Keeping up with trends, tackling trolls: Times when Amitabh Bachchan’s social media game was on point

Amitabh Bachchan is one of the most popular stars on social media. Managing a regularly updated Instagram and Twitter handle alongside a personal blog, the senior actor likes to keep a count of his post and interacts with fans without any inhibitions. As he turns a year older today, let’s take a look at the times when the BigB was more social media savvy than your Gen Z neighbour...

From sharing wishes on special occasions to talking about ongoing trends or even celebrating India’s victory on the cricket field, the Shahenshah of Bollywood is always among the first from B-Town to react on Twitter. Needless to say, his posts and pictures go viral in no time.

After recovering from Covid-19 last year, Amitabh encountered a netizen who wrote, “'I hope you die with Covid'. Responding to the ‘anonymous’ user, he kept his calm and shared, “If by God's grace I live and survive you shall have to be 'weathering' the 'swipe' storm, not just from me, but on a very conservative level, from 90+ million followers. I have yet to tell them to... but if I survive I shall... and let me tell you they are a force incensed... they traverse the entire World... from the West to the East from the North to the South ... and they are not just the Ef of this page... that extended family shall in the flash of an eye become 'extermination family'!! All I shall say to them is... 'thok do s**le ko'."

BigB once shared, “It’s not the strongest who survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. ” ~ Ef k.”. To this, one user pointed out that it was plagiarised and commented, “Very strange and sad to note that you have now resorted to plagiarism. This is a quote by Charles Darwin at least you could have mentioned the same after the quote….. very sad and shameful.” Soon after this, Bachchan clarified, “If you would care to notice the post, it is written within quotes(“), which indicated that it is not mine .. also please note that after the quote is over and (”) indicator is closed, there is a ~ Ef k written .. when this indication is given it shows where the quote came from. I was going to use your own language and add ‘shameful’, but my ethics do not permit me to.”

While Big B is adorable with his fans, he also doesn't shy away from schooling online trolls when the situation warrants it. Once a social media user wrote to him, “How about donating your extra wealth to the needy and poor? I am sure your wallet will be filled with immense love and blessings! Lead by example. Instruction is good but example is worth more!” Hitting back, Amitabh shared details of the help he had extended to farmers by arranging flights, food, and footwear for migrant workers and donating PPE kits, masks to the frontline workers, among his other charitable acts for the needy. “I weep as I put this out .. because somewhere today this lady has destroyed my belief and stand that I shall NOT talk of my charity” he added.