Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan’s vehement rejection of all birthday celebrations this year has a reason. And here it is for the first and last time. A member of the Bachchan parivar spills the beans: “Aaradhya lost her Nana ji this year. Aaradhya’s mother Aishwarya Rai Bachchan nonetheless went ahead and planned a 75th birthday party for the patriarch of the house. When Mr Bachchan got wind of it he immediately put an end to the plans without telling Aishwarya or anyone why he wanted the birthday celebrations annulled this year. Even now he has not really told anyone it’s because of his Samdhi ji’s demise that Mr Bachchan has cancelled all birthday celebrations. Jaya Bachchan just accepted Mr B’s request and asked the family to stop planning a party and think of a vacation outside Mumbai for the birthday.”

So how did the family get to know the real reason for Mr Bachchan’s repudiation of birthday celebrations? “The family heard him patiently explain to little Aaradhya when she asked him why there would be no party of Dadaji’s birthday. It is then that Mr B told his little grand-daughter the real reason for no celebration,” says the source.

The family took off for a vacation on the eve of Mr Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday. Explains a member of the Bachchan parivar, “If we stayed back, there would be a hundred pressures from friends, fans and well-wishers for cake-cutting and hand-shaking. Amit ji doesn’t know how to say no to those who request for his attention. It was best to simply fly away.”