People don't tune in for me: Abhi

Abhishek Bachchan has little reason to fear interviews – after the critical acclaim and good commercial reception of Paa, his TV show, Bingo, notched up the highest ever opening TRPs for a non-fiction show. That’s more than the ratings for AB Sr’s KBC or SRK’s KBC. So when Abhishek walks in for the interview, surprise number one is that he’s brooding and preoccupied.
Surprise number two is that despite the preoccupation, in a gesture slightly unusual among the more famous, he waits for you to sit before he takes his seat, and that begins a sharp but cautious conversation. Abhishek refuses to say anything out of line, or make one self-congratulatory statement, and remains tense throughout – but faultlessly courteous.

Are you old school?
Why’re you asking me that? Because I’m chivalrous? It’s old school?

Sort of. Are you?
Not at all. I think chivalry is a prerequisite. You don’t have to be old school for that. You’re badly behaved if you’re not.

Aren’t men (and women) supposed to be less formal now – less concerned about waiting for ladies to sit down and pull out chairs for them and hold doors open?
No, I haven’t encountered such beasts. I think chivalry is important. You’re sitting on the sofa, otherwise I’d have pulled out a chair for you.

Congratulations about the TRPs of your show. How do you think it came about?
I have absolutely no clue. I’m still under shock, actually. I wasn’t expecting it at all.

You don’t think it’s you?
No, not at all. I was expecting between 2.5 and 3, but to get 5.1 and to be told it’s the largest opening for a non-fiction show ever and the highest for Colors, I think it’s shocking. But the credit should go to the format of the show. I refuse to believe that so many people just want to see me. It’s a fact that the show allows a home-viewing audience to play the game.

Do you monitor what’s written and said about you?
One keeps abreast of what’s going on, but I’m not obsessed with what people are saying about me, no. There’s always so much being written about in this day and age, when there’s so much hunger to fill space, that you’d go mad if you tried to read everything written about you. You all (the media) are a terribly busy lot who work very hard, it’s very hard to keep abreast of all that you write.

What do you think your image is, among your audience, both young and old?
I’m not very sure – I think that’s something an actor looks for throughout her/his career. It’s a process of continuously learning what the audience likes and dislikes. But no one ever gets it completely right, because then we’d all be making successful films all the time, which doesn’t happen, so I think it’s a process of elimination.

What are the memorable things people have come up to you and told you?
Currently, they just come and shout ‘Bingo’ at me. I stop at a signal and they pop their heads out and say ‘Bingo’. I think we’ve managed to connect with the audience. But the credit is not mine, it belongs to the Colors team and the format of the show.

Are you one of those who never takes credit?
No. You should give credit where it’s due. If I felt I were the sole reason for Bingo having had a record-breaking first episode, I’d definitely take credit. I’m an actor; we love credit. But I had to be real and fair, and credit has to be given where it’s due.

Pathologically humble?
No, not humble. I’m just a realist. If tomorrow, I write a piece as a journalist, and people appreciate it, I’ll take the credit, because that’s my effort entirely.

Do you like to write?
As in a diary? No.

Not much of a reader either?
I enjoy reading a lot, when I get the time.

What would you have been, if not an actor?
I’d be a struggling actor.

What do you do when you get aaram time?
Those occasions are few and far between, but when one gets it, one spends time at home with family and friends, because we don’t get to do that very often. Work keeps us busy almost 20 hours a day.

When did you last have an off day?
Today.

Today’s your off?
I’m not shooting.

That’s an off?
You mean a holiday? Umm, three years ago.

You’ve been working non-stop for three years?
That’s the way I like it. I’m not the kind of actor who can do a film a year. I’d like to be able to, but I’m too impatient.

You’d ‘like to be able to’ means you want to be at a place where you can afford to do that ... ?
No, I can do that today if I want to. It’s a mindset. But I’m currently just enjoying the work that I do.

Has there any been a point when you saw the first cut of a film and thought, crap, this was a mistake?
Every film.

Each one?
I find faults of mine in every film, and every actor’d say the same thing. You capture a moment which you review at a different point in life. You always find a better way of doing something. For instance, on stage, if you perform a play over six-months, you can do it better the next night. You can’t do that in films.

What did you not want to do in Paa as a producer?
I was very clear that I wanted to make the film on a very tight budget, because that’s what I thought the subject could afford. I was very sure I wanted to make it in Rs 15 crore, and today, it’s grossed over Rs 60 crore. It was very easy for me to make a 60-70 crore film, but I didn’t think the film required that, and I also wanted to prove to myself that it is possible to make a good film, within a controlled budget, a successful film.

Before the strike and the slowdown, was the industry prone to exaggerated prices?
I think so, the budgets went a bit haywire. Close to 4-5 years ago, we were making films in 20 crores and then all of a sudden, budgets went up to 100 crores. Some films needed those kinds of budgets, but then the entire industry needs to make money.

You’re on Twitter, and that’s a filmstar-fan connect, completely bypassing the media...
It’s very good. Not to make the media redundant – they play an important role , that of a conscience – but with platforms like Twitter or social networking sites, it’s one-to-one. That’s how things are changing, actors are more accessible, but that’s the requirement of the day. You no longer want an actor to be enigmatic and a larger-than-life figure. Today, the audience wants to feel they’re in the same room with them, having a one-to-one conversation.

But fans can comment on not just your work, but also you personally ...
That’s fine. If you’re on a public platform, you should be aware of the fact that you’re putting yourself out there for discussion, and people have the freedom to say what they want. I’ve never been one to oppose that. If I’m on Twitter, I’ve obviously decided to come on to a platform where I want to be accessible to my fans and hear their point of view. And I’m going to hear everyone, not just the good guys. It’s important to listen to the negatives and incorporate them, if they’re justified. I use it as a learning process. If I’m not willing to be judged, or if I don’t want to hear personal comments, I shouldn’t be on it.

What did you most struggle with about ‘celebrityhood’ when you entered the business?
Nothing. I wasn’t a celebrity when I started my career, so I didn’t have that problem!

But you’ve always been famous.
My dad told me that if you want to be an actor, then be prepared to deal what comes with it. If you don’t, then don’t be an actor.