Bachchan ready to face punishment

MUMBAI: Apologising for his wife's remarks that were deemed anti-Maharashtrian by some political parties, actor Amitabh Bachchan on Wednesday said he and his family members were willing to face any punishment if found guilty.
    
"I do not think we have said or done anything negative but we will leave it to the state," he told a news conference here.
    
"We will wait for the investigation report and I am prepared to go to jail if I have committed a crime. If after our apology the matter still persists it becomes a problem of law and order, it is for the administration to take care," the actor said.
    
"I have already apologised and expressed regret. The matter has now reached the state level," Bachchan said.
    
Deputy Home Minister R R Patil has said they will investigate what Jaya has said, he said.
    
The actor said he and his wife had already expressed regret for the comments and apologised for them.
    
Bachchan also said that he had no problem with MNS chief Raj Thackerary and termed as "friend" the leader who said his party would not allow the release of any films starring members of the Bachchan family for Jaya's alleged anti-Marathi remarks.
    
Asked if he would meet Raj, the actor said, "He has given me enough respect and I would like to give him the same respect."
    
Bachchan, whose film 'The Last Lear' releases on Friday, had expressed his apology on his blog as well today.

Bachchan also said he did not expect an apology from Raj for his comments against his wife.
    
"I expect nothing. We are a peace-loving family," he said.
    
The premier of "The Last Lear", scheduled at a suburban theatre on Wednesday, was cancelled following an attack by suspected MNS activists. The film's producers said the film would be released on Friday as planned.
    
Shiv Sena had also attacked Jaya's comments made at a function on September 6 where the actress-MP had said she was from Uttar Pradesh and should speak only in Hindi.
    
Asked if he would meet Shiv Sena party chief Bal Thackeray about the issue, Bachchan sai, "He is a father figure and I can meet him anytime."
    
Earlier, on his blog Bachchan had sought "forgiveness" for the comments made by Jaya and said he or his family members could never think of showing disrespect to the state and its people.
    
"Everything we possess today is what came to us from this great state and city. We never have and never can look at Maharashtra with disrespect. If inadvertently this is what has been construed, then we apologise and are sorry and seek forgiveness for any sentiments that have been hurt," he wrote.
    
Bachchan also lamented in television interviews that celebrities are being made soft targets.

In a veiled attack on Raj who has been targeting him as part of his 'anti-North Indian' tirade, Bachchan said: "Just because we remain quiet does not mean that you can label us with guilt and inconsideration.
       
"We are law-abiding citizens of this country. If and when I have wronged there has been admittance of it. I am ready to be punished if guilty. But you cannot punish us with wrongful accusation," the film star wrote.
    
Bachchan, who returned from London last night after a two-month world tour, said he had asked Jaya to apologise for her remarks and was happy and satisfied that she had done so.     

Jaya's remarks did not, in any manner, sound 'anti-Marathi' and there is no denigration but words have a funny way of being mutilated to suit a particular copy or expression in its interpretation, he wrote.
    
"My first reaction in this matter is that the sentiments have been hurt...I'm not going into what has been said under what circumstances...Even if one person is disturbed...that disturbance be addressed. All else can come later," Big B said in his blog.