EXCLUSIVE: Abhishek Bachchan gets candid about his career lows and taking a sabbatical to introspect

Abhishek Bachchan belongs to possibly one of the most heavyweight legions in Bollywood. But, despite that, he clearly has no sense of entitlement. In fact, he’s one of the grounded stars we have in the industry. In this candid and honest chat with Bollywood Bubble, Junior Bachchan opens up about his entire journey – from having a middle-class upbringing to not getting advantage of the Bachchan tag. The Big Bull actor also opened up about his career lows and taking a sabbatical to introspect.

Abhishek Bachchan’s career has been full of several highs and lows. And each time the actor has bounced back with some of the most claimed films like Yuva and Guru. “I am just happy and lucky that I am getting the work that I am getting. That I am capable enough to do the work that they are offering me. I think an actor is very lucky if his lineup is Breathe, Ludo, The Big Bull, Bob Biswas and Dasvi. The sheer variety of that is something that every actor dreams of. I not taking it for granted. I am going to work very hard and continue to do what I love doing and hopefully get the opportunities to continue what I love doing. I find it very awkward to say anything else, ” says the actor. 

Abhishek had earlier said that he had become complacent in his film choices at one point and that’s why he had taken a break. So when his films receive a good response does that gives him a sense of validation? AB Junior shares, “Actors usually shy away from talking about that validation but the point is let’s be very honest a film being accepted and your work is accepted and praised is a validation of your work and that’s partly why we do what we do as well. And there’s nothing wrong in saying that. We are all here to entertain the audiences. We are here because a part of us, apart from creative satisfaction, also want to hear the applause. You want to get the pat on the back saying, ‘Job well done’. That’s a large part of being an actor. It’s a wonderful thing. Why do we try and stay away from it in our false attempt at being humble? I love it when the films that I work in do well. I love it when the audience gives me positive feedback. I am concerned when my films don’t do well. I am concerned if I don’t get good feedback for my work. I learn from it. But the great thing about life is I think we have to stop looking at the opportunities that God places in front of us as a success or a failure. There’s success and there’s learning. There’s no such thing as failure. And the minute it is classified as a failure then you are done. That’s when you should put the final punctuation mark on your work. If that’s not what you are prepared for and you have to continue then you have to turn that failure into learning and move on. And you only succeed if you learn how to fail first. We also kind of put too much pressure on what success means.”

You can check out the entire conversation below:

The Bob Biswas actor went on to add, “The sheer fact that you heaped these wonderful praises, I wear that as a medal of success. The lockdown has taught everybody is that our definition of success also changes a lot. We are so busy chasing material things that we forget what’s really important. Some people ask, ‘Oh what did you do during the lockdown? What have you learned?’ Some people have learned to cook, some have picked up a new hobby, language, new skill set. I feel very overwhelmed and I was speaking to my wife about it. And as all wives do, they put your lives into focus, they put you back on track. She said yeah but put it this way for the first time in your life you got to spend the entire year with your family. And your family is safe and healthy today. And it’s so true. We get to do what we love and go back to a healthy and happy family. That’s successful. It doesn’t matter if you are living in a mansion or a hut. As long as you can smile or put a smile on the face of your loved ones what else matters?”

Also Read: Abhishek Bachchan on Ajay Devgn being compared to Big B & why Aishwarya hasn’t watched The Big Bull yet