Amitabh Bachchan Criticises Media for Misrepresenting His Religious Chant, Accuses It of Using the Matter for Publicity

Veteran Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has expressed strong displeasure with sections of the media for allegedly distorting the meaning of his devotional chant, "Hathi Ghoda Palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki", and presenting it as a challenge directed at his critics and opponents. Taking to social media platform X, the megastar objected to a media report that interpreted his religious expression as a warning to those opposing him. The report reportedly suggested that Bachchan was challenging his critics to bring their elephants and horses, indicating that he was prepared for a confrontation.

Clarifying the context behind his words, the actor explained that the phrase was a traditional devotional invocation dedicated to Lord Krishna and had nothing to do with threatening or challenging anyone. In his post, Bachchan accused certain media outlets of disregarding the religious significance of the chant and twisting its meaning to create sensational headlines for publicity.

He questioned how a devotional expression celebrating Lord Krishna could be presented as an aggressive statement against his opponents. Describing the interpretation as disrespectful to religious sentiments, he said the media had altered the meaning of his words and portrayed them in an entirely different context. The veteran actor also raised questions about the responsibility of the press, referring to the media's position as the fourth pillar of democracy. He criticised what he described as the declining standards of reporting and the lack of accountability among certain media organisations.

Taking his criticism further, Bachchan referred to his extensive social media following of approximately 50 million people. He remarked that a significant section of his followers was prepared to respond if given a signal, adding that continued misrepresentation of his statements would only increase their willingness to speak out. He also expressed disbelief over the headlines published about his earlier remarks, arguing that they reflected a disregard for faith and an attempt to manufacture controversy.

Bachchan further questioned why media organisations appeared reluctant to acknowledge their mistakes. He pointed out that when ordinary individuals make errors, they are expected to apologise and correct them, but the same standard of accountability did not appear to apply to sections of the media.

The actor concluded his post by saying that he had initially considered expressing his feelings as someone hurt by the coverage. However, he decided against describing himself as a victim, maintaining that his personal pain was his own and did not need to be shared with those who had misrepresented his words.

The latest controversy follows an earlier blog post by Bachchan that also attracted considerable media attention. The actor appeared to respond to remarks about media coverage of him, saying that he was not concerned if certain publications stopped writing about him. He added that his own platform had become a space where he could communicate directly with his audience. Using a familiar Hindi expression, he wrote, "Tum ek karoge, hum 100 karenge," suggesting that if others took one step, he and his followers could respond with a hundred.

Towards the end of the blog, Bachchan used the phrase, "Jao! Le aao apne haathi ghode... Hum bhi le aayenge! Haathi ghoda palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki!" While the expression was subsequently interpreted by some media outlets as a challenge to his opponents, Bachchan has now clarified that the reference was rooted in his devotion to Lord Krishna. His latest remarks underline his frustration with what he considers misleading headlines, selective interpretation and the absence of accountability in sections of the media. The actor has made it clear that religious expressions should not be taken out of context and turned into sensational news narratives.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.