Abhishek Bachchan plays a druglord in the murder mystery "Game", a genre he confesses he likes immensely and has not explored as yet. And guess his inspiration: the master detective Sherlock Holmes!

The junior Bachchan is also keeping his fingers crossed about his second production venture "Bbuddah-Hoga Terra Baap".

"It is actually the genre of the film 'Game' that attracted me - the genre is one of my favourites to watch - a murder mystery, the whodunit! And I hadn't done one yet. I was very intrigued about doing it, and very happy to do it," Abhishek told IANS, confessing he is a fan of fictional detective character Sherlock Holmes.

The lanky star, a good 6'3'' tall, was quite effusive as he sat down to share his thoughts about the upcoming film "Game", directed by accomplished ad filmmaker Abhinay Deo.

He said "Game" gave him ample chance to exploit his potential. The film will see Abhishek in the role of a druglord, caught in the web of suspicion over a murder at an island.

Explaining his thoughts behind choosing films, Abhishek said: "I never sat down and said that 'Okay! This decade I did this, and in the coming decade, I want to do that'. I think you just have to follow your heart...do the films that inspire you, do the films that you automatically take a liking to. I think that's the best policy to have. I like the fact that you do a film because you are passionate about it and you just want to see where that ride takes you."

Abhishek, 35, has great plans for his career as a producer too. He instantly sports a mischievous, school boy-like smile and a twinkle in his eye when you compliment him on his success as producer with "Paa" that had his megastar father Amitabh Bachchan playing his progeria-afflicted son.

Dressed casually in white shirt, beige coat and a pair of jeans, Abhishek graciously thanks the IANS correspondent during the interview at a five-star hotel here.

"First of all, thank you," he said smiling. "Well, we started the schedule of my second production 'Bbuddah-Hoga Terra Baap' about two weeks ago. The shooting should be finished by the end of next month. Of course we are hoping good things happen to it too."

The actor is also looking forward to his other acting projects, as well as the shooting schedule of Abbas-Mustan's "Players", for which he will be going to Russia once "Game" and "Dum Maaro Dum" hit the screens April 1 and April 22, respectively.

Abhishek, who is married to former beauty queen and one of Hindi films' top actresses, Aishwarya Rai, has not had an easy going since his debut in 2000, thanks to competition from other actors and constant comparisons with his father's acting prowess. But he is raring to go and says his only motto is not to "stagnate" in what he is doing.

"I still haven't performed even in one film of mine yet, which I can see and and say - 'Okay! I have done a good job'," said Abhishek.

"It is very important for every actor to keep learning and improving every day. You need to keep pushing the bar every day. If you don't, you start becoming complacent. I would actually hate to see a film and then say...'Oh yeah! I did a great job', because somewhere at the back of my head, I will become lazy and complacent about my craft and that will be the death of creativity," he said.

"It doesn't make sense to keep doing the same thing and then stagnate. So I think it is very important to keep yourself motivated. And as I said, I have high standards. I want to be performing at a level which I think I haven't achieved it," he added.

- Mid-Day