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ABHISHEK BACHCHAN |
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The
Next BigB Son of the illustrious and talented couple, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, Abishishek Bachchan is all set to blaze his own trail in tinsel town. Though he will obviously be compared with his distinguished parents, Abhishek isn’t complaining. With his first film around the corner, Abhishek seems poised at the threshold of an exciting career path. Those who have seen him on screen say Abhishek is unlike any other star-actor in recent times. Though soft-spoken, gentle and shy, he is articulate and confident in real life. The Big B’s heir-apparent speaks to the media for the first time in an interview by Subhash K. Jha: |
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| Q. Now that your first film
‘Refugee’ is all set for a June release, do you feel nervous? A. Yes, absolutely. It makes me more anxious than nervous, actually – about what my parents are going to think about my performance. I just hope I don’t let them down in Refugee or in anything that I do in life subsequently. Q. Do the inflated and unfair expectations worry you? A. To be honest I have never sat down to think about the expectations. If I begin to consider all that I’d be a nervous wreck. I just did my work to the best of my abilities and I left the rest to God. I realise people are definitely going to draw comparisons with my father, and also with my contemporaries. I am prepared for that. Moreover, I feel being compared to my father is the ultimate honour. Q. But it is also a tremendous responsibility. A. But if I was conscious of that responsibility all the time, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on 
my work. I think, I’ve approached my work with as much sincerity and
honesty as possible. I am aware of where I come from and my
responsibilities. Finally it is my work that has to speak for itself.Q. This sense of discipline is a trait you seem to have inherited from your father. A. I guess in that sense I am very much my parents’ son. I could never understand why it was made out to be a big deal when I showed up on the sets on time or listened to what the director had to say. Aren’t we actors paid to come to work on time and perform to the best of our abilities? Dedication and professionalism aren’t perks; they are the pre-conditions. Q. Did you always want to be a film actor? A. As a kid, I wanted to be a fireman, a racing-car driver, then an astronaut. In my teens, I wanted to be a businssman. The idea of sitting behind a polished desk, speaking into an intercom really thrilled me. But as a serious career option, I think it was always acting for me, though I didn’t admit this to myself for a long time. I guess the acting bug was in my genes. Q. Were you sent away to boarding school abroad at the age of nine to protect you from the artificial atmosphere of showbiz? A. Not really. We were hardly exposed to the negative aspects of showbiz. Film magazines were never allowed into the house. And my sister and I never attended film parties. Apart from those starring my father, I can count the number of Hindi films I had seen until I was 17 or 18.  Q. How was the experience of working with the perfectionist, J.P. Dutta in ‘Refugee’? A. I hit it off with him from the day I met him. He is such an honest and wonderful human being. And I loved his working style. Whatever I have learnt about facing the camera is through Mr. Dutta. He treated me and my co-star Kareena Kapoor with kid gloves on the sets. He virtually led us through the film, holding our hands. I am more than satisfied with what Mr. Dutta got out of me in the film. I feel he can make a bark of wood act. Let’s hope I am better than a bark of wood! Q. Wasn’t ‘Refugee’ an unusual vehicle to start your career with? A. I am not against the conventional commercial movies. In fact, I’m doing three of them. I think the run-of-the-mill cinema is very challenging. But I wanted to start with something different. I didn’t want to start with the song and dance routine. There’s singing in ‘Refugee’ but not much dancing. Q. The comparisons with Hrithik Roshan have already started. Do they irritate you? A. Not at all. He’s a friend and an excellent actor. If on the one hand they’re comparing me to my father who’s been around for 30 years, who is also a legend, and, on the other hand, they are comparing me to Hrithik who’s very much a new-age star, then I am very privileged indeed. |
