Born in one of Bollywood’s most revered families, Abhishek Bachchan did not have it easy as he stepped into the world of movies and make believe. Constant comparisons to his father, his marriage to one of the most beautiful women on the planet Aishwarya Rai and his initial run at the box office, made Abhishek one of the most easy targets of those within and outside the industry.

However after a couple of failures, AB’s career has turned a corner recently. With powerful performances in films like Sarkar Raj and Dostana, Abhishek has definitely become a force to reckon with. In fact as he edges close to wrapping a decade in the industry, Abhishek seems to have become more focused, clear, mature, stable and interestingly a lot more innocent than ever before.

He spoke to StarBoxOffice about his movies, career, family and his famous life partner.

Before we go anywhere with this interview, I have to tell you that you are looking super fit these days. Tell us about this super sexy look!
(Laughs) I lost weight for Mani’s (Ratnam) film Raavan that I am doing right now. He wanted a very lean look for the film and so there were countless hours in the gym…Countless.

Talking about Raavan and your next film Paa in which you play a completely different character… How does this switch on-switch off happen as you bounce from one set to another?
I think as actors we are all very used to doing more than one film at a time. It’s just the way it has always been and we are used to. In fact doing just one film throws you off a bit because you are not used to it. But what happened in this case was that I shot Raavan for 3 months and then we had a 3 month break in our schedule which has been accounted for earlier during which I took up Paa. And now Paa is complete… It was a straight forward 40 day shoot and therefore it made sense to slot it in there. And now that I have finished that, I am headed back into Raavan.

The past year has been a mixed bag as far as your movies are concerned at the box office... Are you able to enjoy a hit film like Dostana if your other films like Delhi 6 and Drona don't do as well?
You don’t deal with it, it deals with you! You do the work you believe in and what you think you will enjoy doing and of course add to that what you think will work. And sometimes you are right and a lot of the times you are wrong.We work in an industry in which, I think, at last check has an eight percent success ratio. So it just goes to show that you have to do what you believe in as you don’t always know what the audience believes in or is thinking or wants. And even if you may know what they want, there is no guarantee that you will be able to deliver exactly what they want.

My movies have always excited me creatively and that’s why I do them. I am definitely not the kind of actor who does movies because it’s the right move to make. You know, I’ve always believed that if your heart isn’t into a subject, then don’t do it.

Have you always worked on your instinct?
Yes! You have to. My theory on it is that you don’t know if the movie is going to work or not. If we knew whether the film was going to work – if we had that ability – then we’d only make hit films which we don’t.

You don’t know the fate of the film but what you do know is whether you are going to have a good time making it, are you going to make it a learning experience, a memorable experience and that’s what I concentrate more on. The process of making a film that excites you is a lot more important.

If it becomes a hit which is the intention, fantastic! Then it’s what we call sone peh suhagaa but if it doesn’t, learn from it but don’t beat yourself about it.

Considering the fact that you came from a family that is revered in Bollywood, do you think the expectations from you are always really high from day one?
No, never. That thought doesn’t even cross my mind because the expectations that I have for myself are a lot higher than what people have for me. So yeah, I’ve never even thought about it.

I mean when I see a film of mine, in all humility, I know how good or bad my job is and I know it better than anyone else. And any actor would say that. We know when we’ve done a good job or not, we know when the film is good or not. So you are actually your first critic. After that when reviews come out or the public verdict, it just re-affirms or highlights what you already know. That’s what I have had in my experience.

So therefore would it be fair to say that no matter what an actor may come out and say publicly, he or she knows that when a movie doesn’t do well that they’ve probably messed up?
Possibly, see believing in a film is very different to whether that film is going to work or not and whether they think its going to work or not. I believed in Drona. I never knew, I didn’t expect it to not do as well as it didn’t. I saw certain flaws in it but I didn’t believe that those would be the reasons why the film would not be accepted. So you can always believe in a film, the fate of the film though is a different matter!

