Let’s talk a bit about your father. Which are your favourite films starring Amitabh Bachchan?

Oh there are many. But the one I liked the most is Agneepath. I love to see that at least once a month. I think it’s an amazing work.

Are you consciously influenced by his acting style?
I don’t know whether I am consciously influenced by him. But when I approach a scene I try to be as professional while facing the camera as my father is. Like him, I like to do my homework before the camera is switched on. Then I do what comes instinctively to me at the given moment. If I don’t understand a scene, I automatically refer back to the way my father did his scenes.

You do? That surprises me. Because Amitji seems to think he never had the time to guide you?

Not seeking his guidance has been a conscious decision on my part. I want to clear this matter once and for all, because I am being seen as the villain who doesn’t consult his legendary father on professional issues (laughs). It isn’t as though I don’t have the highest regard for my parents. I feel I resemble my father a lot. I also feel I resemble my mother. But my mannerisms are extremely similar to my father’s. I felt if I consciously sought to take acting tips from him I might become his clone on screen. Neither my parents nor I wanted this to happen. I had to try to be different, although I know I can’t be very different from him. He’s after all, a part of me. I feel there should be only one of him. People shouldn’t look at me and say, "Hey here comes another Amitabh Bachchan."

Would you make an effort to be consciously different from your father, like RD Burman?
No, no. I am my father’s son. And I am very proud of it. If, after seeing Refugee people say I have come out looking like my father, I am certainly not going to change that. Although I haven’t consciously copied my father, I am not going to run away from comparisons with him. Let’s face it, I am being compared with the best, am I not? How many people get the privilege of being Mr Bachchan’s son?

It’s curious, but Jaya spent more time with you in your formative years than Amitji. And yet, you’re compared only to him.
My mother thinks I act like here on screen. Although it’s true my sister and I didn’t get to spend too much time with my father, he never let us feel his absence. Even if he spent half an hour a day with us, he made sure it was quality time. I think I grew up as much with my father as with my mother. I connected with my dad through his films. As a child, when I watched his films, I actually felt I was with him.

As a child were you kept away from the showbiz world ka mahaul?
We used to visit my dad on the sets. But that was it. I did attend the other starkids’ birthday parties and so on. In that sense, we were never completely isolated from the film industry. But we were kept away from certain toxic aspects of showbiz.

At what point in your life did you decide to be an actor?
When I’d just turned 18. It was the month of April. I had come down to Mumbai for my Easter holidays. On the flight back, I couldn’t sleep because I was trying to make up my mind about a film career. From school, I called up my mom to tell her I wanted to be an actor. When my father came to know of it, they were both very supportive. They only urged me to attend college first, so that, later, I didn’t have regrets on that score.

Where did you do your schooling?
In Switzerland. After school, I took six months off, to spend time with my parents and sister. Then I went to Boston to attend college. But I never gave myself the chance to finish college. When I had to choose a subject, I wanted to select fine arts & drama. When I spoke to my father about this, he said, "Look, what’s the point of learning to act over there? Shakespeare doesn’t work over here. What better training can you get than the one at home?" That was the time when ABC Corp Ltd had just started out. I saw my father going through a phase in his life when I felt he needed me beside him. So I returned and tried to help with the business in whatever way I could.

So you’re trained to be a corporate man?
Well, I attended office and tried to understand what was going on. But I don’t think I learnt much. I actually learnt a lot about film production when my dad asked me to help him with Major Saab. I worked as a production man.

And journalists would sneak up to you for interviews while you’d duck behind sofas and props?
They did try very hard (laughs). That was the first time I was widely exposed to the film industry. I got a chance to interact with stars and technicians. And I loved every moment of it. I felt there was no better place on earth than showbiz.

How did JP Dutta come into the picture as the director of your debut film?
When I was helping out with Major Saab, we were thinking about what kind of film I should be launched with and how to go about it. It was my good fortune that Mr Dutta selected me for Aakhri Mughal and later Refugee. He asked my father if I would do his film. And I was on. As you say, there may have been other directors who were keen to sign me. But only Mr Dutta took the initiative. I admire him for that.

Refugee is an unusual way to start. Are you comfortable with the song and dance routine?
I think I have the same attitude to dancing as my mother. When the music is switched on, we do what comes naturally to us, and we enjoy it. If you enjoy what you’re doing on screen, it’s bound to come across and communicate with the audience.

In Refugee you got away being just an actor. In subsequent films you’ll have to be a complete entertainer.
Yes, don’t I know it? And I’m doing those films as well. After I had done Refugee for about a year, I started working in other films. They are vastly different. But I am enjoying Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai and Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya.

I think Mr JP Dutta prepared me very well for mainstream cinema. Beyond being a brilliant director, to me he’s a very dear friend. He treated me like a son. On the sets, not only did he instruct me and Kareena on acting, he also taught us how to face the future. He has prepared us completely for our careers.

Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya sounds more like something Govinda would do.
It’s a sweet light hearted romantic film. I play a boy from Agra. It’s directed by the well-known film editor A Muthu. This is his first film as director. In fact even the heroine, Kirti Reddy, is a new girl from the South. I didn’t choose any of my films after Refugee to be consciously different. I heard the scripts and I wanted to do these films. So far, I have made no conscious effort to be different.

The minute you signed JP Dutta’s Refugee you must have been inundated with assignments.
Not really. I think directors were very apprehensive about me. They wanted to see what this boy was all about before signing him. The first film I signed after Refugee was Raj Kanwar’s Dhai Akshar Prem Ke. This is again a love story.

Aren’t you doing lots of love stories?
Yes. I think love is a universal emotion. There can never be too much of it. As for Dhai Akshar, every film falls under the genre created by its director. This film falls in Raj Kanwar’s genre. It’s very much in his style. It’s great fun to go on a different set every day and experience the working styles of different directors.

Considering your upbringing, would you be able to do some of the more ridiculous things that mainstream cinema requires of its actors?
Well my Dad could do anything convincingly. I admit, right now, I have difficulty doing some of the things required of me. When I hit a snag, I think of what my father would have done in the given situation. And then I take it from there.

How much were you pressurised by the pressures that were put on you as the Bachchans’ son?
I never felt the pressure. The atmosphere in our home has always been completely relaxed. My parents never pressurised me to do anything. They have always been very supportive and helpful. I was never allowed to feel the heat. I guess I was lucky that way. As for the films I have chosen, again I was lucky there. I didn’t choose my directors. The directors chose me. For me, it is very essential to be comfortable with the people I work with. My father has advised me that unless I get good vibes from a script I shouldn’t do it. I think that’s sound advice. Whenever I choose roles, I choose instinctively.

On the whole is it a blessing to be the Bachchans’ son?
Of course. I have always been conscious of the responsibilities that come with that name. It is an honour to be a Bachchan. I am the grandson of a great poet, and the son of two great actors who also happen to be wonderful human beings. Who could ask for more?

How do you feel about the Hrithik factor in the Hindi cinema of the new millennium?
Hrithik is a very close friend. I think he deserves every bit of his success. He has slogged hard to get here. If you approach your work with that level of dedication, you can never go wrong. He never started out thinking he’s going to revolutionise cinema. But unintentionally, he’s done just that. And I am so happy for him. I think all of us are here to do our work to the best of our abilities. You know there are one billion viewers in this country alone, plus the audience overseas. There’s room for plenty of actors. Everyone gets fresh air. If someone gets it more than others, I don’t think anyone should grudge him that.

You’re perceived as a serious, introverted person. Is that how you are?
No, I’m shy. But once I get to know a person, I’m fine with him. First impressions mean a lot to me. If I feel comfortable with a person, I’m no longer introverted.

How do you plan to cope with all the slander and gossip about you?
I guess it comes with the territory. I don’t think it affects me. I feel, at the end of the day, I should be remembered as a good human being. That’s what counts. Everybody gets affected by negative and malicious write-ups. I’m here because I love acting and I want to act. And I’m going to do just that. Not pander to the imagination of gossip magazines. I am quietly going about my work. If they want to write whatever they like, then so be it. But I won’t allow them to affect me. In a way, the gossip does serve a purpose. It teaches actors not to take themselves too seriously.

Do gossip link-ups make you guarded in public?
It would be really sad if that happens. If they succeed in making me live my life according to what they write, then they’ve won. I’d rather live my life for myself and my family. I have a select group of friends who go back a long way. They are very close to me. I’d do anything for them and they’d do anything for me. The opinions of the rest just don’t matter.

Do you have friends from the film industry?
I have never really been exposed to the industry to make friends here.All my friends are family friends.

Who are the actors you admire, besides your parents?
Definitely Mr Dilip Kumar. He’s unbelievable. And Waheedaji.

But these are your father’s favourites!
They were bound to be, since I’m my father’s biggest fan (laughs). I also like Madhubalaji. But my all-time favourite, besides my dad, of course, is Shammi Kapoor. I think he’s the ultimate dude. If I ever get depressed in life, all I need to do, is put on his movie and the depression flies out of the window.

Among today’s actors I think Govinda is unbelievable. I love Govinda. I like Manoj Bajpai. He’s fantastic, too.

I am my father’s biggest fan. And after that I am Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff’s biggest fan.

Why Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff?
I don’t know. I love them as human beings. Jackie was with me in Refugee. I think he’s one of the nicest human beings I have ever come across. I don’t know Mr Dutt that well. But whenever I’ve met him, he’s been unbelievably sweet to me. It’s easy to make out the genuine people. Jackie and Sanjay have always treated me as a younger brother. I just love that.

So far, I’ve had only wonderful experiences.

Even if there were negative experiences, you wouldn’t want to tell me about them...
There have been none so far. I guess they’ll come with time.

Subhash K Jha