Why, Mr Bachchan?

Dear Mr Bachchan,
Why are you telling us who you are and how big?
You think by putting your KBC ratings and Shahrukh's Paanchvi Pass ratings side by side, you will end the debate that who is the bigger star?
You will not.
Because there was no debate in the first place.

The only competition you ever had was yourself. The debate was never Amitabh in Shakti or Dilip Kumar in Shakti. The debate was actually Amitabh in Shakti or Amitabh in Trishul.
The debate was never Amitabh in Mohabbatein or Shahrukh in Mohabbatein. The debate was always Amitabh in Mohabbatein or Amitabh in K3G.

My grandmother thinks you are fantastic. My mother has been a fan since Deewaar. I still get a lump in my throat when I watch Shakti. And the other day, my 20-month old son unblinkingly watched you perform in Don.
That's four generations. You think my son will even know who Salman Khan is when he grows up?

You think numbers prove stardom?
That you had five back to back hits in 1978 is the reason why you should be the Big B?
Or maybe because you starred in the Biggest Hit of Indian Cinema?

No, sir.

You are not our biggest star. You are the touchstone of our emotions.
We never knew silence could be so eloquent till you showed us how in Sarkar.
We never knew grief can be angry till you showed us in Anand.
Hell, we never imagined one can be angry with God till you gave Him a piece of your mind in Deewaar.

And you think all this can be reduced to a TRP chart? By that logic, Alok Nath is a bigger star because he got even higher ratings for Buniyaad.

Sir, numbers are not what makes stars.
For me, you are the greatest not because of your best films but your worst.
Any other hero walking into a climax with a crocodile on his back would have got booed off. When you did that in Ganga Jamuna Saraswati, the tension could have been cut by a knife.
That's my reason.
And every single Indian has a different reason - when you made them laugh, cry, happy, sad, wistful, aggressive, speechless...

That's a billion rating points for you.
And you are comparing that with 4.5 points of Shahrukh?

Why, Mr Bachchan, why?