ABHISHEK BACHCHAN ON CALCUTTA & SURYA SEN, PA & ASH

The moustache and stubble are gone. Because Raavan’s over. His hair is styled to look very today. That possibly can’t be Surya Sen. And there are those shades. That AB Jr was quick to clarify had more to do with an eye infection than anything else. What’s unchanged is that deep (but not daunting like his Dad) baritone, as he spoke to t2 while a video camera recorded the interview. Well, that’s the norm for the Bachchans nowadays what with Pa’s mind-blogging battle against sections of the Mumbai media. So, here’s Abhishek, on the record, from Oberoi Grand...

It all started here in Calcutta with Yuva, didn’t it?

Calcutta has been very, very significant for me. As you said, it all started with Yuva. Yuva surely was the turning point for me and I owe a lot of it to Calcutta. It’s weird. Even when my films weren’t doing well, in the initial phase of my career, my distributors here in West Bengal were always happy. Because the films always did reasonably well here. And so the audience over here has always loved me and has always been very supportive. I am eternally grateful…. Calcutta is very, very important to me.

Besides Bigg Boss, which your father is hosting, the biggest buzz on TV has been the commercial you shot with Aishwarya. What was the experience like?

It was great fun. It was like shooting another film. And we have done a lot of films together (Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Naa Kaho, Dhoom:2, Guru, Sarkar Raj, Raavan). It was just an extension of that. Just that this time we were not playing different characters, we were playing ourselves. That was a new experience and it was great fun.

Paul Newman, Shah Rukh Khan and yourself… the only three men to have done Lux commercials. How does that make you feel?

It makes me feel good. It’s good company, don’t you think (laughs)?

You also appeared with Aishwarya on the Oprah Winfrey show. How was that?

Oh great. Oprah was a lot of fun. She is very sweet. It was wonderful. She flew us down to Chicago to show us her studio and spent a lot of time with us. She is very, very warm and so fascinated about India. She is very eager to learn more about our culture. She gave us so much respect and love. Really very cherished memories.

Do you feel that your image on the small screen has been largely built around the Sirjee ads of Idea Cellular?

Most definitely. I think the Idea communications have been fantastic. The agency and the company have done a fantastic job of putting the right ideas out there. They have always been a clutter-breaker. And the success of the commercials says it all. I love the fact that they give me an opportunity to play different, different characters. There was truly a concept behind all the commercials. A big problem when a celebrity endorses a product is that people get a bit lazy. They say, okay, we have a celebrity and so we don’t need to work hard on it. I think Idea has done the complete opposite. They have taken an actor and they have put in more thought and more effort in the commercials.
Abhishek with ‘Pa’ Amitabh Bachchan

Getting back to films, did you ever even in your wildest dreams think that you would be playing the father of your father, as you have done in Pa?

No, no, no… And that’s the reason I did the film. I remember (director) Balki coming up to me about a year-and-a-half ago and he said: “I have a concept and I want to make a film.” I said, ‘what?’. And he said, “I want you to play Amitji’s father.” I said, ‘I am on’. I had no idea what the script was. Dad agreed for the very same reasons. Now we have made the film. It’s turned out beautifully. I am very, very proud of it. I am glad that the first film I have ever done for my father’s company is Pa. Dad is sensational in the film and I am really excited about the film, which releases on December 4.

Did it feel strange on the sets playing Pa to your Pa?

It was great. When the camera rolled, I got to boss him around. The minute the camera stopped, he was back to bossing me around. It was fun!

Are you excited to play Surya Sen in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey? Have you read up on him?

Oh, we have done extensive research on him over the last two-three months. I have been sitting with Ashu for the last week actually because we just wrapped shooting on Raavan. I am very excited about the film and about playing Surya Sen.

How has Raavan shaped up, because there were lots of unfavourable reports from the sets?

Wonderful, wonderful! It’s been a very demanding film. The most challenging film I have ever done. Which is what I say after every Mani Ratnam film. But that’s what Mani does. When we did Yuva, I was exhausted. I said, my god, this guy makes you work really hard. Then he gave me Guru. Compared to Guru, Yuva was like kindergarten. And now compared to Yuva and Guru, Raavan is something else. He’s really pushed the envelope this time. The film is very special to me… it’s Mani Ratnam, it’s the team of Guru again. I am very confident that it’s going to be fantastic.

You are slated to do Dostana 2 for Karan Johar’s company, Crooked for Farhan Akhtar’s company, a film with Rohan Sippy. They are all your childhood friends. How important is it for you to work with friends?

It’s almost of paramount importance. ‘Almost’, I say. I am the kind of actor who needs to be very comfortable when I work. I can’t be overwhelmed or overawed on the sets. Then I get very inhibited. And it’s very important for me to have a friendly atmosphere on the sets. Luck would have it that all the films I have done so far have been with my friends. Yes, it’s very, very important.

And when are you coming back to Calcutta to shoot your fifth film here?

I just spoke to Rituda (Rituparno Ghosh). We will work out some stuff. I love working with him. It’s like a holiday for me. He does all the work. He shows you the shot and he acts it out for you. And you know when he’s behind the camera, he will really take care of everything. I need a holiday. I keep telling him.

- Telegraphindia.com