Raj Thackeray was a die-hard fan of Amitabh. His flying solo meant the Big B had to take sides.
Raj Thackeray's admiration for Amitabh Bachchan is legendary in the Thackeray household. He used to prop up Bachchan film stills on his desk, watch Big B starrers several times over. Raj even named his son Amit. Three years ago, Bachchan was the guest of honour at the mega show Raj organised to release his coffee-table volume on his uncle—Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. So what went wrong?
On his part, Raj believes he has simply stated the facts: that Bachchan shows more affection for his native UP than for Maharashtra, that he chose to contest the LS polls from Allahabad, that he preferred to be brand ambassador of UP, that he set about constructing colleges there. "If a big personality like Amitabh Bachchan can have affection for his native state, why can't Raj Thackeray have the same for his?" he asked at a recent party meeting. Events have snowballed since then.
As a rabble-rouser, Raj used Bachchan's iconic status to grab public attention, mounting his anti-Uttar Bharatiya campaign initially around him. "It's personal...and now professional," says a Raj associate.
Sources however point to the alignments within the Hindi film fraternity with Bachchan on one side and Shahrukh Khan on the other, backed by different sets of corporate and film czars. Raj's attempt to be part of the glamour industry means he had to choose; knowingly or otherwise, he seems to have chosen to be seen as being part of the anti-Amitabh brigade.
The rift is recent, say sources. After Raj split from the Shiv Sena and formed his party two years ago, he invited Bachchan on a few occasions to programmes and ceremonies, but the latter did not turn up. To accept Raj's invite would have meant risking the wrath, or at least distancing himself from the Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray and Uddhav. Then, Bachchan invited the father-son duo for Abhishek's wedding last year but left out Raj.
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Raj Thackeray's admiration for Amitabh Bachchan is legendary in the Thackeray household. He used to prop up Bachchan film stills on his desk, watch Big B starrers several times over. Raj even named his son Amit. Three years ago, Bachchan was the guest of honour at the mega show Raj organised to release his coffee-table volume on his uncle—Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. So what went wrong?
On his part, Raj believes he has simply stated the facts: that Bachchan shows more affection for his native UP than for Maharashtra, that he chose to contest the LS polls from Allahabad, that he preferred to be brand ambassador of UP, that he set about constructing colleges there. "If a big personality like Amitabh Bachchan can have affection for his native state, why can't Raj Thackeray have the same for his?" he asked at a recent party meeting. Events have snowballed since then.
As a rabble-rouser, Raj used Bachchan's iconic status to grab public attention, mounting his anti-Uttar Bharatiya campaign initially around him. "It's personal...and now professional," says a Raj associate.
Sources however point to the alignments within the Hindi film fraternity with Bachchan on one side and Shahrukh Khan on the other, backed by different sets of corporate and film czars. Raj's attempt to be part of the glamour industry means he had to choose; knowingly or otherwise, he seems to have chosen to be seen as being part of the anti-Amitabh brigade.
The rift is recent, say sources. After Raj split from the Shiv Sena and formed his party two years ago, he invited Bachchan on a few occasions to programmes and ceremonies, but the latter did not turn up. To accept Raj's invite would have meant risking the wrath, or at least distancing himself from the Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray and Uddhav. Then, Bachchan invited the father-son duo for Abhishek's wedding last year but left out Raj.
Discuss
Tell a friend
Bury
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