Day after lambasting ‘Raavan’, Amitabh cosies up to Mani Ratnam

One is a legend on-screen, the other is one off it. And both are at loggerheads in the public eye, though not directly. Amitabh Bachchan and ace director Mani Ratnam seem to be having major differences over the way the latter’s latest film ‘Raavan’ has turned out, but the verbal duel is one-sided. Amitabh had lamented that editing glitches ruined his son`s performance on Twitter.

Spicezee Bureau

New Delhi: One is a legend on-screen, the other is one off it. And both are at loggerheads in the public eye, though not directly. Amitabh Bachchan and ace director Mani Ratnam seem to be having major differences over the way the latter’s latest film ‘Raavan’ has turned out, but the verbal duel is one-sided. Three days after the release of his son Abhishek Bachchan starrer, Amitabh had lamented that editing glitches ruined his son`s performance. Bachchan had tweeted that "sad" editing ruined Abhishek`s role, but the film`s other star, Vikram and cinematographer Santosh Sivan have spoken out against Big B`s comments. "Lot of merited film edited out, causing inconsistent performance and narrative. Abhishek`s erratic behavior was due to symbolic 10 heads visually appearing and each giving him different attitudes to adopt for a situation, he would then finally shake them off and decide. ".. It`s sad, in the edit you only see the after effect of that thinking process, hence inconsistent. In the edit all the visual heads got cut and you see a confused Beera expression and wonder why?(sic)," tweeted Bachchan. The much hyped film starring Aishwarya Rai opposite junior Bachchan opened to mixed reviews and Abhishek`s turn as Beera, the volatile anti-hero, was panned by many critics. But on Sunday, the Big B was all praises for Mani, again on Twitter. “The director is master of ship, he knows what he wants. Abhishek shares comfort level with him and Mani keeps testing him!” he said. Amitabh didn’t stop there. “Mani is one of our finest directors .. he should never stop making films …” he tweeted in response to a fan’s question on the micro-blogging website. Earlier, Amitabh’s criticism had come under respectful yet regretful scan of the others who are a part of the film. Cinematographer Santosh Sivan, who has received universal praise for his camera work in the film said that the director`s prerogative cannot be questioned by anyone. "I personally think everyone has a right to their own opinion. At the end of the day, it`s the director`s call. It`s a different view point he has taken on `Raavanan` which is a huge hit in the South," said Sivan. Vikram who interestingly received good reviews for his turn as Veeraiyya in `Raavanan`, the same character as Abhishek`s in the Hindi version, said that it was the audience who was the ultimate judge of a film and nobody else. "I respect Mr Bachchan and I respect Mani sir. It`s not something I can comment about as it`s between Mani Sir and him though..(To the audience) You can hear a hundred things, some say its good, some say its bad. You are the ones who decide," said Vikram. Bachchan who tweeted for a second time during the day accused the media for misinterpreting his statement as an affront to director Mani Ratnam. "There has and shall always be respect and dignity for him (Mani Ratnam).. media playing with words. (sic)," tweeted the veteran actor. The 54-year-old director, who made films like `Roja`, `Dil Se`, `Bombay` and `Guru`, which garnered both critical acclaim and box office success, has previously given Abhishek hits like `Yuva` and `Guru`. One wonders why the stalwart didn’t convey his opinion directly to Mani, hence avoiding the public spectacle that his comment created. For now, what happens on twitter stays on twitter we guess! -PTI inputs Mani is one of our finest directors .. he should never stop making films. -Amitabh Bachchan