Amitabh Bachchan Dismisses Retirement Talk, Says 'Retire' Meant Going to Bed
Amitabh Bachchan has denied reports of retiring from acting and hosting, saying his blog's 'time to retire' referred only to going to sleep.
Actor Amitabh Bachchan has dismissed speculation that he plans to step away from acting and television hosting, clarifying that a phrase in an earlier blog post had been misconstrued.
The veteran star addressed the rumours in his latest blog entry, written after reports suggested he might be planning to retire. He explained that his earlier remark, "it's late, time to retire," was simply a reference to going to bed at a late hour.
Bachchan also responded to how that earlier post was read, sharing a newspaper clipping that carried a report about his supposed retirement.
Making his position clear, he wrote that he was not retiring from work, adding in Hindi that the English word in question meant he was going to sleep — and that no one was invited to join him there.
Bachchan is currently hosting the 18th season of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the quiz show he has been associated with since it first aired in 2000. He did not host the programme in 2007, when Shah Rukh Khan took over for a single season.
KBC began as the Indian adaptation of the British format Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? It marked Bachchan's first appearance on television and is widely credited with giving his career a fresh lease of life. Over the years, the show grew beyond a quiz format, becoming part of popular culture through contestants' personal stories and the host's trademark line, "lock kiya jaye."