Actor Abhishek Bachchan’s film Ghoomar hit the theaters last Friday. Abhishek is seen in the role of a strict mentor in this sports based film. He says he bleached his hair for the role. While all his friends his age have grayed their hair a bit, his hair is still black, not a single one has turned white. A conversation with Urmila Kori about his character and the film.
In the trailer of the film, your character is Khadus, how difficult was it to get into this character?
Yes, my character is very rude and very insensitive. I also told Balki, the director of the film, that he should not talk to such a woman. He said no, you do it because he needs to act normal. By not acting normally, you feel bad for him. The fact that you’re talking like that means you’re the girl who doesn’t have one arm. You don’t matter. If you want to compete with the rest of the world, you have to work harder than other people. Don’t use your weakness as a crutch, use it as a strength. This strength also comes from normal behavior. That will also come in the character, so it has to be like that for my character.
Your association with R.Balki goes back a long way, how would you describe this association?
I love working with him. I have been associated with him for the past twenty years. We did our first film ‘Pa’ with him but I have also worked with him in many commercials. I love his sensitivity and his unique approach to certain situations in life. He is a wonderful person.
Does all these years of bonding require reading scripts?
Our way of thinking is a bit different, rather sir he just tells me his idea and when you say you like it he goes ahead and writes it and then once the script is done I read it too.
Is the film inspired by the life of an athlete?
Director Balki was inspired by the Hungarian pistol shooter who won a gold medal at the Olympics, but developed problems with his right hand, then trained to shoot left-handed and won two more gold medals at the Olympics. This incident gave rise to the idea of the film. Not based on that.
Has your career been full of ups and downs, does constant failure lead to self-doubt, are your parents very successful as artists?
Of course, sometimes I doubt myself. Yes, my parents are successful, but that doesn’t stop you from being better yourself. More than that it is about you and your expectations. You are the biggest critic of your talent. You know where you went wrong. At least when I watch my movies I know if they will work or not.
Do you believe in being negative or constructive as a critic?
You must be creative. I don’t believe in any kind of negativity. It is up to you to decide what happens next. You don’t complain, always offer solutions.
Who is your biggest critic?
I am my biggest critic and watch my movies everyday. I have a stack of notebooks where I jot down notes on where I went wrong.
You are seen in the role of a strict mentor in the film, who was your mentor in your bad days?
My parents have always been my mentors. I guess you could say mom was always there. Papa used to be mostly in shooting. Mother was strict, but father never raised a hand against us, even today he only has to look at us and we understand our mistake. By the way, they are both very supportive and loving parents.
Who do you think is the winner?
It depends, if you are a player you know who the winner is, whether you win or lose the game, but in life we have to go beyond that. You have to go through a different area. The definition of success has to change. The present generation has become more materialistic. If I talk about myself, I think that if I can lay my head on the pillow and sleep peacefully at night, this is success. Maybe we should focus more on achieving something important. We work hard and think we have to buy a bungalow and a car. This is a very difficult thing, because finally after death one has to lose everything and go here. I remember during covid, we had just come back from the hospital after suffering from covid. We were all tired of sitting at home and complaining. My wife came in and said, “Listen, we have a healthy family to be thankful for. What is more important than this? I thought it was right. Your near and dear ones are happy, healthy and together. I see no greater definition of success than this.
You said this generation is materialistic, you have nieces and nephews who are growing up now and your daughter Aaradhya is also grown up, so what advice would you like to give them?
I teach them to be good people. This is what my parents taught me. Naveen and Agastya are adults today and are an example for Aaradhya. Aishwarya and I are teaching him to be a better person. This is what we were taught as children.
In personal life do you motivate Aaradhya for any particular exam as a guide?
All this is done by his mother. I think you should be loving and encouraging. This is the best thing that every parent should do. It is essential to give them emotional support and let them know that they will be loved no matter what. Anyway life will teach them.
Have you seen Rocky and Rani and what do you think of your mother Jaya Bachchan’s performance?
It’s a different feeling and equation with my mother, I don’t see her as an actor. I can see father and Aishwarya as actors but not mother. It’s just a feeling. I can never do her justice. I watched the movie with him. It’s hard to connect her as anything other than her mother. So it’s very emotional for me.
Your upcoming movies?
Shoojit will start shooting for a film with Sarkar.