02 November,2026 01:58 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Amitabh Bachchan (Pic/AFP)
Amitabh Bachchan has hit back at sections of the media for allegedly misinterpreting his devotional chant, âHathi Ghoda Palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki', and portraying it as a challenge to his opponents. Calling the coverage disrespectful to religious sentiments, the veteran actor questioned media accountability. His remarks come days after he greeted fans from behind bulletproof glass amid security concerns.
In his post on social media, Big B expressed displeasure over a media report that interpreted his devotional chant as a message directed at his opponents, with the headline suggesting that he had challenged them by saying, "Bring your elephants and horses."
"For Krishna Kanhaiya, in the form of prayer, he often chants - 'Hathi ghoda palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal ki.' And the media, by disrespecting it, prints it for their own publicity, 'Look, Amitabh is challenging his opponents, saying, 'Bring your elephants and horses' - we will fight with our weapons, we won't be afraid!' On one hand, it's a grave insult to a 'Jai Shri Krishna' invocation, and on the other, they're twisting the words to make it about challenging opponents," Big B wrote on X.
Calling the interpretation disrespectful to religious sentiments, the actor said the chant was an invocation dedicated to Lord Krishna and should not have been twisted to create a narrative about confrontation. "Listen up, media folks, with your ears wide open... There is a 50 million-strong follower base, media folks. The day I give the signal, just 10 per cent of them are ready and waiting to strike."
He also questioned the media's responsibility, referring to the press as the fourth pillar of democracy and criticising what he described as the conduct of sections of the media. "See that, folks - disrespecting faith, and absurd (Betuka) - absurd, nonsensical, or silly. Ridiculous (Hasyaspad) - ridiculous or laughable (invoking derision). Incongruous. These are the ones considered the country's 5th Column - and the 4 columns are revered in our traditions with honour and respect. It's called a fifth because they are honoured by the citizens, granted a status of respect in society! Honour? Nothing could be more laughable than this..." he added.
The actor also said that while people should acknowledge their mistakes and apologise when they go wrong, the same accountability appeared to be missing in the media's conduct. Concluding his post, Bachchan said he had initially intended to express his feelings as someone hurt by the coverage but decided against doing so, stating that his pain was personal and not something he wished to share with the media.
The latest remarks come against the backdrop of his earlier blog, in which many media outlets reported that Big B appeared to respond to those threatening to stop writing about him. Towards the conclusion of that blog, he had used the expression "Jao! Le aao apne haathi ghode... Hum bhi le aayenge! Haathi ghoda palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki!" (Go ahead! Bring your elephants and horses... We will bring ours too! Hail Lord Krishna!). However, his statement was misquoted by a news portal.
This also comes after the actor stepped out of his residence to greet cheering fans this Sunday, but behind bulletproof glass. The extra layer of protection followed an October 23 email sent to Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde threatening bomb blasts at Bachchan's residence.
