It was the moment the guide's Bollywood columnist DEVANSH PATEL had been waiting for: an exclusive interview with Abhishek Bachchan,star of the new blockbuster Sarkar Raj, reviewed here last week
The film is really doing well in the UK. Have the Bachchans taken the power overseas with Sarkar Raj?
I don't know if that would be the statement but yes, the film is doing well and we're very excited. I think, given its genre, it is almost breaking new ground that the film should be recording the ticket sales it has, which is very encouraging. It means audiences in the UK are willing to watch this kind of cinema as well.
It all started from Refugee, then after a long wait came Yuva, Guru, Sarkar and now Sarkar Raj. All brought you critical acclaim. But does that mean when the more grim, intense and ferocious side of you is shown, the better you have performed and excelled?
That's for you to decide but I'd also like to believe that movies like Bunty Aur Babli and Bluffmaster also went on to become successful while being lighter in nature than the films you just mentioned. I think it's the film and its characters which appeal to people and not any one particular genre.
Both Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag and Sarkar Raj have shown how unpredictable Ramu can be as a director. Is that a good sign for an actor, like you, who has worked with him before and who might work with him again?
Yes, of course. My greatest attraction to him as a director is that he is unpredictable and that he is forever trying to do something different. He throws a lot of challenges at his actors and as an actor you really enjoy being challenged.
He is often accused of attempting the same kind of cinema, which I disagree with. I think it's very exciting because the fate of the film at the box office is not in our hands. The only thing we can do is make films we believe in.
What about the critics who made personal attacks on those involved in Sarkar Raj? Is this taking things too far?
I believe everybody has the right to say whatever they want, whether they are right or wrong. I've always held critics in very high esteem because as far as an actor is concerned, they give you a ready reference as to what the audience might be feeling.
Even if they don't agree with you or they don't agree with the film, I don't see that's any reason to get personal. But I respect what they say and I think that if the points they've made are valid, I'll definitely take account of them next time around.
Your death in the film was a surprise to many. Was it inevitable?
I don't think so. Initially, when we worked on the script of Sarkar, Shankar Nagre was going to reign throughout the film but about a month or two into the writing, Ramu came up with this brilliant idea that Shankar Nagre's character would achieve a different level of respectability in the audience's eyes if he died for the cause he believed in. That is not to say we made him into a martyr but we all felt it would give him a certain amount of lift in terms of his character if we took this route.
And at the end, all that is left is Subhash Nagre and Chikoo.
Ramu has left so much space at the end of the film that he might be able to start on Sarkar's third outing. What do you think?
I think it'll be interesting. Ramu is a very exciting director and will do justice to the third part too. He has left it open-ended so he can reprise the film at any time he wants. The most exciting part would be to see my dad play Subhash Nagre again with the same intensity as in both the earlier outings. I think he was outstanding in Sarkar and in Sarkar Raj he was awesome - I feel it was one of his best performances ever.
Sarkar Raj has grossed more than £250,000 here in one week. It also marks Ramu's highest takings in the UK. Any comments?
I am happy for Ramu and the entire team of Sarkar Raj. Takings in certain parts of India are huge too. American sales are equally as good as the UK, if not slightly more because it is a larger market. What counts is that the thriller genre is becoming accepted in the UK, whereas it never used to work. UK audiences tend to favour the more Yash Raj brand of cinema, which is a family entertainer with a lot of song and dance and culture.
To be honest, we never expected Sarkar Raj to do much in the overseas market because of this. It comes as a pleasant surprise that it's doing so well in the UK.
Sarkar and Sarkar Raj prove that Hindi films aren't just about song and dance routines. Should more films like this be made?
Most definitely. When Sarkar was first made, it was a songless film. So was Black, for that matter, and they both went on to be very successful. It proved that the audience is willing to see films without songs and now Sarkar Raj has proved it again.
It's three in a row for my dad, too.
Working with the family for the first time would have been a great experience for you. But does it bring power to your performance to see your dad and wife opposite you in the same frame?
Yes. Once the camera rolls, you're a professional and that is exactly how you should be. As actors, we can't allow our personal relations to get in the way but the minute Ramu said "Cut!", we were family again and it was great fun.
Both dad and Aishwarya are actors I have enjoyed working with in the past and before Aishwarya and I got together, we had done many films. In fact, she is the co-artist I've done the most films with.
When you are facing the Indian film industry's finest, you need to have the power to face them.
What did you learn from Sarkar Raj that you did not from Sarkar?
There is so much to take away from a film that it becomes that much more important as a memorable experience. Foremost is that RGV Ki Aag was released during the making of Sarkar Raj and I saw Ramu go through this entire journey of emotions after that film failed. The media and many others went after him unfairly.
I applaud Ramu for the way he handled that situation and the strength and conviction with which he continued to believe in Sarkar Raj. He didn't panic and still made the film he had set out to make. It speaks volumes for him as a director and as a person.
Finally, who would you pick to play Chikoo in the last of the Sarkar Raj trilogy?
It'll be nice to see Hrithik Roshan play the role and more interesting will be the Ram Gopal Varma combination with Hrithik. That'll be an exciting watch.
