AMITABH BACHCHAN - BACHCHAN DENIES CRITICISM OF SLUMDOG

BACHCHAN DENIES CRITICISM OF SLUMDOG

Indian screen idol AMITABH BACHCHAN has denied criticising the makers of Golden Globe winning film SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.
The Bollywood icon was quoted as writing on his official internet blog that the movie, a rags-to-riches tale which was shot in Mumbai, India, projected his home country as a "third world dirty underbelly."
But Bachchan has denied writing the comment - claiming he posted negative and positive opinions from other people about the film in order to generate a debate.
The star writes on his blog, "What a colossal joke this is all turning out to be! Without reading the text of my blog or the purpose behind mention of 'SlumDog' an entire machinery of abuse has been directed towards me.
"Fact is - someone mentioned the film on my blog. Some expressed opinion for it, some against. And yes, they contained some strong assumptions. I merely put both of them up and invited debate."
Directed by Brit Danny Boyle and based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarip's book, Slumdog Millionaire has been a huge hit - it picked up four Golden Globe awards on Sunday (11Jan09), is nominated for 11 gongs at the upcoming British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTAs) and is a favourite to win at the Oscars next month (Feb09).