Bad judgement, arrogance or twilight years – what ails the star who re-defined Bollywood cinema as it is today? Jackass is not a word one normally associates with Amitabh Bachchan. But this innocuous noun is the latest peeve in a list of peeves Mr Bachchan has had for some time now.  So in the Masand vs Bachchan brouhaha, Bachchan missed out the crass gimmickry of Akshay Kumar posing with the seriously ill R K Laxman at Breach Candy hospital. The usually erudite star didn’t question who came up with this ill-timed stunt? Who allowed Akshay Kumar to preen in a hospital? Oh wait…isn’t there some mega crores riding on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s back this year? Some of those depend on Akshay Kumar, her next co-star in Action Replayy.

So why has Amitabh Bachchan metamorphosed to Albert Pinto and imbibed the trademark gussa?  When he’s not playing cop on Twitter, Bachchan Senior takes time out to take pot-shots at the media on his blog. I am losing count at the number of petulant outbursts ‘rebutting’ yet another ‘biased’ media story. Honestly, why does Bachchan think he is always at the receiving end of media prejudice?

Amitabh Bachchan’s peevishness at the media didn’t really begin with his clashes over the Bachchan family’s reported superstitions at the time of Abhishek’s wedding. Or at the time of his 6-page letter trashing Jug Suraiya’s column in The Times of India for questioning Bachchan’s comments on Slumdog Millionaire. It’s always been there, as far back as the 80s.

Read Jug Suraiya’s column here.

The 15-year Stardust ban on Bachchan.

What began in the 80s carries on. So woe betide anyone questioning why the Bachchan family zips around in SUVs while expressing concern over the environment. Or were those endorsements? Paid spots? Amitabh Bachchan will rake up Dr Manmohan Singh, Ratan Tata, the Ambanis and anyone else with a gas guzzler in their vicinity.

Did Aishwarya Rai marry a peepul tree in Varanasi, a banana tree in a Bangalore temple and a god’s idol in Ayodhya, before she married Abhishek Bachchan? Is Amitabh Bachchan pressuring the couple to have a child?  Who knows? None of us can claim to be privy to information within the four walls of the Bachchan home or wherever they hold their family conferences.

Who cares? That’s just the point – several million.  Amitabh Bachchan has had a huge influence on the cultural zeitgeist. He’s been a superstar for a lifetime. Surely that’s enough time to know the objectification that goes with it. Stars are put on a pedestal and routinely brought down so for the general public, larger-than-life figures have a more vulnerable face as well. These aren’t lessons Amitabh Bachchan needs to learn or pointed too. He’s no novice.

Unless, the pressure is telling on Amitabh Bachchan. When Aishwarya Rai, joined the family, the valuation of Brand Bachchan was estimated to be at Rs 700 crore. Amitabh Bachchan endorses a multitude of products. So does Aishwarya. With the recession hitting full on, the endorsement space is shrinking. Towards the end of 2008, Cadbury dropped Amitabh Bachchan from its commercials. At a reported Rs 3-4 crore per ad, Amitabh Bachchan does not rule the roost anymore. Box office duds and controversial political rows and cronies have cost him.

So here comes frustration point 2. There is no one to pass the baton to. In the age of instant gratification and youth driving consumerism, Aishwarya Bachchan has younger actresses sniping at her heals. At 36, she may be touted as India’s crossover queen but others like Frieda Pinto and Mallika Sherawat are pretty darn close.

Ash with Eva Longoria on the Cannes Red Carpet this year, for L’Oreal – would Sonam look better?

Abhishek Bachchan is nothing to write home about – in films or Bollywood. In February this year, LG picked Akshay Kumar as its new face. Apparently Abhishek wanted Aishwarya to be part of the campaign as well, which didn’t fly with the bosses at LG. Now why would he do that?  If he thinks they look better together, I am not disputing that. But for the record, MS Dhoni has a good-looking wife too. They look great together and she loves the camera – unabashedly. Besides, there’s something very real about the Dhonis – not icy and artificial.

Mrs Dhoni preens for the camera.

Whatever the pressures on the Bachchan family -Brand Bachchan losing sheen, health issues, flop films, rivalry, envy (India’s biggest star did not bring home the Oscar) bad friends and political choices – Amitabh Bachchan cannot get personal.