A perfect Saturday afternoon beckoned me. An early lunch was had, the house was quiet and the prospect of dropping off into an uninterrupted sleep was enough to make me smile.

One phone call changed all that. Amitabh Bachchan is on his way to the hospital, a source said and he is sick. The first thing that registered in my mind was “I hope he is ok” and then the journalistic instinct kicked in.

Frantic calls to his office, the hospital and his doctor followed. Details became clearer, the situation calmed down a bit and everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief. Many of us couldn’t help but go back in time to 2005 when Bachchan was recuperating in the same hospital. The focus on him then was immense.

There were hourly updates on news channels, reporters stationed outside the hospital 24×7 and thousands thronged to Lilavati Hospital, as if their presence might have made a difference. Prayer meetings were held and the entire film industry held its breath.

I’ve been told it was the same when Bachchan met with an accident on the sets of his film “Coolie” in 1982. I was three years old then and don’t remember the incident so I only have the 2005 illness to go by.

It hasn’t been as bad this time around but I do know of fellow reporters who have kept vigil outside Lilavati Hospital since Saturday. Television channels and newspapers have been full of news, filmographies, reactions from fan clubs and detailed discussions with doctors on intestinal diseases.

Over the weekend, we have been subjected to all kinds of details about the sickness — how Jaya Bachchan kept vigil by her husband’s bed all night, TV channels replaying the shot from “Coolie” where Bachchan got injured and discussions with astrologers on the actor‘s future.

It is understandable that being the icon that he is, any news of Bachchan will be followed by the media almost obsessively. This morning a casual discussion in office also turned to the same topic.

“I feel really bad for the guy. If I were sick, I wouldn’t want an army of cameras and photographers grappling to get my picture,” said a colleague.

Monday’s edition of the Mumbai Mirror voiced similar sentiments.

“The attention given to Bachchan by our media both in normal times and when he falls sick is disproportionate to his importance,” reader V M Swaraj said in a letter to the paper.

This is a difficult one to answer, I think. As media, we have to cover this news, it is important. But shouldn’t we also be drawing the line somewhere? And if so, where should that line be?

What do you think?

I am a bit wary when filmmakers announce Bollywood projects based on real life people. After all, the word Bollywood evokes images of glitzy song-and-dance routines in exotic locales. And that’s largely true even though the Mumbai film industry is showing signs of opening up to bolder, more realistic themes.

Take “Rave Party” for example. The story of Scarlett Keeling, the British teenager murdered at a Goan beach, is being made into a film.

But it remains to be seen if director Prabhakar Shukla’s project can stick to the truth. A lawyer for Keeling’s family has said they might object if it didn’t.

Actor Sanjay Dutt is to portray Charles Sobhraj in a new film about the infamous killer and master of disguise. And “Jannat,” releasing in cinemas this month, depicts a cricket coach found dead under mysterious circumstances during a tournament — mirroring the death of Bob Woolmer at the cricket World Cup in 2007.

It’s as if the Bollywood well for ideas has dried up and filmmakers have to turn to real life for inspiration. I am not sure if such films actually strike a chord with audiences. Documentaries sans dance sequences may be too boring but a film that has too many may not seem realistic enough. Getting the dosage right would be tough.

But I guess a ‘real life’ inspiration is one way of ensuring the film stays in the limelight. And that’s true not just in Bollywood. A U.S.-based Bangladeshi news agency reported that actor Amitabh Bachchan is to play Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a film about the founding leader of Bangladesh.

The film’s producer told the agency that Bachchan’s son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya will also act in “The Poet of Politics”.

As expected, the 65-year-old superstar was badgered by Indian media eager to know if he was doing the film.

“It’s the first time that I hear all this and obviously negate it, but they are persistent. The person producing it has confirmed your participation, Mr Bachchan! Well Mr Bachchan has not heard of it yet, thank you,” the actor wrote on his blog.

Of course, whether Bachchan plays Rahman or not, the film has already got its share of publicity. Which means real life inspirations and Bollywood can work quite well together.