'Delhi 6 is a community-based film'

Abhishek Bachchan talks about the film, Ash and more

On the eve of his major release Bachchan Jr has several things on his mind. After receiving laurels for his role in Dostana, the actor tackles a completely different character in Delhi-6.

I sit with him and hear him talk about the past year and the one ahead. Apart from Abhishek, the actor, I connected to Abhishek, a fellow Chelsea Football Club fan.... Here are excerpts from the conversation...

Sonam Kapoor has been spoken about a lot more in the promos than you. Comment.
That's really good. I feel good about it as long as they are talking about the film. That's all that matters. I've never been an actor who worries about the bigger or better role. It's all about being associated with the right projects.

How was it working with the one-film-old Sonam?
Sonam is an extremely talented young lady and it is fantastic and she is so young. For her to take on a role like Delhi-6 an out-and-out acting centric role takes guts. Hats off to her! I am sure she will do some really amazing work in the coming future.u00a0

You have a funny working relationship with Rakyesh, haven't you two planning to work for the last 12 years?
It's true that we have been planning to do a film for a better part of a decade. He was meant to direct my first film as an actor. We wrote a film together called Samjhauta Express, which we never got any funding for. People don't really believe me when I say that when I came back after finishing my education, that I wanted to be an actor. I visited many directors and producers and they all refused to take me in their movies because they didn't want the burden of launching me. That's when Rakeysh came to me. He told me that he wanted to be a director and I wanted to be an actor, so we should work together and start our own flick. When we were writing Samjhauta Express, he also wrote a script called The Good Versus The Evil which he bounced off me. I loved it. I told him he should make this film with dad. That movie was later made as Aks. Since then, we have always tried to work together but somehow, we haven't been able to pull the time. With Delhi-6, we broke the jinx.

This role went to many actors before coming to you?
Well, Rakeysh and I spoke about this role for over two years before the film actually went on floors. I had loved the script but he wanted to shoot in the winter. Back then, those days were with Mani's Guru. After scheduling a lot of meetings, he asked me if I would mind if he shot with someone else and I said, 'Why not?' All the actors he approached called me. I told them I wasn't doing it because of a dates issue. Eight months later, Rakeysh came to me saying he felt I should do the film. Thankfully, that time around, the dates worked perfectly and we rolled.

Mehra is supposed to be a tough taskmaster...
Not at all. He is the most docile person on the sets. Totally chilled out and very patient. His greatest forte as a director is that he is willing to wait. He is going to allow you all the time in the world to do what you have to do.

From the promos, it looks like one of those Sooraj Barjatya films with the entire extended family, grandma et al...
You almost say it in a bad way. Rang De Basanti too had an ensemble cast. D6 is a community based film. And I think what's really nice is that after a really long time there is a film which is going to appeal to the entire family. For the past two years, we have been making genre-based films and I'm certain that Delhi-6 will change that ritual.

Your last film, Dostana was such a huge success, does that put added pressure on you for Delhi-6?u00a0u00a0u00a0
No, I've never believed in this thing about being pressured about a film. Because I realise it has nothing to do with me. Even Dostana doing well had nothing to do with me being in it. It had to do with the script. The credit for the same should go entirely to Tarun (Mansukhani) and Karan (Johar). I know I can't make a film work by myself and I believe no actor has that power. Yes, there's a responsibility you want to entertain your audience you want them to have a good time but I don't feel any pressure about it.

After Dostana released, John ended up with all the limelight, not you?
Unfortunately I was in Kerala shooting for my next when Dostana came out. Also, I don't believe in this whole thing of limelight, etc. What limelight? Does it mean that some one gave a few more interviews or because they were spoken about more tomorrow when I write my CV, Dostana is going to be in it it doesn't matter who hogged the limelight. It's my film, too.

John has been saying that he'd love to do a sequel of Dostana. You up for it?u00a0
No, I believe there are some films, which you should leave alone. I don't think the setting of the film allows a sequel. I mean what are we going to do now? As far as John and I are concerned, I'd love to work with him. But definitely, no sequel to Dostana, for sure.

You're signing a lot of film with your wife Aishwarya. Does that limit you two as actors?
I am not doing many films with her. I'm only doing one film with Ash (Mani's film) and that's about it. Besides, the casting of a film is not in my hand; it all depends on what the director likes. I have never been one to say I want this person in my film, although I have been accused of that in the past. Its not my place to tell anything to the producer or the director how they should go about making their film.

Abhinav Deo's film stars you and Aishwarya again. It's said to have a huge budget. Do you feel the pressure?
Like I said before, it is all about the film. It could be a small budget movie or a full-blown feature. If the film is not good, it's not going to work. I just hope I live up to Abhinav's expectations. It's a great thriller and I am looking forward to it.

So who do you think you make the best screen couple with?
With John (laughs). I don't know. I have never thought about it. I think it changes from script to script. Maybe in a particular genre one person is better suited than the other.

You have lost so much weight for Mani's film; did you have a trainer or something?
Well, when you do a film with Mani, he is going to demand something from you he is going to push you and challenge you; that is the greatest excitement of working with him. Last time around for Guru, he asked me to put on weight. This time around, he told me he wants me to be thinner than I already am. So you do what's required.

You've been under heat for your weight.u00a0u00a0
I've never really understood why over the last 18 months people started calling me fat. Those were all requirements for my films. For Guru, I was asked to put on 10 kilos. I lost weight for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. For Sarkar Raj, Ramu and I wanted Shankar Nagre to look healthy and not as lean as he was in the first film. So he was more filled out. I never understand why are we so obsessed about the physicality of a person. We actors don't really get to look like we want to all the time cause we are playing a certain character. I think Aamir (Khan) is a wonderful example of that in the way that he transformed himself for a character in Ghajini.

In Yuva, you played a negative character and now, with Mani's next, yet again. Coming full circle?
That is one thing Mani will never do coming back a full circle. He is always going to do something new. The character he has given me in his new film is something I have never done before. Although I don't think I will call it negative.

You are always keen to sign films with new directors. Is that a deliberate decision?
I have always worked with directors that wanted to work with me and have great scripts with them. In the last year, I had three releases out of which it was Goldie's second film and Tarun's first film.

Drona was such a disaster, but in retrospect what do you think went wrong with?
In retrospect, I think our screenplay went wrong. I think Drona should have done a lot moreu00a0 on the screenplay level; we didn't do that. I think the audience expected things to move a lot faster. We took too long to say what we wanted to.

Drona had an open ending. Any plans for a sequel?
I don't think Goldie is ready for one yet. I don't know what he is planning to do next either. Obviously, seeing the fate of the film I don't think making a sequel would interest anybody right now.

You were in talks for a big deal with Big Pictures post-recession. One hears they're having second thoughts?
We are working together and the joint venture with us still stands.

You've been refusing films with Kareena Kapoor for a long time. How long will this war last?
I am not refusing any film with her.