ABHISHEK BACHCHAN
Does Hrithik Have An Edge Over Him?

Amitabh bachcha, Abhishek Bachchan is part of folklore today.

He may have had a good debut with Refugee, but the film did not rake in the shekels.

His following two films Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya and Dhai Akshar Prem Ke too refused to set the turnstiles on fire.

Apparently, the lack of box-office collections may have upset the young lad, but he has taken it in his stride.

After all, his illustrious father took much longer to be even noticed.

Watching Kaun Banega Crorepati and shooting for his films is part of his agenda now.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Work is important and Abhishek Bachchan is all ready to be Man.

Excerpts from an interview:

Your films aren't doing well. What are you doing about it?
Frankly, I do not take believe that I should be sitting and counting how much moolah my films raked in. Giving a box-office verdict is the job of the people. My job is to act. That is why I say that I am an actor and not a star. I try and perform in the best possible manner. If my work is not being appreciated, I guess that I should take it in my stride and move on. I have to try and better my work, if I am not good in what I am doing.

Don't you feel that Hrithik's got an edge over you now?
Hrithik is an old friend. He is a wonderful actor too. It is wrong to compare two actors. My work can be judged without comparing me to Hrithik. The industry is big enough to accommodate three Khans, Hrithik, Abhishek, Bobby, Fardeen and everyone else.

What films are you working on now?
I have Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai being directed by a friend of mine called Goldie Behl starring Jackie Shroff and Sushmita Sen. Then I have a film called Shararat being directed by another friend, Gurudev Bhalla and a third film directed by yet another friend Ramesh Sippy's son Rohan Sippy. And there are a couple of projects that I will talk about after a month, because I have to sign on the dotted line.

Was Refugee the right debut for you?
Refugee's collections may not be tremendous. But it is not a flop. My performance in the film was appreciated. People like me in the film. They liked my performance. I got other roles based on that performance. J P Dutta did best what he could. He made a good film. I feel, I could not have asked for a better debut.

Indian cinema has seen your father as the greatest movie star of all times. What has been your take on this?
Frankly, I have looked at father as just my father. He is my hero later.
Even he used to make that very clear. He never used to work from home.
His airs of stardom never followed him into our house too. He has been a normal father who would interact normally with his offsprings. There have never been times when he would throw tantrums at home and state that he wanted to be alone. He would never ask to be treated like a star at home.
He has been a normal father like anyone else's.

But you have also seen him on screen before? How did you react then?
I am his biggest fan. I have seen all his films, umpteen times.

Did you cry when he was being beaten up?
Oh yeah! I really didn't like it. As a child, you do not want your father to be beaten up by anyone. I used to react to him as an actor as well. But it was nice to know that he would come back home, safe.

Do you often reprimand yourself and try to amend blunders after watching yourself on celluloid?
To be honest, I have felt after watching myself that everything is wrong with me. I am my biggest fan and critic as well.

What goes on in the back of your mind when you are acting or dancing?
There are bound to be comparisons with anything you do… I don't think of comparisons when I am in front of the camera. Otherwise, I shall never be able to do anything properly. So I just shut off. When you are being compared to Mr Bachchan, you are compared to the best. I know that I am not the best. So I have to just concentrate on work. I am also being compared to Hrithik Roshan. It is good to be compared to the best of yesteryears and the best of today.

What do you do normally now?
I shoot for my movies. Then I go back home, have dinner and watch Kaun Banega Crorepati from Monday to Thursday. Father comes back home and asks us some question about what he asked someone on the quiz show of Kaun Banega Crorepati. He enjoys that role a lot.

Do you tease him about Kaun Banega Crorepati with Kaun Banega Crorepati jokes?
No. Of course not. He is the head of the family. There are no jokes about him. But yes, I do get ragged by all my directors and co-stars when I go to shoot.

Are you very choosy now?
Very much. If you want to be called a good actor who does good films, you have to be choosy. You cannot sign every film being offered because people are paying you money for it. Every decision regarding my career is important for me. So I take care.

Do you try and copy your father?
I don't but people said that I did so in Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya. To be like my father is the ultimate achievement for not me but to many people. Every wants to be a Mr Bachchan today. But I have never consciously tried to do so. If I have look like him and dance like him, it's because I am.