Published by
Webmaster
at 01:03:22 am on June 6, 2008
‘He’s magic!’ …says Aishwarya Bachchan, the Most Beautiful Girl in the World, about husband Abhishek to MARK MANUEL on the eve of their first film together as man and wife.
It’s a pity that the first film Abhiash (the dashing Abhishek and lovely Aishwarya Bachchan) appear in together after marriage, has no romantic involvement between the two. But Ram Gopal Varma, who makes films differently, thought otherwise while casting his Sarkar Raj that releases today. “It’s a film about relationships,” Varma said on air this week. And, in the filmmaker’s book perhaps, it made greater sense to see the hit jodi of Guru play not man and wife, but Sarkar Jr and corporate CEO in his film. Abhishek admitted, “There is no romantic involvement between Ash and me in the film, but there is mutual respect, and admiration.” To which Ash added,
“There is a connection. Ramu’s idea of romance is different. There’s no singing and dancing around trees. But that’s because the characters in his films put their personal lives on the back burner.”
So, the question I had for Bollywood’s happily married couple was, would they now, as husband and wife, be able to enact romantic scenes before the camera with the same ease and passion as they did in earlier films like Guru? Or had one year of married life taken the edge off that chemistry?
Ash answered for them, “By the grace of God, yes, that’s still there. We love our craft, that’s what we do best, but we love each other more intimately.” She has certainly been there and done more than him in Bollywood and outside. How does Ash rate Abhishek alongside his father, Amitabh Bachchan, in the film all three have worked on? “To work with Pa is an absolute privilege,” she said, “I’ve grown up on his cinema, I’ve adored him on celluloid, it’s truly enriching to work with him and I look forward to more experiences. Abhishek is different. While I cannot take away from the fantastic job Pa has done, Abhishek’s commitment to his work has not slipped my eye. Pa plays his role with restraint, he gives a powerful performance without screaming for attention, but that’s expected of him. While Abhishek, who is sharing screen space with this stalwart who is also his father, delivers what is attributed to him as an actor. Which is also a silent, powerful performance without four pages of dialogue to back it.”
What was it like to watch Abhishek at work when they were not doing a scene together? Abhiash, as the couple is known, has done Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Naa Kaho, Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2 and Guru together. Ash said, “He’s spontaneous, his scenes are given at the last moment, but he needs to be comfortable. When we did the Kajra Re number in Bunty Aur Babli, I was working with Abhishek after a gap, and we were not as yet involved. I was amazed to see the growth in him. I could literally see the fire in his eyes. The gears had changed. Something had clicked. He was now riding another wave. I saw it also in Umrao Jaan. And then in Guru. I was proud to see his growth as a colleague and co-star. In Guru, especially, the transformation in him was so quick, I was genuinely super-impressed and wondered when did he prepare for each scene.”
And what was the best thing about working together, I asked the Bachchan bahu about her husband. “Now that we know each other’s minds, there is a deeper connection, what we have in common in our ability to become the characters we are to be as actors,” she replied. “As a co-star, he’s magic, he really loves what he does, and the way he creates those special moments between us is magical. Our relationship is real, so our reaction to situations is not conventional, it’s not mush but deep and caring. Besides, it’s great to work with actors who enjoy cinema being created. Abhishek Bachchan is one of them. Today as man and wife, if we are both actors, doing cinema, doing good work, and while doing so if we can spend time together because our directors cast us that way… what could be more wonderful!”
