From the archives of India Today (2002) | Abhishek Bachchan: Picture abhi baaki hai?

(NOTE: This article was originally published in the February 18, 2002 edition of India Today.)

The setting couldn't be better. A love triangle story that will be released on Valentine's Day. The film: Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya (HMBPK). The director: Dharmesh Darshan, who shaped Karisma Kapoor's rise to stardom. The music: the hit duo Nadeem-Shravan. Plus Akshay Kumar and Karisma on screen. And that hint of chemistry between Karisma and Abhishek Bachchan off screen. It's the kind of combination that usually sends Bollywood into a frenzy. garam Mood. The Bachchans are a bundle of nerves, though. Father Amitabh is “crossing his fingers”, while son Abhishek is admittedly a “wreck”.

This is not surprising. Despite the Bachchan name, Abhishek's 18-month career was marred by hype, empty theaters and lukewarm reviews. His releases Refugee, Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya And Dhai Akshar Prem Ke have, to quote one distributor, “experienced varying degrees of failure.” His last film Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai was a total failure.

His performances were mediocre, his dancing was awkward and, worse, he looked limp. Abhishek's failure could be said to be the result of poor decisions and missed opportunities. Some believe it was more than just a coincidence. Apparently, AB Junior has an attitude too. As one director says, “It's the flip side of the star genes. His manners are impeccable but a know-it-all arrogance creeps through.”

Perhaps, says a leading director, “like other star kids, he thinks he knows everything about filmmaking. But he doesn't know and doesn't listen.” Rohan Sippy, who has known Abhishek since their school days at Aiglon College in Switzerland and has directed him, Kuch Na KahoHowever, he disagrees: “He has an irreverent sense of humor and also laughs at himself. Maybe that will be interpreted as rude, but he is not a difficult actor at all.”

Farah Khan, who is negotiating with him for the role of Shah Rukh Khan's brother in her debut film, believes that “he is definitely one of the best actors among the younger crowd”; and Ram Gopal Varma, who has cast him for Pursue calls him “intelligent and talented.”

Be that as it may, the box office has not supported the second Bachchan. In fact, a non-Bachchan would have taken a position behind the camera by now, opting for negative roles or perhaps the telly. Not so with Abhishek. He continues to be in front of the camera. “I know the audience has been extra patient with me because of my parents,” he says, “but it's time for me to show that I deserve their love.” And besides, the producers continue to support him.

Maybe it's the magic of Bachchan, the triumph of hope or the fact that even Big B needed seven films to land his first hit. Ergo, Junior B still has producers signing cheques ranging from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1 crore per essay – as much as the handsome Fardeen Khan, less than Bobby Deol and more than Aftab Shivdasani. Coming soon are Sooraj Barjatya's Main Premium Diwani HoonJP Dutta's multi-starrer film LOCand Boney Kapoor's Dilchor alongside Karreina Kapoor. He has also done four other films with directors such as Mahesh Manjrekar and Madhur Bhandarkar. Companies such as Maruti and now Pepsi want him to promote their products.

One could even say that Abhishek is Bollywood's Teflon man. But Mr. Teflon needs success now to stay at the box office. His current status is so precarious that Sharatin which he plays the lead role with his new girlfriend Hrishita Bhatt and which was completed seven months ago, is still in the works. The flops forced Abhishek to rethink his strategy: “I used to just tell my parents that I was working on a particular project, but now I ask them for their opinion.”

Complacency has also contributed to Abhishek's sluggish career. Unlike Hrithik Roshan, who fought his way to fame, Abhishek, who had fame handed to him on a silver platter, was less hungry. “It's the second-generation Indian syndrome,” says an industry source. But failure was a thorough teacher. “Pa told me,” says Abhishek, “that before every opportunity, I should realise that once an opportunity is sanctioned, it goes down in history and you can't change it. Maybe I didn't think about that every time.”

To say he desperately needs a hit would be a gross understatement. Bollywood respects legends, but it's the performance that counts. The history of Hollywood is littered with star sons who came in with a bang and disappeared without a whimper: Jubilee star Gaurav, son of Rajendra Kumar, Manoj Kumar's son Kunal Goswami, Raj Kapoor's son Rajiv and Shashi Kapoor's sons Kunal and Karan.

It is this feeling that haunts Abhishek now. He hopes HMBPK will break the voodoo. Promotional footage suggests that Abhishek may have finally found a director who knows how to dress him with the help of designer Manish Malhotra. The team also worked on Abhishek's dubbing for three months so that his voice doesn't resemble his father's legendary baritone.

Darshan, who signed Abhishek after he had already made three flops because he wanted a “man among the boys”, can't stop raving about his performance. “It's a groundbreaking role because a man in a relationship takes responsibility for his actions. He is the ideal new man. And Abhishek has been able to hold his own against his contemporaries without doing any bodybuilding.” Darshan also went to great lengths to ensure that Abhishek is not “aping Amitabh Bachchan”.

While Abhishek hopes that Darshan’s HMBPK would do for him what Raja Hindustani What has done for Karisma is the fact that Darshan has not always delivered. He did not send Shilpa Shetty all the way to Dhadkan or Twinkle Khanna in Mela into orbit. But this time, the Bachchans and their followers are hoping that Darshan will wave his magic wand once again. HMBPK is, as Taran Adarsh ​​​​of Trade Guide says, his “chance to win or lose.”

A week before the release, Abhishek is wrestling with his demons. There are nights when he holds his head in his hands and wonders, “What have I done that was so wrong?” But he smiles. “You just have to keep going. I have accepted that if it is meant to happen, it will happen.” Fate will reveal itself in a week.

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