Big B speaks in Marathi, Shiv Sena speaks for him

THE BIG BYTE: Actor Amitabh Bachchan says he and his family are grateful to Maharashtra.

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Keywords: Marathis, Saamna, Shiv Sena, Bal Thackeray

Mumbai: Actor Amitabh Bachchan has said he and his family hold Maharashtrian culture close to their hearts and he is grateful to the state.

“In the last 40 years, Maharashtra has given me a lot: house, wife and much more. I and my family are grateful to entire Maharashtra,” Bachchan said in Marathi while speaking to IBN Lokmat, CNN-IBN’s sister news channel.

“My association with Maharashtra goes back to 40 years. My father had many friends here in the field of literature and many of his poems were translated into Marathi.”

“Being global is essential but we need to respect our mother tongue. It is our land, we were born here and we will die here,” he said. Bachchan’s statement comes after the Shiv Sena accused of him of not doing enough for Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena itself has turned back on its views expressed two days and on Monday lavished Bachchan with praises. "Amitabh Bachchan is not just star of one particular state, but the superstar of the whole country. Hence, it is improper to drag him into needless controversy of regionalism," Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said in an editorial in the party’s newspaper, Samana.

“Amitabh Bachchan is our family friend. I have neither said anything against him nor written against him in the editorial. The hue and cry, which has been created by the media regarding the news in Samana is condemnable. Our relations with him are not so weak that it can be broken by electronic media news," said Thackeray.

Thackeray accused UP Chief Minister Mayawati of “harassing” Bachchan and said this "is worthy of contempt".

Samana, in an editorial on Saturday, praised Tamil superstar Rajnikanth for his stand on the Hogenakkal issue and said he had “dwarfed” Bachchan.