Do you think you were always destined to be in the Hindi Film Industry?
Destiny, I definitely believe in. Did I want to be here? Ya, for sure. I mean I grew up in this industry. This was my world. I grew up in a creative home. I had a grandfather who was a poet-writer and a great one at that. I had both parents who were actors. So I grew up around creativity. My best friends were somehow connected to the film industry. There was always the film industry somehow around me, so it was almost like a natural instinct to want to become a part of it as well.

Ever thought of being a director instead of an actor then?
No…No!

Why? Are actors difficult to deal with?
Direction isn’t only about dealing with actors. I just feel as an actor you already have so much to do and to bring that down to a very fine art and a craft is a very demanding job in itself. And that’s just one aspect of filmmaking. A director deals with a thousand more so I don’t think I am equipped to be able to handle so much. I have a tough enough time being an actor! (laughs)

You know you mentioned earlier that you practically grew up in this industry. So then when you finally joined it, did you find that your perception of it was exactly how the industry really worked?
I think everybody has a belief and a perception of what this place might be. And 99 out of 100 times they are wrong. This is the world of make believe so you have the license to believe. You think it should be like this and it will like that but it’s never like that.

But at the same time I did not have any rude awakening. It’s pretty much gone according to what I thought it would go like. I was never convinced that I would come here and become a superstar overnight. I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I knew it was an uphill task, I knew I would have to struggle for it. And I have.

You say you knew you wouldn’t become a superstar over night. But would you have wanted to?
Well, it’s not a nice thing to say but I am happy the way my life turned out the way it did. I am not taking away from achieving success instantly. I just feel that wasn’t written for me, you know. And I feel what I have learnt through the years that my films weren’t doing well, what it taught me as a person, as an actor are priceless things which I would not have learned. That’s a guarantee that I wouldn’t have been the actor that I am today if my first film had been a super success.

In the short period you have been here, are there any moments that you regret?
Never… never. I don’t regret any of my films. The way I look at it I learned a lot more from them.

You know every time I asked any of your co-stars especially the heroines to describe you, they said ‘Abhishek is a little kid in a big, tall body!’ How is it that you are always bring so much life and fun to the set?
I think it’s essential to being an actor. I believe predominantly we are all children who have the opportunity to play around a lot. I mean we have wonderful toys to play with. And I feel you need to keep the child in you alive.

If you look deeper into it, I think it’s got to do with the fact that children don’t really take themselves too seriously and I don’t think an actor should take himself very seriously. Yes its serious work. Do it in all earnestness and honesty and dedication but don’t take yourself, your persona too seriously. You have to learn to take it with a smile. You have to have the ability to laugh at yourself and make light of the situation. I think that keeps a little creativity alive in you. So I think it’s very important for actors to have the child in them alive all the time.

It also frees you up. Actors have to be very focused. We bare out souls on a daily basis and it’s possibly one of the toughest things to do in your life. I think children are very carefree. They don’t have so many stresses about life. So I think you should try and emulate that as much as possible otherwise there would just be too many things that would stop us from doing what we want.

While it sounds wonderful to want to keep that child in you alive, it is a fact in your line of work you are always being watched. So how do you then deal with that attention without giving up on who you are?
What makes you think that to be in touch with your inner child, you need to be badly behaved? It’s just about being normal. If you are a normal human being, you don’t let anything get to your head you’ll be fine. It’s not as tough as it is made out to be! It seems a lot tougher.

Coming from the fact that I have grown up in the industry around people who have been actors and directors, maybe it comes easier for me to say. I have never been on the outside of things. But for me it’s always been very normal. This is the life I have known and I mean this in complete humility. I don’t mean that I have lived a privileged life. I am just saying that this is the surrounding I grew up in so this is my normal life. For someone coming from outside into this industry, it is a life that that everyone aspires. But that’s not my fault. And I don’t think it’s such a burden to be a celebrity. I think if you just go about doing what you have to do and lead your life the way you ought to then you will be fine.

You are probably amongst a handful who acknowledges that it’s not difficult being a celebrity. But then why is there always this vibe between the media and celebrities about how difficult the media makes their lives?
You know it’s what you make of it. I think it’s very convenient to always blame the media for everything. Like the media has a great a relief point in the film fraternity, the film fraternity has a great relief point in the media.

