No.

You are saying this completely media-generated, then?

I think so, absolutely. They have been trying it for a long time, and finally they have had some sort of success. So my congratulations.

But as far as I am concerned, and I am sure Mr Bachchan is concerned, we have no issues at all. I think I have said this before, we are quite educated, cultured, graceful, doing well in our lives and professions kind of people. We worked together in a huge amount of successful films, and some really nice, enjoyable work together, as recently as KANK. You know, it's very strange, it does get a little embarrassing more than anything else.

It's an old complaint, and it seems out of context now. I had seen Mr Bachchan doing an interview on Times NOW with Arnab Goswami (Editor-in-chief), who is quite ill-at-ease with actors and doesn't really know his job when it comes to actors. He quoted me having quoted a Ghalib sher, and I have never quoted a Ghalib sher. He said I had said he (Bachchan) is not hot and sexy or something, which I hadn't. They asked me in the music video do you like yourself, and I said yeah, I am hot, sexy, cool, wonderful and handsome, and there's no confusion about that. Which has got nothing to do with Mr Bachchan, but they tell the poor man he said this, but he is obviously not going to say he's right.

People keep on harping about TRPs going down, but I notice all the news channels using just my name to get their TRPs up. It's really strange. Things go down only if they are up. I see every news channel is putting this little running down including respected ones like Aaj Tak and India Today kind of groups, who you assume are different from tabloids.

You know, entertainment has become part of news, and news has become part of entertainment now. You have this ticker tape running below which keeps saying Shah Rukh says I am young! Then the same channel is saying my TRPs are going down but yours is going up because of the ticker. So respect that if nothing else, and get your facts right.

The last four days the only talk, even a call from India Today was your TRP is going down. But they were up and they will obviously go down, it's normal for things to go up and come down, but just one day's TRP you decide and. It's a little strange because it's boring to say Shah Rukh is in Madame Tussaud's, Shah Rukh's last film is a big hit, and Shah Rukh is doing KBC, making lots of money, and Shah Rukh is a big star. That's no longer news.

I understand this, though I wouldn't lie and say it doesn't affect you, it bothers you, it hurts you, but you know, you are trying to entertain people, and here comes a medium which starts pulling down things just for the few extra eyeballs.

When was the last you met the Bachchans?

(long pause)

You and Mr Bachchan? Or you and Mrs Bachchan?

We meet normally together. Abhishek I have met recently also before he went to Bikaner and all. We meet often at home, the younger ones, Abhishek and all. Mr Bachchan I must have met last, in Toronto. In Toronto, and once again we met at a party at a launch.