In a manner most unusual and unlikely to people bearing his last name, Abhishek Bachchan strides in late for the interview. He’s apologetic and blames it on the rain. He is forgiven and it’s not because of the rains.

Ladies, think of the man you’ve been teased with on the big screen and multiply that over and over in your head – and then you might come close to placing a value to his appeal! The snowball has been rolling for Abhishek for almost two years now. The blockbuster castings and the box office success of ‘Dhoom’, ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, ‘Sarkar’, and ‘Bluffmaster’ (we’ll add ‘Dus’ only for that pelvic gyrate!) hint that he is in possession of talent that has been honed well, and will be his stairway to stardom.

Living legends for parents, the world’s most beautiful woman for a girlfriend and four mega projects — ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna`, ‘Dhoom 2’, ‘Umrao Jaan’ and ‘Guru’ all spilling with promise, AB, you’ve come a long way baby!

How does it feel being a big star and getting so much attention?

I’m not a big star, far from it and you are forgetting who I live with! I get no attention!

Is Karan the director very different from the friend?

Not at all, I treat him as disrespectfully on the sets as I do off it. (Laughs) This is a huge problem for me as we have a very informal relationship. He’s a very established director and I’m a junior actor, but that hasn’t changed our equation.

Did you have any insecurities about being the most junior member of a team of stars who are all very successful?

No, I just take comfort in the fact that people will be watching them over me. (Laughs) I’ve never been conscious of stuff like that. Being around them makes you want to give your best because they are giving their 150 per cent. Dad, at 65, is the most hard-working man I’ve ever seen and Shah Rukh is the biggest star we have and yet every morning he earns his status. They don’t rest on their laurels so I can’t afford to be slack.

Was there anything special that drew you to the role of Rishi Talwar in ‘KANK’?

There was no question of asking Karan about my role; he is family to me. He graciously gave me a detailed narration with the trolley movements, background music and unfortunately the singing as well!

Your character sacrifices self-gratification for commitment...

I don’t agree with that statement.

Yeah, but his wife’s having an affair and he still wants to be in the marriage…

He doesn’t know about it, that’s why! (Laughs) I disagree with the idea of sacrificing happiness in order to commit. See I’d only commit if I would be happy with that person. I believe in monogamy so get married only if you want to spend the rest of your life with that person. If you don’t want monogamy, fair enough, don’t get married.

Over the past few films you’ve turned into quite the celluloid dancer...

I’ve had anxieties which are important because they propel you to excel. But on the whole, I enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work, which at one point, I was scared of doing.

Is this because of the success of your recent films?

Success has nothing to do with it. It’s because I’ve started getting comfortable and confident with myself and the camera. There has been an improvement which is imperative if you are an actor, and you have no business being one if you can’t improve on a daily basis.

How does it feel to be in love?

Being in love is a great state isn’t it? I feel fine when I’m in love. (Smiles)

Despite your relationship getting so much attention, why won’t you go on record to admit it?

My life is an open book and I’m not hiding anything. And since it’s so public, I’d like to keep my private life to myself. I don’t want the world to know which side of the bed I sleep on and in which pajamas. I can understand people are interested in it, but whether I want people to be a part of it is up to me. As celebrities we share our lives with you, give us a small part that’s just ours to hold on to, for sanity and out of respect.