If there is a problem, blame the media! I think that’s unfair and a bit juvenile. You know if you are a correct person, you live by the law and you are a good human being, they are not going to do anything wrong with you. They are not sadistic that they are going to get the pleasure of writing something bad about you. So just lead a good life and you will be fine.

Why always blame the media? Why say you are always waiting to rake up a storm. The fact is that if you rake up a storm and if you are a public figure, then you are going to be written about! It’s a part and parcel of what you do. You are public property at some level and you have a responsibility to that. So live accordingly.

OK… Let’s talk fun. I believe you are playing Mr. Bachchan's father in Paa. How are you enjoying the role reversal?
It was fun. You are just playing a character. I mean before going on set, I thought I would get my opportunity to get back at him for patronizing me for all these years and you know parenting me. But yea that luxury you have till the director says cut and then he’s dad again! Initially I thought I would tell him ‘give the shot properly, read your lines well’ but it doesn’t happen. Just doesn’t.

Is there any particular ritual or rule in the Bachchan household that you had to follow growing up?
If you are home then Ma’s law was that if every body is in town then you have to have at least one meal in the day together. No exceptions. And that’s something that’s stuck on.

And till date we can’t discuss work on the table. But that’s something my grandfather started. I remember when we were kids and the whole family would sit together, the discussion on the table was always about life, current topics that are in the news currently. But it never had anything to do with films and work.

It was something that we would always look forward to because my grandfather was someone who always had great insight and now when my father speaks it’s just so great. You know you expose yourself to so much more. There is so much out there to learn, it can be history or anything. So yeah we never were and we still aren’t allowed to talk work on the table.

In my life family time is top most priority and if we can have any opportunity where all of us can be together, then we will make that happen.

You have a huge passion for football and support Chelsea. So do you and your dad have huge arguments during big matches about who should win and where the loyalties lie?
Oh yea! All the time! But thankfully he supports all the teams that I support so I pretty much bully him. But we have huge fights with my nephew because of football actually. He’s a Man U (Manchester United) supporter and we’re Chelsea. So he’s the only Man U supporter in the family! I mean my dad, Ash, my niece Navya and I are all Chelsea supporters. So we do rake up a bit of a storm.


You have a custom made Chelsea jersey from their new kit - how many times have you worn it?
It was really cool actually because I think I was the first non team player to get the new team jersey. I actually got a Chelsea jersey autographed by the team players last year which I have framed but this one I wear a lot.

Your job takes you all over the world. Is that something you enjoy or do you hate all the packing that goes with it?
You see I am a product of hostel life so packing is never an issue for me. I do enjoy travelling but the sad part of doing that when you are working is that you hardly get to see anything of the place where you are.

I remember as kids when we travelled, my parents made sure we really soaked in the culture of the place we went to so they would take us to the museums, the popular sights and ensured we learned about the history of the place. And that’s something that’s always fascinated me.

But of late when you are travelling, you are only travelling for work and you don’t really get time to sight see and explore the place you are in.

But do you think in addition to the time constraints, you are also unable to go out in public because you will be hounded by people for photographs and autographs?
You can’t allow that to bog you down or dictate how you lead your life! I think our greatest joy when we are abroad is to walk on the streets.

I was just some time back shooting in Cambridge with my dad and then Aishwarya joined us after she finished her work at Aston and in the evenings all three of us would just walk. And we had a great time! If we were tired we would just sit and have a coffee or have dinner by the roadside in a café.

Sure there are times when one or two people will stop you but most of the time if you just request them then do respect your privacy.

It’s a huge joy even till today, whenever dad is abroad he will go for these long walks. It’s just a nice feeling to do that. And it’s also nice to be rooted and lead the normal life. You can’t always closet yourself.

Do you shop a lot when abroad?
Nah, I don’t like shopping.

So who shops for you?
All the women in my life barring one or two! My mother, my sister, my wife, my mother-in-law and now my niece! And also close friends. Karan (Johar) buys a lot of clothes for me. Karan has been buying me clothes now for the past 20-25 years.

