Abhishek Bachchan is obviously working crazy hours in his bid to promote his upcoming film, Drona. The actor was shooting for a cameo in Colors's popular show, Balika Vadhu at Mumbai's Film City, late Saturday night.

I had to wait for a good five hours before Abhishek finally granted me an audience in the wee hours of morning -- 1:30 am, to be more precise.


Here's what he had to say about Drona:

So tell us about Drona.

Drona is a fantasy adventure of a boy, who realises his destiny and has to fulfill it. When Goldie narrated the story to me, that is exactly what it was -- a story. The costumes, the setting, the special effects, the action, the songs and the romance came later.

Fantasy films are rarely made in Bollywood.

I think the quest should be to make something new. Push the envelope a bit and move out of your comfort zone. I am very happy that Goldie decided to make a film like this.


What do you look for in a movie script?

Just that -- the script. The story has to inspire you to be a part of it. When Goldie narrated Drona's script to me, I remember telling him that it was okay if he didn't cast me in the film but he must make it because I wanted to watch the film. It is a fantastic dream, a good story, and he had thought of a unique way of telling it.

Was another reason of you accepting the film the fact that Goldie is your childhood friend?

No. Goldie and I have discussed about 30 scripts in the seven years since Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai [Goldie's directorial debut starring Abhishek and Rani Mukerji] released. It was the concept of Drona that attracted me.

How as Goldie changed as a director since Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai?

He is a completely different person. Seven years ago, both of us were young and very excited to do a film together. I think we got carried away. It was our immaturity speaking. Now, to see Goldie so confident and in control of his craft was wonderful.

It is very tough when your first film -- that you make with so much passion -- bombs at the box office. It kills your confidence. But then to get up and think of a bigger and more ambitious film is very tough.

If the film does well at the box office, unfortunately, a lot of other people will walk away with the credit. But the credit goes entirely to Goldie.


Rumour has it that you wanted Priyanka to play your bodyguard, not just your love interest.

Goldie, being a friend and being a director who likes his actors to participate, had incorporated me in the entire process of Drona. I was the first person, who heard the concept even before we got writers in to work on the screenplay.

We discussed a lot of things about Drona. When we were discussing the heroine, we decided to make her the bodyguard as well as the love interest. Her father is my father's bodyguard, so it becomes her family duty.

A character like this hasn't been essayed before in our films. It was wonderful to see a woman in an aggressive role, full of action.

You worked with Priyanka in Bluffmaster earlier. How has the experience been?

It has been a wonderful experience. She is very different from many actresses that I have worked with. She is a team player and a dear friend. She is the kind of person who puts the film first and does whatever it takes to get her shots right. Some of her action scenes is breathtaking.


How difficult were the sword fighting scenes?

The sword play was demanding because it was very fast. It was something we had to get right. I wasn't fighting a trained professional, I was fighting a fellow actor [Kay Kay Menon], with real swords. So you are even more worried because you don't want to hurt the person. But after your rehearsals and training, you are fine.

Tell us about your superhero look in the film.

I have long hair because that's what Goldie wanted. Goldie's inspiration mostly came from comic books. He always saw Drona with long hair and a beard. He always thought kings had long hair and beards, so he wanted that resemblance to Drona's forefathers.

The costume took months and months of hard work. And [costume designer] Anahita Shroff Adajania [Dhoom 2, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Bluffmaster] finally came up with the idea that Drona's costume should not to be modern because this is the same costume that his forefathers have been wearing down the years. So she took inspiration from our ethnic wear -- the achkan -- and gave it a twist. It worked out brilliantly.

What next?

After Drona, I have Dostana [with John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra] and Dilli 6. Mani Ratnam's film should be ready in the middle of next year. After that, I'll start work on Rohan's next film.