INSTEP Magzine

It's one camp vs the other in Bollywood. While the Khans - Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir - gave the IIFA's a miss this year, the Bachchans and their followers were out in full glory. People think the award ceremony has become a Bachchan family promotion vehicle thus the bone of contention. By Shahrezad Samiuddin

First the wedding and now the IIFAs. While the Bachchans 'missed' the Khans (Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir) when putting together the controversial guest list for the first, the Khans made sure they 'had other plans' for the three days of Bachchan-patronised IIFA awards in Bangkok. Saif was the only prominent Khan who attended, and that too probably to keep an eye on Kareena Kapoor.

Devoted dad Shahrukh planned his family vacation during the IIFAs. Salman was too busy with his game show Dus Ka Dum. Aamir's excuse may have been the most juvenile but everyone knows that the man really doesn't do award shows. Yet with his absence he did manage to drive home the point, when his super duper hit production Taare Zameen Par became conspicuous by its absence from the IIFA nominations list. The man with an aversion to award shows had refused to submit his film for nomination. Fair enough, but in the end it was the IIFA that looked bad when other award shows managed to retain a semblance of fairness by nominating TZP, regardless of the producer/directors mercurial moods. More aspersions were cast when the nominee lists of the IIFAs, (which has Mr. Bachchan as its brand ambassador and is just too close to the family for comfort and neutrality's sake) featured Guru (beta and bahu Bachchan's film) in 10 out of 13 categories.

To top it, the IIFA became the platform to promote Sarkar Raj, another venture featuring the Bachchan baap-beta aur bahu trio. This added fuel to the widespread belief that it's a Bachchan show. The only way the IIFA managed to save face was when Shahrukh Khan's Chak De ran away with all the truly coveted awards and the Bachchan pariwar walked away empty-handed.

Perhaps the Bachchan neighbour, Shatrughan Sinha, ham king of the 1970s, wasn't really wrong when he said “Sab kissika beta hai, ya kissiki bahu, ya kissiki biwi,-- after hearing the nominations list for IIFA back in April. He preceded the comment with one of his characteristic quips: “IIFA stands for International Indian Family Awards. These are special family awards.-- In his trademark bluntness, Shatru articulated what most were feeling.

The senior Bachchan instantly hit back in his blog with 'I believe what is being insinuated is that there is partiality or some 'fixing' in the choice of the nominations carried by IIFA. And as the report concluded, the indication was towards one family, not difficult to guess which one.' He then got into more brickbat by citing the example of how Shatru's wife was instrumental in 'fixing' Raveena Tandons's nomination for a National Award.

The pettiness reached new heights when the Big B used his blog, for something more serious. This time he targeted Shahrukh Khan's new game show Kya Aap Panchvi Pass Se Tez Hain. “I am unable to understand its (KBC - Star Television's show Kaun Banega Crorepati, based on Who want to be a millionaire) falling interest as the graphs show despite the fact that they were presented by bigger and more popular stars, namely Shah Rukh. And now to see Panchvi Pass, or as one rival channel executive sniggered, Panchvi Fail, after its not too encouraging numbers, facing relative lower ratings is what I wish to debate on and would love to have inputs from readers. --

Not surprisingly, there was an uproar and the senior Bachchan had to apologise for his comments. What were you thinking Mr. Bachchan?

Bahu Aishwarya only exacerbates the problems facing the Bachchans (was the jyotshi who predicted problems for the Bachchans after her marriage to Abhishek, right!?). She has a history of putting off Bollywood's leading men. There's Salman - her ex - who doesn't work with her for obvious reasons (at last year's IIFA there was a retrospective on Salman, in which his films with Aishwarya were deliberately left out in deference to patron saint Bachchan sentiments). In fact the IIFA organizers just don't seem to be getting it right when it comes to Salman's colourful love life. This year sources have said that the 'real' reason, the Great Shirtless, has stayed away is because of the Katrina-Akshay jodi item. Shahrukh has been put off the Bachchan bahu since their Devdas days which just added firewood to the cold war between him and her in-laws. Aamir's been upset with her since she refused Lagaan.

The Bachchans are big. Yet they need to understand that they are not bigger than the Hindi film industry. And the Big B has admitted in his infamous blog that at the moment Shahrukh is bigger than him. Their situation calls for some serious soul searching. With a son who isn't as big as any of the Khans just yet and a bahu whose acting prowess lacks bite, amongst other things, what the Bachchans desperately need is a good PR job. Lackluster appearances on Oprah and Letterman, that didn't really shake up Hollywood directors, just won't do anymore. And surely future guest lists need to be more bighearted and the price tags for designer sun shades certainly need to be more real (would help if you picked up the tab yourself, Ash; was it really in good taste to charge your director for a pair of one million rupees shades?). The Bachchans should take a leaf out of the current reigning king, Shahrukh Khan's book and imbibe some humility, tempered with some diplomacy and the ability to stay quiet when others go on a rant. Only then will they seem truly worthy of the stature they believe the world owes them.