Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao almost pulled off a coup by enlisting the support of Amitabh Bachchan in promoting the interests of the newly formed State of Telangana when the latter called on him on Saturday afternoon.
Impressed by the Chief Minister, the Big B was stated to have offered his services in promoting Telangana, sources said.
Amitabh Bachchan’s meeting with Mr. Rao itself was an unexpected event during his visit to the city to receive the Akkineni Nageswara Rao award for his dedication to cinema. The icon of Bollywood drove to Mr. Rao’s camp office where he spent nearly 40 minutes chitchatting with everyone on the premises and posing for pictures. The star was apparently floored when the Chief Minister told him that he would watch the old movies of Bachchan for relief whenever he was stressed out. He told the actor that he watched ‘Abhimaan’ and ‘Muqaddar ka Sikandar’ 40 to 50 times. “I am your fan and I have watched almost all your movies”.
An overwhelmed Bachchan, then offered his services. “After I became the brand ambassador for Gujarat, the State earned good reputation globally. You can also use my services to promote Telangana,” he remarked.
KCR offered to get the foundation stone for the film city proposed by the State government on Rachakonda hills in Nalgonda laid at the hands of Big B. He said he would personally go to Mumbai to invite Bachchan but the latter declined as he insisted a message was enough. “I will be more than happy to associate myself with the function.”
Mr. Rao explained to Bachchan the struggle for separate Telangana, its cultural heritage and his vision for the State. He also gave the star a video presentation of roads and flyovers in Hyderabad. He spoke about the cosmopolitan culture of the city and its “Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb” besides the famed biryani. Bachchan expressed his ignorance about the cultural value of Telangana.
The Chief Minister introduced to the actor his family members, Bhongir MP B. Narsaiah Goud and legislators Prashant Reddy and Jeevan Reddy. The MP told him that he had a sentiment of watching his movies on every December 31 night.
