I want to be known for my work: Abhishek Bachchan : Interviews News : ApunKaChoice.Com


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I want to be known for my work: Abhishek Bachchan
22nd Aug 2006 15.17 IST
By Agencies

Abhishek Bachchan says that he would rather be known for his line of work rather than for his personal liaisons.

His has been a long and steady march from being the son of Bollywood's most celebrated actors to the teenage heartthrob of millions.

With rising fame for Abhishek has, however, come the inevitable consequence of constant media speculation on his 'romantic life', something which invariably stems from his tag as Bollywood's 'most eligible bachelor'.

Though, personally, Abhishek would rather be known for his line of work rather than for his personal liaisons, he nevertheless is not uncomfortable with the constant media prying into his personal life considering it just an offshoot of being an actor.

"Having the tag of ‘most eligible bachelor’ being attached to you is really embarrassing. I would much rather they call me a successful actor. I’m not complaining, as long as they look upon me favourably. But I would prefer much rather that I’d be known for my work," Abhishek told the TV channel CNN-IBN in a tête-à-tête.

Asked if all the attention being paid to his ‘romantic life’ made him somewhat uncomfortable, Abhishek, in an interview to Rajiv Masand in a special programme 'Rising Son' telecast yesterday, said, "not really. It’s part and parcel of your job. When you become an actor, you must know that you are a ‘public property’. That’s fair enough, but what you make of your public image is up to you.

"I keep my private life private because I don’t want people to know what pajamas I go to bed in, on what side of the bed I sleep, what I say to my dad or how I talk to my mother when I order my lunch. We conduct our lives on a public stage but please I would request people to leave ‘this’ bit to us so that we can keep our sanity. Am I uncomfortable? I would say no. Because I know that an actor’s life comes under immense scrutiny and observation. If you don’t like it then you shouldn’t become an actor. If you want to be there, then you must know how to deal with it."

Abhishek said he was amused by all the stories in the media about, say, horoscopes being matched, his impending marriage and so on.

"It makes some very interesting reading. I am impressed with the people who write them. Their creativity and power of imagination is truly incredible. I am actually looking for all such people to hire them as scriptwriters. They are brilliant in what they do," he said in a humorous vein.

Referring in this context to stories about the so-called cold war between Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan and that the Big B had allegedly ‘forced’ Karan Johar to add a song featuring Abhishek in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna , the actor said, "first and foremost, my dad and I are not the kind of people who would do something like that. Secondly, we are in no position to do that. Thirdly, it’s sad that people who write such lies when witness that we all are together, must have been feeling very stupid and little.

Shah Rukh is very close to our family. He is somebody I have got to know through my father and mother. My mother is immensely close to him and he is a wonderful person."

As regards comparisons between his role and that of SRK in 'KANK' went, Abhishek said, "when it comes to ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ I would like to state that I have no false illusions of grandeur. ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’s lead hero is Shah Rukh. I am just the supporting lead and perhaps the third main lead in the film. I am not presumptuous or precarious enough to think of myself as equal to Shah Rukh yesterday, today or tomorrow. Shah Rukh is the biggest star that we have in the country. I think he is a fantastic person to look up to as an idol."

"I am just happy being a part of the supportive caste in his film. In fact I am just happy to be a part of the film," Abhishek said.

Among his forthcoming films, Abhishek really looks forward to working in Dhoom 2 , the sequel of his earlier hit Dhoom , and Mani Ratnam 's Guru opposite the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai .

"I think the exciting thing about doing a sequel is if the actors have already been there in the prequel, you don’t have to do much. Uday and myself knew everything about the characters. It’s the same unit and our chemistry and rapport did help. I don’t want to sound pompous but ‘Dhoom 2’ is just bigger and better. One reason is because it has a bigger star cast. Our aim was to make a bigger action film, which is more entertaining, and take it to a higher level. So, I hope we achieve that with this film," Abhishek said.

On working with Ratnam in 'Guru', his second film with the South Indian filmmaker, the earlier being Yuva , Abhishek said, "getting the chance to work with him for a second time is truly a blessing, because you have got over with the fear of working with ‘Mr. Mani Ratnam’ and have become more comfortable with him. To add to it, Aishwarya (Rai) who started her career with Mani is also a part of the film. Everybody knew each other, so it was very comfortable. Any role that Mani gives you is assured to be interesting, intriguing and very tough. Guru has been a very tough film and challenging to do. I hope it turns rewarding, more so for Mani because he has worked very hard on it. He is truly a genius and deserves every bit of the credit that he gets."

Asked about his plans for marriage, the junior Bachchan said, "not in the near future at least. I have just started my career and there is a lot that needs to be done. I think there is a lot to achieve before one can settle down in life. But then again, you may never know. Tomorrow you might just turn around and walk into someone wonderful and say, "Wow, this is it."

On whether there was pressure from the family in this regard, he said, "My parents have not been the sorts to pressurise me on something like that. They have never been that narrow-minded to raise such a question. They know the kind of life actors’ lead and they respect that. Even in terms of marriage, they have left it upon me to decide. They always say, "let us know when you are ready and we will be fine with it"."

Having made his mark as an actor after a long struggle, Abhishek now feels he could not think of being anywhere else but before the arc lights.

"Can’t say if I was destined to(be an actor), but yes, I always wanted to be an actor. If I had not become an actor, perhaps I could have been a struggling actor. I would have been ‘pounding the pavement’ (as you call in actor’s lingo), outside producers’ office asking them for some work," he said.

Abhishek said the best thing about being a movie star was the "The love that you get. You can’t really explain it. Anywhere you go, you have an audience that comes up to you to shake hands with you. You don’t even know them but they are truly excited to see you. It’s an emotion that is hard to explain. It’s just an amazing experience."

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Abhishek Bachchan
Shah Rukh Khan
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Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
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Dhoom
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Aishwarya Rai
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