Amitabh Bachchan recalls ‘third rate actor’ jibe amid U19 World Cup win
Amitabh Bachchan reflected on a foreign journalist’s comment that he was a ‘third rate actor from a third world country’. He shared the experience while celebrating India’s sixth U19 World Cup win.
Amitabh Bachchan recently recounted a personal experience involving a foreign journalist’s comment while celebrating India’s victory in the U19 Cricket World Cup. Although he was not bothered by personal criticism, he was deeply disappointed by the negative reference to India as a “third world country”.
In his personal blog, Bachchan described attending a film festival in an unknown country, where he received unexpected enthusiasm from local fans.
The 83-year-old wrote, “I was invited to a film festival in a country (will not reveal the name) and I accepted to go there. On the plane I saw their newspaper, which had a picture of one of my films. Not understanding the language, I asked the air hostess what was written. She said it was a poster of an Indian film and the newspaper said that its actors were coming to the country.”
Crowd reaction and police intervention
Upon arrival, the actor found himself surrounded by a crowd of fans. The crowd grew so much that officials had to intervene for their safety.
“Surprised to know how this foreign country could be so influenced by our films, upon landing I found out why. People started gathering, getting from the plane to the immigration desk was a problem, but crowds gathered around, making it difficult for me to even walk. The situation became so chaotic that the police came, picked me out of the crowd, took me out of the airport, put me in a car and drove me to my hotel. For the first time in my entire life, my immigration was at a hotel. Was done inside (sic),” Bachchan recalled.
Foreign journalist’s comment
Despite the warm welcome, Bachchan faced criticism from a senior local journalist who questioned the attention he was receiving. The journalist published a headline that directly referenced Bachchan’s status and origins: “Why is this third-rate actor from a third-world country getting so much attention?..!” Bachchan wrote.
personal response
“The point of the third rate actor was true and I accepted it… But it was sad to call India the third world, which is why the above… which I am repeating here for convenience. U19 cricket India.. world champion! (defeat the enemy) (sic)!!” He said, linking his experience to the pride derived from the cricket team’s victory.
The actor’s reflection came after India won the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final. The Indian team defeated England by 100 runs at Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe.