Abhishek Bachchan has a big release this Friday. He's zipping around promoting his film. We caught up at his Janak office to chat about the film, the controversies surrounding it and his other upcoming release. Read on for excerpts...

Drona's special effects were talked about but the promos show nothing spectacular as yet. Why?
There are about 1500 special effects in the film and it becomes very tough to choose what to retain. I joke with Goldie that there's so much in the film that we don't know what to show and what not to. Trailers can only be a certain amount of length, so you can't really show as much as you'd want to...

Drona has been in the making for long. Won't the impact be diluted?
I don't think it has taken a long time to get made. It was said that it got delayed because of my wedding, but that's not true. We started filming in December 2006 and wrapped in December 2007. Goldie has taken 105 days to shoot the film, which is completely normal. There was a gap of six months in between, which was always planned. I finished and some other commitments in that time. The post-production of the film was always planned to take 12-14 months, as it's an effects-heavy film. So it was intended to take this much time. And no, I think the effect will not be diluted because it is a unique film.

Love Story 2050, banked on special effects, and flopped. Does that worry you?
No. It doesn't bother me because Drona is not about special effects. That might be the perception but for me, the strongest thing about the film is the plot, the special effects are garnishing.

You haven't had a release in a long time. Nervous?
I am feeling sheer panic, which happens before every release. It may seem clichéd but you invest a large part of your time in a certain project, and then it's up for judgment in front of people who are not emotionally involved with it, And that's scary as the audience is going to judge it, and they are coming there to be entertained and you hope they like it.

Can you be objective about your films?
Yes. I can. Because whenever I see a film, I become a viewer. If you get entertained, you come out and say, 'Ok, that was good.' If not, you know that something has gone wrong. The thing about being an actor is, it's just one facet of the film, there's direction, production, make-up, clothes... But I am able to tell when I see a film whether it will work. And usually when I have liked a film, it has worked.

Did Drona go through re-shooting because you weren't happy?
No, I don't think anything in Drona has been re-shot. At least none of my work. And I would never ask or demand for a reshoot. It's not my place.

The music of Drona hasn't taken off in a big way. Is that reason to worry?
Drona was written without songs but just as we started shooting, we realised that the kind of scale Goldie and I wanted to achieve, would not be possible with a song-less film. In commercial cinema, we like music, songs, and dance. Yes, many songless films have done well, but they don't go beyond a particular point. More so, in the overseas market. And we were dreaming big, so we decided to write in songs. Luckily, the kind of sequences we had, lent themselves to musical situations. I believe Drona's music will catch on post-release.

You work with close friends, Like Apoorva Lakhia and Goldie Behl, irrespective of their box-office ratings. Isn't that a bad business decision?
Business decision, I don't know as I have never approached my work as a business. I see it as a creative field, and for me to be able to do my work to the best of my ability, I have to be very comfortable...

It's an emotional decision?
Yeah. After Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost, Apoorva said he'd like me to be in all his films. Then he made Ek Ajnabee with dad, and he told me, 'Look you have to be there,' so I did one shot for the film. I would do the same for Adi (Aditya Chopra) or any of my friends. I don't think we shouldn't take ourselves so seriously. I stand by my friends.

Has you dad ever told you not to do a film?
He never advises me against doing any film. He never says 'don't do this film.' His advice to me many years ago when my films were not doing well was: just do as many films as you can. Just spend time in front of the camera; learn and improve your craft. His opinions come more when he sees a film.

Apparently Raj was upset with his character in Sarkar, you think that triggered the problem between him and your family?
He was never portrayed in any of the Sarkars. Sarkar Raj was never written with anybody in mind like the Thackeray family. I remember Ramu said in his interview, 'If a political figure like Balasaheb can exist in today's society, so can Subhash Nagre'. That was it. There was no inspiration apart from that. No character was written keeping any real person in mind.

Star prices are soaring. Is that true for you, too?
I don't have a price. I believe that an actor's price is what a project can afford. I think you need to work that way. I have done films for free, and for amounts below what people could afford to pay me. I did a film called Phir Milenge, and the price I could've asked would've just burned this small-budget film. I don't think any producer would overpay an actor because at the end of the day, they are conducting a business. So nobody is going to pay me twenty crores just because I have asked for it. If they think I am worth it, and if they can recover it, they will pay me that. Otherwise, they won't.

Your dad's blog's been in news. You plan to blog?
It's very demanding on one's time, and currently I don't have that kind of time, and am not disciplined like dad to take that one hour to sit down and write. Until now, we had only two mediums to reach out to the audiences films and media. Here is an opportunity to relate directly, and it's wonderful. Would I ever do it? I'd love to. Because it's a nice way to connect with your audience. I don't know if I will be able to do it with the depth with which dad does it though. I'd like to do it more as a learning experience. I have always been someone who always likes a lot of feedback, be it from my colleagues, my family, my friends, the media as in how did you like this? What did you think of this? I'd use it for educational purposes

You detractors complain you don't experiment with your looks. Comment
Whoever says that either doesn't watch my films, or they are blind. I am one of few actors who has actually changes a lot. My look was different from Umrao Jaan to Dhoom 2 to Guru. Then Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Sarkar Raj, Drona, then Dostana. They are all vastly different. I do whatever the director needs the character needs to look like. I have no apprehensions. I am the same guy who put on fifteen kilos for Guru. When everyone was hitting the gym, I was hitting the restaurants. I even showed my paunch in the film.

All the talk about your weight, does it bother you?
It doesn't. Because I know the truth. What's upsetting is that people write about my so-called weight problem, out of context. They have to understand the film, I am doing at that point of time. They criticised me for putting on weight after my wedding. At the time, I was doing Sarkar Raj, and it was the demand of the character. For Guru, I did put on weight. I lost the excess kilos for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, and now Dostana. I am a public figure, and make a lot of public appearances, they put two and two together and said, 'Oh, he's fat.' Yes! That's the point. It's meant to be for the character.

Your friends say you are a prankster, the media believes you are reclusive. What are you really like?
I am a very normal person. I have never tried to portray myself as anything else. Actually, when I first started working, I did. I had this notion about what an actor should be like. Then you very quickly realise you are not comfortable, so just be yourself. I am friendly, do I come across as a recluse?

You do, actually.
That could be because I haven't interacted with the media in a really long time. And that's because there was no reason to talk. And now, you will say you only talk when a film is due for release. Which is something actors will always be accused of. But I believe that if I sit down to chat, there should be something to chat about.

A journo said that your pauses say more than you.
Really? That's a compliment actually. In the first two-three years, I was very uncomfortable doing interviews. Very honestly, I never understood why people would want to talk to me.

After coming from the family you do!
That's precisely why. I didn't understand why people would want to talk to me. And also you are young, you are brash, you are over-confident...there's a bit of arrogance.

You were all that?
Yes, most definitely. I couldn't understand why they wanted to talk to me because my films weren't doing well and I didn't have anything else to my credit to talk about. At that point, your lack of confidence is at such a peak that you feel they are doing it, because the film is to release, and they have been asked, so they are obliging you. So you get even more scared to say anything. That's how I felt, but it just came out wrong.

How did you handle the criticism?
When your first and second film don't do well you say, 'you win some, you lose some.' But when the third and the fourth don't work, you say, 'Why is everyone going at me? I am working hard, I am giving it my best. People who know me, and work with, are recognising the fact that I do, so what's your problem? Just back off!' Then when the films continue to do badly, you get very defensive. But the toughest thing to do is to accept your shortcomings. The greatest form of defense is offense, so when I did interviews, I was very nonchalant and arrogant. I'd say stupid things to cover up the insecurity of being unsuccessful. Then when my 10th and 12th film didn't work, I said, 'wait there is a problem here. So stop blaming the world. Fine you are, young, immature, haven't really understood yourself but take a step back and evaluate the situation.'

And you did that?
I realised yes, the critics were right I was not good enough. I was not prepared. I am an industry kid and I like to believe that I am intelligent enough to realise that the media is an integral part of an actor's life. I believe I am whatever I am today in terms of talent or craft a huge amount of credit has to go to the media. Initially, I felt they were too harsh and had a personal bias, but that's rubbish. They see a film, and give a very honest reaction to it. Honesty is the damndest hard to take, because somewhere deep down you know what they are saying is true.

