Mumbai Traffic Police To Fine Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan and Anuksha Sharma were seen on bikes without helmets! See what Mumbai police, media and the stars have to say for themselves!
We all know how Mumbai traffic is! But now it has come to a level where top celebrities are just ditching their luxurious cars and hopping on bikes.
On 15h May 2023, megastar Amitabh Bachchan took a bike ride from a stranger to reach his movie set location on time. Bachchan took to his social media platforms to thank the fan who gave him lift. He shared a picture of him riding pillion on the bike and wrote, “Thank you for the ride buddy .. don’t know you .. but you obliged and got me on time to the location of work .. faster and in avoidance of the unsolvable traffic jams .. thank you capped, shorts and yellowed T-shirt owner.”
On the same day in the evening, actress Anushka Sharma too ditched her car and opted for a bike ride to dodge a roadblock. A video of Anushka Sharma also made rounds on social media. In the video, Anushka is seen hopping on to one of her bodyguard’s scooters in Juhu because of a fallen tree. While the two actors did not seem to care much, netizens brought the photos to the Mumbai Police's notice and pointed out how both of them violated a major traffic rule.
Neither the actors nor the bike riders were wearing helmets. Several users tagged the Mumbai Police on Instagram and Twitter and questioned if it was okay for a celebrity to violate such an important rule whereas common citizens are slapped with hefty fines for doing the same.
Replying to Twitter users, the Mumbai Police said, “We request you to provide exact location details for further action.” Later, the official Twitter handle of Mumbai Police confirmed that strict action will be taken against both the stars. "We have shared this with the traffic branch.” Did you know that the penalty for riding without a helmet in Mumbai results in a challan of Rs 1000. In certain situations, it can also lead to license disqualification and even community service for 3 months.
Many people in the comments also raised concerns about both the actors’ safety. However some commented, “They both had to jump on to two-wheelers in the middle of their journey from their expensive, premium four-wheelers. Had Amitabh Bachchan been leaving home to ride a bike, we’re surely hoping that he will leave the house fully geared up. The same logic applies to Anushka Sharma as well.”
Taking to his official blog, Big B on 16th May 2023 said that “the fact of the matter is that this is on location shooting on the streets of Mumbai.” “It is Sunday… formal permission was taken for the shoot at a lane in Ballard Estate… permission was sought for Sunday because all offices are shut and there is no public or traffic. One lane in the region blocked off by police permission for shoot .. the lane is barely 30-40 metres. The dress I wear is my costume for the film. And… I am just fooling around by getting on the bike of a crew member… Not even moving anywhere, but giving the impression that I travelled to save time… ???? (sic),” Bachchan wrote.
“But yes, I would do it if there was a problem of punctuality .. and wear a helmet and follow all the rules and regulations of the traffic guidelines… I am not the only one that does this… had seen Akshay Kumar do this to get to a location on time… wore helmet etc., on the bike of his security person .. no one could recognise it… and it was rapid and efficient .. and it worked well… Thank you all for your concern and your care and love and your spanking me and trolling (sic),” he added. He added that he didn’t break any traffic rule. “And sorry , people , for causing concern and giving any wrong concept of breaking traffic rules .. I did not .. love all of you.”