According to Vidya Balan, Mani Ratnam’s Guru is Abhishek Bachchan’s show all the way. The child-man at the center of all attention is delighted. "Did Vidya really say that? So sweet of her. Any actor getting to work with Mani is lucky. I’ve worked with him twice and I’m twice lucky. He’s a sheer pleasure to work with. Rest assured when you work with a director of Mani’s calibre he’s going to challenge you into discovering new areas of your personality. This is what has happened in Guru. Working with Mani is a huge learning experience."

Meanwhile, Abhishek will be seen letting his hair down in Dhoom 2. "It’s the same genre as the first Dhoom flick. I’d like to believe that we’ve managed to make it bigger and better. That of course will be decided once it releases. But Dhoom 2 and Umrao Jaan are my two new releases. The two are worlds and cultures apart."

Abhishek has just landed in London to shoot for Shaad Ali’s Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom. "I’m here with Shaad Ali, Preity and Lara Dutta… all friends. It’s great fun. I’m absolutely relaxed as long as I get to work with friends. It’s very important for me to work in a comfortable atmosphere. Fortunately I’ve worked mostly with friends so far. Or directors who’ve become friends in the course of time. That explains why I’m doing Shaad’s next and Goldie Behl’s second, Drona."

Now that Abhishek is being recognised as a star to reckon with, what would he rather be known as: a star or an actor? "An actor of course. Because once you’re a capable actor the stardom happens automatically."

Abhishek hasn’t signed any new films. "No one wants to sign me on, what to do?" he mock-sighs, and then gets serious. "No matter what you say about my career I’m not satisfied. We creative people are very selfish. Every time you see a film that doesn’t star you, you wish you had done it. When I look around I feel there’s so much good work being done and how little I’ve achieved. I’d like to do a lot more work. I see the kind of work my dad is doing at his age. I can only hope and pray I’m able to do that calibre and quantity of work when I reach dad’s age."

Abhishek’s found his dad’s role as ‘Sexy Sam’ in KANK awesome. "I don’t think anybody but dad could’ve done it. I think it was the toughest role of KANK. To handle a role that can be tagged risqué with such dignity and grace and to pull it off with such emotional resonance is commendable," he says.

Abhishek and his father have played father and son in two films. "Yes, Ramu’s Sarkar and now KANK. I’d say our relationship in real life is very similar to how we are in KANK. Karan has known me from when I was a child. He has spent loads of time with me and Dad. He has observed us together and incorporated a lot of the traits from my bonding with Dad in our on-screen interaction in KANK. But no,I don’t call dad ‘dude’ in real life. That’s Karan’s cute little innovation."