Amitabh Bachchan is humming a new tune in Baabul. "It's a tune I remember. I just thought I'd use it in Baabul because it fit perfectly. I played with the notes and came up with this song for Baabul and recorded the song just a few days ago. In Ravi Chopra's Baghban I had sung four numbers. In Baabul, I've recorded two. But they are rather pensive numbers which I've composed," he says. 

Inspite of singing in the past, Big B insists that he isn't much of a singer. "I like to meet up with Aadesh Shrivastava, sit in his music room and fool around with the notes. In Baabul, for the first time I've contributed to a tune. Obviously the orchestral arrangements are Aadesh's. The theme song ‘Kehta hoon bitiya’ in Baabul is tuned and sung by me. In Baabul, the full theme song (written by Sameer) is mine." 

Big B is glad that a film stressing Indian values has been made. "Television is so full of family dramas that this genre is hardly attempted. Baabul is very traditional and close to our hearts. It addresses the sensitive issue of widow remarriage. Why does a young widow become a victim of ridiculous customs, almost an outcast? Like all movies from BR films that address a social issue," he says. 

About his on-screen rapport with his Baabul co-star Hema Malini, Big B says, "We aren't doing as many films as we used to earlier. In Baabul, Hema is very much part of the drama. In Sholay there was the effort to rehabilitate the widow. That sentiment continues in Baabul. Cinema needs to raise the collective conscience level of the audience."

Last week, Big B walked the ramp with Hema Malini. He explains, "Today, the promotion and marketing of a film is as critical as its making. For Baabul we wanted to do something novel. So we devised a fashion show," he says. 

Recently, the Bhojpuri audience in UP and Bihar went ballistic over Big B's guest appearance in Ganga. As for his Bhojpuri dialogues, Big B says, "I had spoken the Awadhi dialect in Ganga Ki Saugandh and Adaalat. In Ganga, I spoke Bhojpuri, which is similar to Awadhi, for the first time."

In fact, last year, Bachchan had also made a guest appearance in a Kannada film Amrithvarsham. Ganga and Amrithvarsham are Big B's only two stints in regional cinema. "I did the two guest appearances because two dear friends asked me to. I was asked to do a cameo in Rajnikanth's next Tamil project. But I declined as I didn't have  the time. Also learning a South Indian language is a huge responsibility (in the Kannada film, he spoke English). I truly admire artistes from Mumbai who act in South Indian films and also speak the language. Rajnikanth and I are close friends and we have done films together. I'd have loved to be in his film."

He is thrilled by the spectrum of films released this year. "Films of various genres have been accepted this year. It's an exceptional year for Hindi cinema. Guru, Dhoom 2, Umrao Jaan and Vivah are still to come…,” he says. 

* Obviously the orchestral arrangements are Aadesh's. The theme song ‘Kehta hoon bitiya’ in Baabul is Tuned and sung by me – Bachchan