Markandey Katju, known for his hard hitting views, says Amitabh Bachchan has nothing in his head, and wants him to suggest solutions to India’s massive problems.
Big B and Mr. Katju (former Supreme Court Judge, and former Chairman, Press Council of India) have studied in the same school, but there’s no rivalry between the two. So many are surprised that Mr. Katju chose to target Mr. Bachchan
We will list what Mr. Katju said, but in short, he means that its okay to achieve greatness in arts and sports but if you cannot contribute towards eradicating India’s problems, those achievements do not count.
Amitabh Bachchan is a man with nothing in his head, & since mediapersons praise him I doubt there is anything in their heads too
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) September 17, 2016
Here’s Markandey Katju’s clarification after he said Amitabh Bachchan has nothing in his head.
When I said Amitabh Bachchan has nothing in his head, many people asked me to elaborate. So I am writing this post.
Karl Marx had said that religion is the opium of the masses, used as a drug by the rulers to keep the masses pacified, so that they may not revolt.
But the Indian masses need several drugs to keep them pacified, one is not enough for them. Religion is only one of such drugs. Some other drugs which are needed are films, the media, cricket, astrology, babas, etc. A combination of drugs has to be given by our rulers to the Indian masses to keep them pacified, just as for some diseases a combination of medicines has to be given.
One of such powerful drugs is films. The Roman Emperors used to say ‘ If you cannot give the people bread, give them circuses “. So most of our films are like circuses, which our rulers provide to our people since they cannot give the people bread ( i.e. employment, heaalthcare, nutritious food, good education, etc ).
Amitabh Bachchan’s films, like those of Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, etc are like drugs, they take the people to a world of make believe, and they are therefore very useful to our rulers since they keep people pacified.
Apart from being a good actor, what is there in Amitabh Bachchan ? Has he any scientific ideas for solving the country’s massive problems ? There are none. From time to time he appears on some media channels giving sermons and homilies, and from time to time he is shown to be doing good deeds, but who can not do this with tons of money ?
Big B is quite active in social media, and many of his followers did not agree with Mr. Katju’s reasoning.
A Supreme court judge is likely to have more knowledge about the issues plaguing the country, as they’re more familiar with the legal framework of the country, and also have an insight into how and why people break laws.
So a judge is likely to be more aware of the ‘massive’ issues that India faces, and is also likely to have more suggestions / ideas on how to tackle them.
But that is not because he/she has something ‘more’ inside his/her head. Its a skill that they have acquired in their profession.
There will always be a difference between a judge’s thinking and the thinking of an actor/poet/painter/sportsman.
And even if Mr. Katju doesn’t get that part, what is not acceptable is the manner in which he chose to attack Mr. Bachchan – calling him a dumbfool because he is rich and famous, certainly not expected from a retired Supreme Court Judge.
Perhaps Justice Katju has a similar opinion about Sachin Tendulkar as well.
So what was Mr. Bachchan’s response to Mr. Katju’s statement?
Known to avoid controversies, Big B chose to laugh it off.
“He (Katju) is right I don’t have anything inside my mind. He is right…My head is ‘khalas’ (finished),” said Bachchan.
