life hero in Department."

Interestingly, Ramu who has cast the father-son Bachchan duo in their real-life roles twice, will not cast them as father-son in Department.

Reveals Ramu reluctantly, "No, Mr. Bachchan and Abhishek are not father and son in Department. Abhishek and Sanjay Dutt are cops. They share a pupil-mentor relationship."

In real-life too Abhishek looks up to Dutt. Says Ramu, "That's why I cast them as mentor and pupil."

When asked about playing a gangster-turned-politician in Department, Mr Bachchan said, "Oh, is that what Ramu has cast me as in Department? I've not yet discussed the antecedents of my role with him."

Posted On Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 03:19:08 AM

Producer Bunty Walia is organising a live concert to honour Amitabh Bachchan’s acting career.

The Forever Bachchan show, which incidentally coincides with Amitabh’s 69th birthday will be held in Mumbai in October.

The show will feature all of B-town’s contemporary leading men dancing to their favourite Bachchan song.

A source tells us, “s is the brain-child of Walia. When Amitji learnt of this, he was embarrassed. He quipped, ‘Who would want to dance to my songs? Don’t they’ve anything better to do?’ But Walia was adamant. It has taken him a year to convince the Big B that the concert is a good idea.”

Reportedly, Shah Rukh has chosen Khai ke paan benaras wala from Don (2006). Ranbir has opted for Saara zamana haseenon ka deewana from Yaarana(1981), which also happens to be Bachchan Jr’s pick.

When contacted, Walia said, “It’s really too early to talk about this. Nothing has been confirmed yet. It is my dream project. We’re a long way from going on stage.”

The legendary actor has helped Saif perform better in Prakash Jha's next.

Saif Ali Khan will be seen playing a Dalit student and a teacher who lives in a basti in Prakash Jha's forthcoming film 'Aarakshan'.

As the title suggests, the film apparently deals with the controversial policies of caste based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.

Saif Ali Khan recently revealed how it was Amitabh Bachchan who helped him deliver those heavy Hindi dialogues for the film.

"Given Manoj Bajpai and Amitabh Bachchan's command over Hindi, it was Saif who had to train himself extra to match up to their Hindi vocal skills" revealed our source.

In a recent interview Saif too acknowledged Amitabh's support by saying, "It was quite challenging to memorise those long dialogues in Sanskritised heavy Hindi, particularly when it comes naturally to your co-stars – Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Bajpai. For Aarakshan, Amitji advised me to say the dialogues whenever I can: just after waking up, in the loo, driving the car, in the disco...gradually I internalised it."

Saif who is anglicised in terms of accent, did a fantastic job in Omkara too and it would be interesting to see him in Aarakshan too.

Amitabh Bachchan’s rival Shatrughan Sinha has been signed to host the Bhojpuri version of KBC, Saurav Ganguly may take charge of the Bengali one

Freakin' Awesome! Freakin' Awesome! Freakin' Awesome! Freakin' Awesome! Freakin' Awesome!

Posted On Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 03:34:09 AM

Kaun Banega Crorepati, the show that revolutionized Indian television as well as Amitabh Bachchan’s career, is back with its Bhojpuri and Bengali versions.

And the producers Siddharth and Anita Kaul Basu have roped in Shatrughan Sinha, who never shared a comfortable equation with Big B, for one of them.

Shatrughan who is all set to step into Amitabh’s shoes as the Bhojpuri host for the show, has worked with the senior Bachchan in films like Kala Pathar, Dostana and Shaan.

But the two seldom got along with each other. The batlle has continued through media interviews and more recently, through blogs.

A source close to the show told Mumbai Mirror, “Shatrughan was the first choice to host the Bhojpuri version of KBC. Isn’t he the ultimate Bihari babu?”

Well, the ultimate Bihari babu, we hear, has taken his role in the show rather seriously. Reveals the source, “Shatrughan has also started rehearsing for the same.” Maybe, he wants to give his old rival a bit of competition.

As for the Bengali version, talks are on to rope in India’s former cricket captain Saurav Ganguly as the host.

The same source revealed, “Ganguly is in two minds. Thoda dates ka problem hai. Let’s see kya hota hai. The producers are quite keen to have him on board.”

Abhishek Bachchan is eagerly looking forward for his film Dum Maaro Dum to hit screens.

Talking about the film in a recent interview, Abhishek said that he wants to change audiences' perception about him being a non-actor with the film. Abhishek's last release Raavan, Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se and Game have been box office disasters and he wishes to set cash registers ringing with Dum Maaro Dum.

The actor also candidly talked about how favourite co-stars. He said, "Rani is the best co-star I have ever worked with. She's beautiful and is a brilliant actor." When asked if he would like to work with her again, Abhi promptly replied, "Of course, I would love to work with her."

It can be recalled that Abhishek and Rani, who have worked in films like Yuva, Bunty Aur Babli, Laga Chunri Mein Daag and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, had been linked up with each other before Abhi-Ash's marriage. There were also rumours that the two are planning to tie the knot. Though audience felt that Jr. Bachchan and the bong beauty made an awesome couple, the two refrained from working together.

However, now with Abhishek's confession, we look forward to seeing Bunty and Babli light up the screen again with their amazing chemistry.

In an answer to Ram Gopal Varma’s uncharitable SMS messages about Dum Maro Dum, Big B opts out of his film Department

Posted On Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 03:18:50 AM

After a successful association with the Bachchans, the buzz is, that Ram Gopal Varma has all of a sudden managed to anger the first family of Bollywood.

Amitabh and his son Abhishek who have worked with the director in many films including Sarkar, Sarkar Raj, Rann, Naach, RGV Ki Aag and Nishabd are no more a part of his forthcoming film Department.

While Abhishek Bachchan was reported to have dropped out from the film a couple of days back, his father, too has now decided to no more be a part of the project. And this decision on the Big B's part comes in the wake of Ramu's unprofessional attitude towards his son's last release Dum Maro Dum. "Amitabh is not interested in working with a filmmaker who has meted out such shoddy treatment to his son," said a source.

In fact, this was Ramu's way of avenging Abhishek's refusal of his film Department. "It all started last month when Abhishek told Ramu that he wasn't too keen on working in the film. The director couldn't take a 'No' gracefully. He started sending out uncharitable remarks on Dum Maro Dum from his cellphone," informed our source.

While Amitabh chose not to respond to our story, RGV started off by sending us a text, wherein he maintained that it was he who replaced Abhishek with Rana Daggubatti. "I have replaced Abhishek with Rana and the cast that has been finalised is Sanjay Dutt, Kangna Ranaut and Rana," messaged the filmmaker.

On asking whether Amitabh was a part of the film, we got a message that read: I haven't narrated the story or the role to him yet since the script is still underway. Only if the role requires him, I shall approach him.

Clearly Ramu is trying hard to maintain a brave front on the entire issue. Or perhaps he is suffering from temporary amnesia since he had told the media about Big B's role in his film, not too long ago, "Mr Bachchan is not playing a cop, he plays a gangster in Department."

However, it remains to be seen if Sanjay Dutt goes ahead with the film in absence of the Bachchans.

While his manager and Sanjay Dutt Productions' CEO Dharam Oberoi sent us a text confirming Sanjubaba's presence in the RGV project, a filmmaker on request of anonymity told us, "We don't think that Sanjay would risk his good relations with the Bachchans.

But then again, the Bachchans are very classy and don't mix two and two. So one never knows."