After successfully swinging the popular mandate in his favour with his comic turn in Dostana, Abhishek Bachchan is a happy man. “The reactions have been unbelievable. People have loved the film and that’s the best thing I could have asked for. The entire credit must go to Tarun,” he says about the response to the film where he pretends to be hunk John Abraham’s romantic other, all for a roof over their heads in Miami. The rest, as they say, is history. Director Tarun Mansukhani confesses that he wrote the story with Abhishek in mind--they go back a long way—right back to Dekh Bhai Dekh (produced by Jaya Bachchan) when Mansukhani made his first acquaintance with Bachchan junior.

Abhishek says that Mansukhani promised that he would be a part of his movie even before he began writing it. No prizes for guessing then that AB junior was the first to be finalised.

As we sit down to a quick rushed round of Q & A , he gamely accepts the compliments about being the Bollywood queen (his words, not ours) adding, “We are the Jodi Number 1. You really should give John and me the award for the best Jodi!”

Almost as though in keeping with the topic of conversation, he is dressed in jeans and a shirt with pink flowers! He’s just rushed back from the sets of the movie he’s been shooting with Mani Rathnam. He refuses to commit whether it is actually titled Ravana insisting that “it’s untitled yet.” He’s also wearing a cap to conceal his working look for the aforementioned. However, when it comes to Dostana, he is more than forthcoming. “We did have a lot of fun shooting but why is it that people think that a comic film is any easier? Comedy is the toughest genre,” he adds for emphasis.

According to Mansukhani, the actor is bang-on when it comes to comic timing. “Abhishek just goes around pretending to be a baby who needs to be told what to do. He is his father’s son. He has the shot figured out but will ask regardless, to gauge your conviction.”

His biggest achievement as an actor, would have to be the fact “that the audience comes back to watch me.” The positive response to Dostana after his not-too successful Drona is proof indeed.

The good part is that the box-office success or failure of his films has not come in the way of experimenting with roles. He describes himself as “An actor who is still learning, who is eager and hungry.” It’s important for an actor to be surprised and not get complacent avers, Bachchan. As for co-stars, he is equally keen to work with family, industry veterans and newcomers. There are two films Pa and Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra’s next that have him with Bachchan senior. Mani Ratnam’s film that he’s shooting for has wife Aishwarya but the one film that he would really like to do is “a full-fledged film with Mom.”

But he’s also keen to work with talented newcomers like Imran Khan (“My father thought he was brilliant in Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na”), Ranbir Kapoor and Sikandar Kher (who he thinks is fabulous).

Of learning from his films he says, “Dhoom taught me a lot about acting–Uday Chopra was very funny and to play a role wherein you have to keep a straight face through it all was difficult. Guru taught me how to surrender to a character and give in completely while Dilli 6 taught me discipline.”