Speaking of your niece, are you a mamu who completely spoils his niece and nephew?
No, you know I don’t share that kind of relationship with them. I always wanted to be that utopian Indian family where you know mamu has come and I walk in with like 10 gifts! But you know it’s never been like that.

They’ve been very grounded and been brought up very normally by my sister and brother-in-law. They are just normal kids but they just shot up so fast! I mean they were in England sometime back for their annual holiday and they came up to visit me in Cambridge and I remember I used to put them to sleep when they were kids and now they are all grown up. My niece is 11 and my nephew is 8 and they teach me stuff now you know. They’ll say ‘mamu have you seen this film, oh you must. You are so outdated.’ Navya, my niece, will tell me you should wear this colour and this brand.

I find it absolutely fascinating how they are so with it. And yeah so that period of me spoiling them went away long back. Now they are spoiling me

When I interviewed Aishwarya she said you spend more time before a mirror then she does, is that true?
Yea yea! I mean have you not seen me? I think I need to spend even more time! I have to look presentable whereas she can just roll out of bed and look stunning. I have to work at this!

She also mentioned gifting you the international rap artist Nelly’s mic - that must have totally floored you!?
Who told you about that?! Yes she gave me that for Valentine’s Day a few years back because she knows I love Nelly. I think he’s fantastic. And she got me a mic that he used in one of his concerts and it’s autographed by him. In fact it’s on my desk in my office. It’s fantastic and definitely one of my prized possessions.

So will you be giving her something as personalized as that any time soon?
You mean will I give her an autographed mic any time soon? Sure, probably one that I have sung on!! (laughs) Well yea, that’s an idea. No she’s just too cool with gifts. She always comes up with the most wonderful ones.

So is she the one who decides who gets what gifts?
Oh yea totally! I am terrible with gifts. Like my extent of a good gift are flowers! That’s as creative as I can get in gifts. Her and mom come with the coolest ideas about gifts. Dad and I just take the back seat. The girls are best at it, we two are simply disastrous when it comes to buying gifts!

Ok since you are surrounded by so many women in your life and although you don’t like to shop, you have survived many of them. Give one advice to men on what it takes to live through them.
I don’t know. Really. Shockingly, and I won’t say thankfully, the women in my life aren’t shopaholics. They really aren’t, mom and Ash both. So I never have had to deal with that.

But, you know, I wouldn’t mind doing that! I would love to indulge them in that in fact. I would love to take Ash on a shopping spree. You know I would love to say ‘Here’s 5th Avenue, freak out’ or ‘honey, here’s Sloane Street, have fun.’ I would love to say all that and do that for her. It would give me great joy to buy her things that she wants.

But Ash will be like no I have this or I don’t need that. She is very cute about it. My mom is the same way. My dad and I would love to indulge them but they are very happy as they are. I can’t tell you how much joy it gives me to give things. I am a big present person – in the sense that I love to give people gifts. I may not give the best presents but it gives me immense joy and pleasure to give them. However I do know that they would love for us to tell them we want to go on a shopping on spree. And it’s not because of the shopping but for the fact that we are walking on the street together.

And I think that’s pretty much what all women want. I think it’s a ploy – they take us shopping. They actually want to spend time with you. And I think guys are just dumb because they don’t get it!!

Finally you and Aishwarya look gloriously in love whenever we see you two in public. What will you tell all the men who are about to tie the knot?
Run! Run! Nah I’m just joking. Run down the aisle. Trust me it’s fantastic. I think it’s really mean how everyone makes fun of marriage. I think it’s the coolest thing on Earth. It really is.

Well I think I have the coolest wife on Earth. She really is. I mean which wife would want to come to Stanford Bridge to watch a soccer match and cheer louder than you that you have to control her. She knows more about video games than I do. She likes to watch action films.

I remember when we were dating and we would go watch movies, we saw movies like X-Men! I thought that was really cool. I mean it’s a guy’s dream! No chick flicks at all. She was like let’s go see stuff blow up! I remember the first time we went and saw a movie in the theatre we were shooting for Guru and Mani (Ratnam) gave us the day off. So we went in the morning and came out at night! We watched like some four films. We had a blast. She loves going to the movies. I think marriage is just great.

- Starboxoffice.com