Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on 2 November 2026 lashed out at sections of the media, accusing them of wilfully misquoting a devotional chant from his social media post and twisting it into a political statement. The veteran actor, who holds a weekly tradition of meeting fans outside his Mumbai residence Jalsa every Sunday, used his blog and his X account to vent his frustration in a lengthy Hindi-language post.

What Bachchan Actually Wrote

At the centre of the controversy is the invocation 'Hathi ghoda palki, Jai Kanhaiya Lal ki' — a common devotional chant addressed to Lord Krishna. Bachchan clarified that he had used it as a prayer, not as a challenge to any opponent. He alleged that certain media outlets had instead printed headlines suggesting he was goading rivals with a battle cry about elephants and horses.

In his X post, Bachchan wrote — translated from Hindi — 'On one hand, it's a grave insult to a Jai Shri Krishna invocation, and on the other, they're twisting the words to make it about challenging opponents.' He referenced a specific headline that read: 'Amitabh Bachchan takes a dig at opponents' threats, vents frustration with cryptic post — Go, bring your elephants and horses.'

The '50 Million Followers' Warning

Bachchan issued a pointed message to what he called 'media folks', noting that his follower base stands at 50 million and that even 10 per cent of them — roughly 5 million people — are 'ready and waiting to strike' if he gives the signal. He framed this not as a direct threat but as a statement of scale, warning that the media's capacity to distort would be dwarfed by his supporters' capacity to respond in kind.

He further wrote that his fanbase — which he refers to as 'Ef' — has a capacity '100 times greater' to counter media narratives the moment they choose to speak up. The remarks have nonetheless drawn attention given their tone.

Fifth Column Jibe and Accountability Question

Bachchan went further, labelling the sections of media he criticised as the country's '5th Column' — a term historically used to describe those who undermine a society from within. He contrasted this with what he described as the four traditional pillars of society that command honour and respect. He questioned why the same accountability standards that apply to others do not appear to apply to the press, adding that he himself immediately apologises when he makes a mistake.

He concluded his post on a more personal note, writing that his pain was his own and not something he wished to share, signing off with a 'Good night, my dear Ef.'

The Fan Meet and the Glass Cabin Context

The post comes in the context of Bachchan's most recent Sunday fan-meet at Jalsa, where he greeted hundreds of admirers from a specially designated glass enclosure — an arrangement reportedly adopted as a protective measure. The weekly meet is a decades-long tradition that draws large crowds to his Juhu residence. It was reportedly this post-meet interaction, and Bachchan's subsequent social media writing about it, that some media outlets chose to frame as confrontational.

Bachchan's outburst underscores a recurring tension between Bollywood's biggest names and the entertainment press — and the actor shows no sign of letting this particular episode pass quietly.