The most towering figure of Indian cinema invoked an iconic Satyajit Ray film Ganashatru to talk about the perils of shrinking civil liberties and freedom of expression at the inauguration of the Kolkata International Film Festival on Thursday.

Amitabh Bachchan said, “One of his later films, Ganashatru, can be taken as an indication of how Ray may have reacted to current times. In this chamber drama, about a jaundice epidemic caused by water contamination that is suppressed by both the state and the local temple, Dr Asok Gupta (the protagonist) becomes the enemy of the people, fighting for justice.”

Political barbs have been flying thick and fast since Bachchan’s explosive words in Kolkata, but it was clear from the tone and tenor of his speech that the 80-year-old had come with a clear mind on the points he had to make.

The jury is still out on what the trigger for this speech was, more so because it comes from a man who has steered clear of political matters ever since his election as the Allahabad MP back in 1984. Bachchan re signed from the seat in 1987.