Having known Abhishek Bachchan for more than thirty years, I can vouch for the fact that he hasn’t changed as a human being.
On June 30, Abhishek’s debut film, the ravishing Refugee, completed twenty-five years.
“Twenty-five years! I can’t believe how time has flown by. So much has happened since then. Yet it feels like only yesterday,” chuckles Abhishek.
So, how does he look back at the first twenty-five years of his career? “With immense gratitude. I am eternally thankful to be born into the family that I belong to. If I have another life, I would like to be born as a son to Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.”
Most debutants prefer to be launched in a home production. Abhishek preferred to be launched by family friend J. P Dutta.
He corrects me. “But I consider Refugee a home production. As far as I’m concerned, JP Saab and the entire unit of the Refugee were my family. I never wanted a conventional launch. I always wanted to be introduced in a different kind of film. I think Refugee was a perfect film to start with. Since the role allowed me to be express so many emotions, it helped to build my confidence as an actor.”
Abhishek remains indebted J P Dutta and considers him a father figure. “I hit it off with JP Saab from the day I met him. I just found him to be such an honest and wonderful human being. And I loved his working style. Whatever I have learnt about facing the camera is through P Saab. He treated me and my co-star Kareena Kapoor with kid gloves on the sets. He virtually led us through the film by our hands. I can’t take even one per cent credit for my performance in Refugee.”
So was it always acting for Abhishek? “Well, when I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman, then a racing-car driver, then an astronaut. Then when I was in my teens, I wanted to be a businessman. The idea of sitting behind a desk and speaking into an intercom really thrilled me (laughs). 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. But as a child, I was sent to boarding school abroad at the age of 9. I did miss my parents and my sister sorely. But the experiences that I was exposed to from so early in my life were definitely invaluable. My sister Shweta and I 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.”
Abhishek confesses to being more a fan of his father’s films than his mother’s. “I saw all of them repeatedly. I am my father’s biggest fan. During childhood, I wasn’t too keen on watching my mom’s films. I’ll tell you why. Once when we were kids, we were watching Abhimaan. My sister started crying.I started to laugh because I found it very funny to see my sister crying. My mom had walked in and seen me laughing. I got a shouting for that. I vowed then and there never to see her movies again (laughs). When I was young, I saw very few of my mother’s films. Back then, I found them depressing. I would rather watch my father beat up twenty goons single-handedly.”
Abhishek ends with fond thoughts on his first co-star. “Kareena will always be special. We were both so young so eager to learn in Refugee. I am so proud of her .”