It's very brave of you to admit that.
I have used all my reviews to improve. I'd stick them up I still have a lot of them stuck up on my cupboard and highlight portions. When I did my first few films, some very prominent film critics were very harsh. I'd wonder, 'Why is he doing this to me, what have I done to him?' But you get affected so because you were so bad why is that never an argument? One particular critic said: His hair is awkward, he has too much make-up on, his dress sense is bad, he dances with two left feet and he and his expressions are wooden, if there are any at all. I'd remember that and when the next film came out, I'd read the review of the same critic and I'd see if he had managed to leave out any of these points..and if he had, then it meant I'd worked on that. I used the media to guide me to do what was right.

After those raps, your first hit must've been an amazing experience.
After Dhoom, my first hit, after seventeen flops in a row, it took me a day to sink in. I remember I had come from Calgary, on August 27, early morning. Two of my films were releasing that day. I woke up, and went to Adi's house as we had to go for an appearance. Uday said, 'Adi wants to talk to you' and I thought, "Another flop! It's okay. Hope Phir Milenge does well." I was used to it. I picked up the phone and Adi said, 'Congratulations. You just gave your first hit.' I was standing in Yash uncle's garden and I started jumping, screaming, and then started crying. I couldn't believe it. I called my sister and then she started crying and then she called my mother and she started crying...

It must've been a huge relief.
For me, it was a validation that, 'ok, I can do it.' Because at that point of time, I'd started believing that I couldn't. I think it was after Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon flopped. I took that very badly because it had everything going for it. It was a Rajshri film, had Sooraj Barjatya, the number one director, there were Duggu and Bebo the Number One stars at the time and I had a fantastic role in the film. What more could a young actor ask for? And it didn't do well. So I began feeling that maybe it was me. One night, I went to dad's room in the middle of the night and said to him, "I need to talk to you. I think I made a mistake. I think I am not meant to be an actor." He got really upset with me. And he said, 'Go to sleep and don't think like this.'

Please continue.
The next morning dad said to me, 'I didn't bring you up to accept defeat.' Then he repeated two things my grandfather always used to tell us as kids. One was: man ka ho toh achcha, na ho toh jyaada achcha. And the second was something he'd taught me in school: In life it doesn't matter how many times you fall down, what matters is the amount of time you pick yourself up and carry on. He then told me, 'Go out there. Take it on your chin. Spend time in front of the camera, learn, and fight.' So when that first hit happened, I was happier for my family because I has begun to feel embarrassed in front of them. I felt, 'I have had two parents who are the epitome of talent and success and their son is the complete opposite.' I used to feel worse for my parents when they used to see my films. I could see their expressions and I knew but I could see my mother smiling at me, and saying well done and I knew she was just being a mother. And I knew my father, as my best friend, wanted to tell me that I was doing a bad job but as a father he couldn't say it because he knew that it would distress me.

Speaking of distress... disappointed that Aishwarya isn't part of Dostana?
Yes, obviously. It is a fun film, and she would've been fantastic in it. Apart from that, we would've had the opportunity to spend some time together on the sets but I could understand why she and Karan felt that she should not do the film. They both felt that it's a love triangle and it was awkward that one person is her husband.

Drona and Dostana are releasing around the same time, but the latter has more buzz, would you have preferred it to release first?
Not at all. The release of the film isn't in my hands. That lies with the producer. I somehow manage to have back-to-back releases. In 2005, I had Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, and Dus. In 2006, I had Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2, and Guru. It has weirdly worked out that way.

Salman gifted you a painting during a set visit?
Salman did visit me. And that he does regularly, and so do I. I have known him since childhood because our fathers have worked together. He is a senior and he has always been very supportive towards me and has been very sweet. Whenever we are shooting in the same studio, we spend time with each other. He'd dropped in on my set to see me, but he didn't speak about any painting. But if he has made one, I would love to see it.