Mamata says Amitabh Bachchan should be awarded Bharat Ratna

The chief minister says ‘we will raise this demand from Bengal although not officially’.

Written by Atri Mitra

Kolkata | Updated: December 16, 2022 03:52 AM IST

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan inaugurates the at the 24th Kolkata International Film Festival by lighting lamps as Mamata Banerjee, Shah Rukh Khan, Shatrughan Sinha and Mahesh Bhatt attend in Kolkata, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (AP Photo)

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Amitabh Bachchan should be awarded the Bharat Ratna, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival, which the Bollywood actor inaugurated on Thursday.

“I think a demand should be raised from Bengal that Amitabhji be awarded the Bharat Ratna,” Banerjee said. “Although not officially, we will raise this demand from Bengal. The Bharat Ratna should be given to Amitabh Bachchanji. He has been working in Indian cinema for a long time.”

Actors Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee, cricketer Sourav Ganguly, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, singers Kumar Sanu and Arijit Singh and actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha were also among those present on the occasion.

Khan gave his speech in Bengali and said that it was written by Mukherjee.

Bachchan thanked Kolkata for his first job and also for Jaya Bachchan’s first film, Mahanagar.

During her speech, the actress told the chief minister, “You know, whenever you want, I am there for you.”

The actress campaigned for the ruling Trinamool Congress and Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly elections.

Atri Mitra

Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More

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Amitabh Bachchan Mamata Banerjee

Mamata says Amitabh Bachchan should be awarded Bharat Ratna

The chief minister says ‘we will raise this demand from Bengal although not officially’.

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