Big B to narrate valour of Jallianwala martyrs

“We were in touch with Bachchan for the last over six months,and finally succeeded to get his consent for the show. The magnitude of the show and its inherent spirit forced us to have his voice,which has been ruling the hearts of the people of the country for four decades now,” said an elated Amritsar DC K S Pannu.

He said Jallianwala Bagh has a special place in the freedom movement. It salutes the patriotism of thousands of Sikhs,Hindus and Muslims,who were martyred while protesting in a non-violent manner. “We are organising various functions to mark the 90th anniversary of the 1919 massacre,and the bagh is being renovated too. The light and sound programme is part of the plan,” said Pannu,adding that he wrote letters to Bachchan and the superstar gave his nod during his last visit to the city.

“We also considered using Om Puri’s voice,and then even contemplated approaching the PM to intervene to get Bachchan to agree,but he gave the nod himself,conveying to us that he was touched by the spirit of the idea behind the show,” Pannu added. The Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Trust is headed by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

“The voice of Bachchan will definitely add intensity to the portrayal of the 1919 tragedy,” said SK Mukherjee,secretary of the Trust.

IDSPL CEO and president Mukesh Bhargava said,“Bachchan will be the narrator of the show and we will soon start recording of his voice in Mumbai or at any place convenient to him. He has told us that he would be ready to provide sufficient time for the noble cause.”

The show would be a daily routine. First the Hindi version will be launched,closely followed by the English one,he added. He said the scripting and scratch recording of the project is in the last stage,and it would be launched on Baisakhi Day,before March next year.