Click to play videoIt’s celebration time at the Bachchan household – Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai are expected to get married soon. That apart Abhishek has been receiving rave reviews for his performance in Mani Ratnam’s Guru. For the first time after the engagement, Amitabh Bachchan spoke to CNN-IBN Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand.
Rajeev Masand: Is it fair to ask you, what is the bigger joy – marriage or the success of Abhishek in Guru?
Amitabh Bachchan: Marriage.
Rajeev Masand: Tell us a little about it. What we do know is that Abhishek proposed to Aishwarya in New York.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, they had gone for the premier of Guru in Toronto and New York. After the premiere in New York he proposed and she accepted. I was the first person to be called. I was overjoyed and gave my congratulations and blessings to them. And of course, asked them to come home soon.
Rajeev Masand: Now you have seen this relationship go from friendship to engagement. How are they feeling now? They both are heading back to work with Abhishek shooting for Drona in Jaipur and Aishwarya shooting for Jodha Akbar.
Amitabh Bachchan: Well, obviously it’s a happy moment for both of them and we all are very excited.
Rajeev Masand: The big question of course is that is there a date for their marriage?
Amitabh Bachchan: No, not yet. The families have to get together. Some members of her family are out of town. We also have to gather our family to discuss the date and then we will announce it.
Rajeev Masand: What was the engagement ceremony like on Sunday?
Amitabh Bachchan: Well it was quiet, solemn and happy.
Rajeev Masand: You have really kept your promise. All along you all have said that you will announce it when there is something to announce.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, I guess when you are in so much public scrutiny these things do happen. We know that there is a very determined and committed media seeking information. So, we made certain commitments to them and we try and keep them.
Rajeev Masand: But does constant attention get bothersome at times?
Amitabh Bachchan: No, I think we have spoken about this aspect earlier also. Media has a job to do and sometimes it does get rough. Like last night there were lots of people outside and it was impossible to meet all of them even though we did make attempts to acknowledge their presence. Obviously there are times when we cannot oblige the media and you have to excuse us in such situations.
Rajeev Masand: Is it also heartening to see the kind of joy and attention that your son, Abhishek, has got from his fans?
Amitabh Bachchan: It is always an overwhelming experience to see so many people turn in the middle of the night and remain there till the early hours of the morning. I have always felt extremely honoured and moved by the emotions shown by the people of this country. No matter what our family has gone through, whether there has been illness, happy occasion or a film. Through this medium I really want to thank our fans for the love and affection shown to my family.
Rajeev Masand: We know that you are personally satisfied with Abhishek’s performance in Guru. What went through your mind when you saw the film and his performance.
Amitabh Bachchan: I have always been holding myself back when it comes to talking about my son. But this is one occasion when I just couldn’t hold myself back at the excellence of the film and the maturity of his performance. The content was absolutely flawless. It was a tough role, one that every actor is aspiring to get. He commanded himself extremely well and did full justice. Covering a span of 40-50 years is not easy for any actor in a period of three hours but I think he has done an extremely commendable job. I keep telling him that I would not have been able to do it.
Rajeev Masand: You are being humble.
Amitabh Bachchan: No, just factual.
Rajeev Masand: You are the only one in Mumbai. Jaya Bachchan is away shooting in Jaipur and Abhishek and Aishwarya are also not here. Do you feel lonely at a time like this?
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, I wish they could all come back. They all just left this morning. So suddenly after all this excitement the house is lonely and empty.
Rajeev Masand: But not for long.
Amitabh Bachchan: Yes, am thankful to the media for keeping me company.
Rajeev Masand: Best of luck and we hope we can hear wedding bells soon.
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