A candid conversation with Abhishek Bachchan

Handsome and talented Abhishek Bachchan is quite excited about Rohit Shetty’s upcoming flick Bol Bachchan, which will release this Friday. He plays a role similar to that of Amol Palekar in yester year movie Golmaal. “I won’t call it a double role. It is more like Bluff Master where I played two characters. Abbas Ali and Abhishek Bachchan are not two different people, but the same person (Abbas) taking on a fictitious identity, for he needs to save his life and job from the hands of the village wrestler, Prithviraj Raghuvanshi (Ajay Devgn).” What did you find challenging in this project? “This turned out to be the most difficult film of my career. My misconception was that it is a comedy, it will be a holiday but it wasn’t. As my deadpan style of comedy was different to what Bol Bachchan required. I had to unlearn what I had known about the craft. Rohit and Ajay helped me a lot in this process. Initial filming was tough. I came on sets to do my part in a particular way. But Rohit had a different idea and it took a week for me to achieve that. Full credit to him for he did not give up on me and after pack-up he used to tutor me. Hope I have got it right.” This trio (Rohit, Ajay and Abhishek) had worked together in Zameen, which had not done well. “That 2003 hijacking drama was different from this experience. An actor has to have trust and faith in the director…as they bear their soul to his or her. I have known Rohit when he was an assistant director and I was production assistant. Today, he is one of the most successful directors around. But he has not changed…he is still hard working and humble as before.” Talking about his co star, Ajay, Abhishek says, “He is like my elder brother. What I like about him is that despite having achieved so much success, he has not changed. He is very supportive and a huge bully (smiles).” So sweet and what do you feel about the girls in the film? “Asin has achieved so much in a short time in the Hindi film industry. She loves to ask questions and Prachi Desai on the other hand is full of wonderful energy. I am envious of her as she learns dialogues very fast may be because of her TV background.” Abhishek, whose last film Players tanked at the box office, is confident that Bol Bachchan will make a difference to his career, “I think every film should make a difference that is why you do it .You can’t take anything for granted. As for flops, thankfully you carry on working after. But it is never a pleasant experience to relive it. Nobody wants to make an unsuccessful film.” In closing we ask Abhishek if the title was an attempt to milk his family surname, as his father has also done a song in the movie? “I have never cashed on it and why should I start now,” shoots back the actor.