Why Amitabh Bachchan said goodbye to politics

Mumbai: A young student’s request 24 years ago lead superstar Amitabh Bachchan to decide leave politics and decide that he would never split his fans.

In his latest blog, Bachchan writes about the incident in Assam while he was campaigning for the Congress. "My exit from politics is ruled and governed by that incident and it is the reason why I shall never ever go in that domain again. I would be unfaithful to myself and to my greatest asset: my well-wishers, my fans," he wrote.

"During my electioneering in Allahabad in 1984, there were political splits in families. The women were voting for me, the men for my opponent. But a factor that weighed heavily during my short stint in politics and perhaps became the decider in my decision to withdraw was an incident that occurred in Assam.

"For the Assembly elections in Assam I was sent to campaign for the party (Congress). An error of judgment forced my helicopter to land at the wrong destination. It belonged to the opposition.

"There was instant physical reaction and the pilot advised we make a hurried exit. As I sat back in the plane, a young student broke the cordon, ran up to me, thrust his fist through the glass window and handed me a piece of paper," he wrote.

The student had written on the piece of paper: "Mr Bachchan, I am a big fan of yours, but I am with the Opposition party. Please leave this state, you are making life very difficult for me for I am torn between two desires."

According to Bachchan, it was an emotional plea and he was forced to think over it many times. He said for 25 years, he had tried to woo his audience to love him as an actor.

"And once I had accomplished that I was now telling them to love my politics as well. I was wrong. I was dividing my audience, my fans. I was asking them to sever a leg from their body and donate it to my party. I could never do that. It was distressing for me and still is.

"I will not mind losing my domain through indifferent work or sub-standard performance, but never through force of will," he says in the blog.