Raj Thackeray’s MNS, which had launched an agitation against actor Amitabh Bachchan and accused him of being more loyal to UP than to Maharashtra, has now praised him for offering to help a Marathi film in its Oscar bid.

The MNS welcomed a recent announcement by Bachchan tht he would support and promote the movie Harishchandrachi Factory, made by Paresh Mokashi. The film, about how Dadasaheb Phalke made the country’s first motion picture, Raja Harishchandra, has been selected as India’s entry for the Oscars.

“It is a good thing that Bachchan is supporting the film for the Oscar awards. We welcome his move,” MNS general secretary Shirish Parkar said.

In his attack on Bachchan last year, Thackeray had said, “Though he has become a star in Mumbai, his interest is in Uttar Pradesh. That is why he was trying to be an ambassador of UP rather than Maharashtra,” Raj had said.

MNS activists tore up posters of Bachchan’s The Last Lear, prompting the actor to apologise on his blog as well as at a press conference, following which the MNS called off the agitation.

Raj had also been miffed over a remark by Jaya Bachchan, the actor’s wife, that she would speak at a function in Hindi as she was from Uttar Pradesh.

Harishchandrachi Factory is not the first Marathi movie that Bachchan has offered to support. In November 2004, he donated Rs 1 lakh to the producers of Shwaas, also a Marathi film, and also selected as India’s entry for the Oscars.

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