CASE OF FRAUD REGISTERED AGAINST AMITABH, AMAR SINGH

The two friends charged of Rs.500 crore scam. Amitabh Bachchan and Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh have been accused of association in an Rs.500 crore money laundering scam, according to a complaint lodged with Kanpur police.

Lodged by local businessman Shivkant Tripathi late on Thursday (Oct 15), the first information report has charged the two renowned faces, who are close friends, of being involved in a major fraud through money laundering.

"The complainant has accused Amar Singh of floating half a dozen companies in which 43 companies were merged supposedly with the intent of siphoning off tonnes of black money," Uttar Pradesh's additional director general of police Brij Lal told reporters in Lucknow on Friday (Oct 16).

"Amitabh Bachchan figures among the key stake holders in most of the companies, while Amar Singh's wife Pankaja Singh is shown as a partner," he said.

According to Lal, "The companies, mostly registered in Kolkata, were identified as Eastern India Chemicals Pvt Ltd, Sarvottam Pvt Ltd, Pankaja Art and Credit Pvt Ltd, EDCL Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, EDCL Powers Ltd and Energy Development Company."

Cases were registered under the Money Laundering Act as well as Prevention of Corruption Act.

"The provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act could be invoked in view of Amar Singh's then appointment as chairman of the UP Development Council," the official said.

While complainant Tripathi could not be contacted, cops were not sure how they would proceed with the case.

"A case of fraud has been registered with the Babupurwa police station and only after beginning investigations are done will we be in a position to positively comment on the actual extent of the alleged fraud," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav termed the FIR filed against party general secretary Amar Singh and Amitabh Bachchan as a "conspiracy", and said he sensed that Chief Minister Mayawati had a "hand in it".

"Such a frivolous case against such prominent people could not have been lodged without the connivance of the government and I have reason to believe that the chief minister too has a hand in it," Mulayam told a press conference in Lucknow on Oct 16.

Terming the FIR registered under the provisions of the Money Laundering Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act, as a "conspiracy", he said: "There can be no doubt that the whole thing is politically motivated."

"Earlier also Mayawati has played dirty against persons associated with the Samajwadi Party, but ultimately she failed in her design."

And virtually throwing the gauntlet at the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, the Samajwadi Party chief said: "I challenge these petty conspirators to try whatever they can, but they will not be able to cause the least harm to Amitabh Bachchan or to Amar Singh, whose stature is far too tall to get affected by such acts."

Mulayam Singh also sought to urge the prime minister to intervene and initiate "appropriate punitive action against all those responsible for hatching this conspiracy."

Recalling how the BSP leadership had earlier tried to hound him, he said: "Mayawati got as many as 149 cases lodged against me in one of her earlier stints as chief minister, but not one could pass the judicial scrutiny, which clearly reflects the political motivations behind such moves."

Meanwhile, sticking to his guns, Shivkant Tripathi, the man who filed the police complaint against Amar Singh and Amitabh Bachchan for allegedly laundering illegal money, ruled out any political hand behind the move.

"I am a social activist and chose to take up this issue because it involves a major fraud by people who are icons and political bigwigs," he told mediapersons in Lucknow.

He said: "If I have lodged the case, it was not without supporting evidence which runs into more than 1,700 pages of documents, that also depict the stakes Amitabh Bachchan has in the whole affair."

Maintaining that Amar Singh had juggled with balance sheets to siphon away lots of black money, Tripathi said: "If Amar Singh's political mentors were so confident that no fraud had been committed, then why were they so opposed to an open investigation?"

AMITABH BACHCHAN TURNS 67: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG B

He’ll be walking the ramp at Couture Week

Amitabh Bachchan has never been busier. The Bollywood megastar, who turns 67 on Oct 11, has three films lined up for release, is hosting a popular television reality show, is to walk the ramp for a top fashion event - and has no plans to retire in the near future.

He says he'll be happy to follow in the way of legendary actor Ashok Kumar, who played strong roles even at the age of 80.

