The pressures of being Amitabh Bachchan's son must be immense but in the ten years that Abhishek Bachchan has been a part of the Hindi film industry, he has never complained. With his latest film "Paa", both the Bachchans bring the father-son relationship alive on screen, albeit with a twist.
The 33-year-old actor has slowly won his own place under the Bollywood sun, and spoke to Reuters about the time he thought he wouldn't make it as an actor, what director Mani Ratnam means to him, and of course "Paa".
Q: The fact that you are playing your father's father in "Paa" is unique in itself but you are also playing a young politician in the film. That's also unusual, isn't it?
A: "I was very excited when (director) Balki told me that he wanted to make my character a politician because I was very keen to show a politician in good light. Unfortunately, we typecast politicians in our films and there is a cliché of a politician who wears a Nehru cap, wears a sadri (traditional Indian garb), chews paan and is corrupt.
"I wanted to show that there are politicians who are forward thinking and can do good things. Amol Arte is not corrupt. He is a good guy and I think everyone's faith in politicians will be rebestowed (sic) after this film."
Q: This is also a movie that has quite a radical subject, doesn't it?
A: "Well, for starters, the film isn't about progeria. That is just a background. Progeria was a second thought and I don't mean that with any disrespect. Balki came up with the idea that he wanted me to play my father's father and we set about looking for a plausible reason to do that. How do you have me and my father in the same frame and make it look believable? That's when Balki came upon progeria which is a very unfortunate disease where the human body ages much faster than it is supposed to.
"People with progeria have a very distinct look, so the make-up was right there. We did take a few creative liberties. But the film is not about progeria and nor does it show the tragic life of a progeria victim. It's a happy film and you will definitely leave the theatre with a smile on your face. It's a film about a father and a son."
Q: Bollywood hasn't really moved to making films that have radical subjects. Do you think "Paa" is that film?
A: "I think our films are fantastic and I don't know why the word 'masala film' is looked down upon. I dare anyone to come and make a masala film here -- it is very tough. I think our genre of films is unique and every week we come up with something good.
"I don’t think 'Paa' is a radical film. At the heart of it, it is an emotional, sweet film. I don't look at it as radical just because our lead artiste has got a new look." Read More...
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