• You know why we chose this spot, Marine Drive?
I believe you shot here with dad?
• And you know why he chose this spot? He said when he first came to Bombay, he slept on a bench here for a week. Of all the stars, he came from the school of hard knocks, isn’t it?
Most definitely. I think the wonderful thing is that he still remembers it and that’s what keeps him rooted. There’s a bakery called City Bakery in Worli. When we used to drive to town as kids, he always used to stop there, and say: You know, I used to eat here. Because post-11 at night when they had to clear out their stock, they used to drop the price of bread, and that was the only time he could afford it.
• They’ve removed the bench as part of their clean-up. I think when we have our equivalent of the Hollywood museum, they should find that bench and put it up, or maybe auction it-they’d make some money on it.
Yeah. So these are all memories-I remember coming here as a child and dad used to show us these places.
• And when he did that, did he ever say: This is a tough business, don’t get into it, try something else?
No, dad never said that. He’s always taught me that life’s a struggle, so get up and fight it. He said: You’re going to have to wake up every day and earn whatever you live on. And it’s not going to be easy, no matter what you do. Whatever you do in life, you’ll have to work very hard. But he never discouraged me from entering the business.
• You’ve had your own hard knocks too-a string of flops.
I think it’s all the process of life. It’s important to realise at an early stage what is required. When I first came into films, I had no clue what I was doing. I was just so excited to be given a job. I’d wanted to be an actor and had left college and come back to be with my dad because I felt he was going through a stage when he needed me. His company, ABCL, wasn’t doing well. So I left my education in America and came back to help him in whatever way I could.
I was a production boy on a film of his called Major Sahib-which basically meant that I was a glorified tea-maker. After that was over, I was looking for a job for about a year. I remember going to people and asking them for work, meeting a lot of directors. And nothing really happened. It was contrary to popular belief, because everybody thought there’d be a line of directors.
• Being Bachchan’s son.
And there really wasn’t. People were a bit apprehensive, to work with me. I presume nobody wanted to take on the pressure of launching me, so to speak.
• But, Abhishek, tell me: what is it like to handle failure so young? All of us, I find, can handle disappointments and failure much better when we’re a bit older.
I really feel it’s important not to romanticise the whole thing. I don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s the circle of life-what goes up must come down. It’s important to learn and be grounded and humbled at an early stage because then, I think, you appreciate it so much more.
• But do you sit and introspect over why some things went wrong?
I don’t know. I don’t like to look back and evaluate what I did wrong because I really feel it’s a waste of time. I think you should look ahead in life.
• But is it tougher to handle failure as a Bachchan kid, when the weight of expectation is so much?
No. Because that’s something I never thought about from the start of my career. In fact, I remember my first day of shooting, I was about to give my first shot. We were near Bhuj, in a small village. It was Refugee, my first film, with Mr. J. P. Dutta. Word spread that I was going to give my first shot. Some neighbouring villagers showed up to see Mr. Bachchan’s son give his first shot; the entire star cast showed up to give their support. And I panicked. Because when you see 10,000 people just looking at you, and you realise they’ve come to see you give your first shot, it’s a bit intimidating. When you’re 22 years old, it kind of gets to you. I completely panicked and I remember thinking: Oh my God, what’s my dad going to say if I don’t get my shot right, and they’re going pass judgement on me-I couldn’t work.
That evening, I went back and I said: Okay, this is not something you can think about. Because if you’re going to be thinking about the expectations and the pressures, you’re not going to concentrate on your job. And that’s what I’m here to do-I’m here to act. I’m not here to bother about expectations.
• But did you ever discuss this with your parents?
Many times. I think as a child you do look immediately to your parents for support whenever there’s some trouble around. They’ve always been exemplary in their support; they’ve always been there, no matter what. I mean, you start doubting yourself after a point of time. When you’ve given 17 flops in a row, you start waking up in the morning and saying: Wait; have I made the right decision? That’s what it does to you. And what happens with actors, because you’re public property, you have to get used to the fact that the public is going to pass judgement on you. Because it’s their right, you’re working for them; we’re entertainers.
Two more pages of Abhishek Bachchan on http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=55429