"I would disagree that actors of my age don't get important roles to play in movies. Look at Dada Muni (Ashok Kumar)...he was an example. He kept doing significant roles even till he was 80 years old," Amitabh told IANS.

"I can't be playing the lover boy anymore. So I do all those roles that suit a 67-year-old," said the film icon who has finished four decades in the Indian film industry.

At his age, Amitabh is one of the busiest actors in tinsel town. The megastar says he had finished shooting for his forthcoming films "Aladin", "Teen Patti" and "Paa" before heading to Singapore for three months.

He is now preparing to sign more projects.

"I was away with a friend of mine (Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh) who had a medical condition and I was out of the country for three months. Since I knew I wanted to be with him and that it would take some period of time for him to heal, I deliberately finished all my pending work by June," Amitabh said.

In all his forthcoming projects, Amitabh will be seen in different avatars.

In "Aladin", he will sport overgrown locks for the role of a contemporary genie, "Paa" will see him playing a child suffering from progeria, which causes premature ageing, and "Teen Patti" features him as a mathematics genius.

While "Aladin" will hit screens on Oct 30, "Paa" will release on Dec 4 and "Teen Patti", which also stars Hollywood legend Ben Kingsley, will open to audiences on Feb 12 next year.

Till then, Amitabh is making his presence felt on the small screen after three years as the host of Colors' reality show "Bigg Boss", which has celebrities staying inside a specially designed house under constant camera surveillance and no contact with the outside world.

"'Bigg Boss' was the first thing I took up (after returning from Singapore). There are many people who want to make a film with me fortunately, so I will now talk to them," he said.

The actor is also fairing well in the ad world as he emerged among the top five Indian celebrity brand endorsers in a recently conducted survey.

And he is also set to scorch the fashion runway at the HDIL India Couture Week on his birthday. He will display a creation by his favourite designer duo Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla.

AMITABH GETS 1,207 SMSES ON BIRTHDAY

He thanks fans who waited outside his residence.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan received about 1,207 SMSes on his 67th birthday from fans, family and relatives. He says that the cascade of messages jammed his cellphone.

"I feel blessed to have so much love and affection from others. It is the greatest debt that I shall carry to my grave and one that I shall never be able to pay back... Family and friends called me and 1207 SMSes jammed the mobile," Amitabh posted on his blog on Sunday (Oct 11) night.

Big B, as he is fondly called, also had hordes of fans waiting outside his residence to greet him on the occasion.

"It was rough from the early hours of the morning - meeting and receiving the love and affection of the hundreds that were at the gates. Moving out and driving in to our own houses was a mini riot. But the faces that slammed against the walls of the car (windows) were happy ones, animated ones and ones that merely wanted to express love," he posted.

Amitabh also apologised to those "who came with wishes; that came with a desire to meet and greet, that had through great pain and perseverance kept vigil and then lost out on an occasion to wish me."

"To the hundreds that thronged the three locations Prateeksha, Jalsa and Janak and bore the pushing and shoving of the police and the security, to them I give my gratitude and thanks for taking the trouble to show their love and adore," he added.

NO TAKERS FOR ‘KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI’?

Big B and Shah Rukh have refused to host the show.

It had altered Amitabh Bachchan’s life forever, but today the show has no takers. Yes, we are talking about “Kaun Banega Crorepati”.

The show gave a new let out of life to Big B’s career numerous years ago. It had marked his enormously successful comeback after a major slump in his career. Bachchan’s fame only soared thereafter.

Today, it’s the show which needs rescuing.

It seems that, producer Siddharth Basu is running from door to door to find some takers as he readies for the fourth season of the game show. Both Shah Rukh Khan and Big B have frankly refused to host the show. Even leading channels like Sony, Star, Zee and Colors have said that they have enough on their hands and are not ready to air the show.

Will this mark an end to KBC, which was at one point of time the biggest attraction on Star Plus?

The relationship between KBC and Bachchan soured when Big B left the show due to some illness. He could not shoot the remaining episodes and later SRK was roped in. Though, Bachchan settled the matter, he actually made up his mind never to work on this show again.