With Mani Ratnam’s Guru, the actor came into his own, getting even Bollywood’s Biggest Legend Amitabh Bachchan to endorse his talent. And though some films in between put him on a see-saw, R Balki’s Paa once again brought to light the fact that despite sharing screen space with his father, in what is an award-winning performance for the Big B, AB Junior can very well hold his own.
This year could be the culmination of all these years of ups and downs for the actor. He gets into the most eventful phase of his career. Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s Crooked, Karan Johar’s Dostana-2, Abbas Mustan’s The Italian Job (Hindi remake), Anurag Basu’s next, and, Rohan Sippy’s untitled venture are five of the films that go on the floor this year with Abhishek in the lead. And on June 18, Raavana — Mani Ratnam’s most ambitious venture so far, with AB Jr as the protagonist, will open to a global audience.
When asked how he had suddenly become so prolific, Abhishek who has a great sense of humor says, “I haven’t mastered the art of doing one film at a time.’’ The actor feels he is blessed (yes he couldn’t ask for a more rocking birthday gift) because suddenly his life and career are zooming. His television debut was better received than many other superstar small-screen acts; and what is more, even in Bollywood, he has found a definite spot for himself. “I’m truly fortunate that I can mix and match my genre of cinema,’’ says the actor. “If Crooked is a thriller, Raavan a socio-drama and Dostana-2 a comedy, then it only means that I can fit into cross-genre cinema with ease. I’m truly happy that I’ll be working round the clock for the next couple of years. And more importantly, I will be doing cinema that I believe in.’’
At 34, Abhishek is a decade younger than the ruling Khans, that also means he has the advantage of age on his side. Whether in his acting style or his positioning in the Bollywood hierarchy, the actor sees himself “competing only with himself’’ and the endeavor is to constantly strive to do better work. “Good box office is gratifying of course, but good work is equally gratifying,’’ he says.
And asked if there is anything in particular he may still want on this birthday, the actor says, “I’d like to do more work with my wife Aishwarya Bachchan. The advantage of working with Ash is that the two of us get to make a good film together (Guru, Sarkar Raj, Raavan) and on the personal front, I also get time to spend with my wife.’’ Well, with one of the world’s most beautiful women more than willing to comply with Abhishek Bachchan’s wishes, there is very little anyone else can offer him. He is truly blessed.
