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'My confidence has grown'

Abhishek Bachchan is gearing up for his first major release, Yash Raj's Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom (JBJ), since his much-hyped marriage to Aishwarya Rai.

He did appear in the recent box office hit Shootout At Lokhandwala, but it was hardly a worthwhile special appearance. His appearances at the Cannes Film Festival and IIFA awards in Yorkshire have created a tremendous buzz, thanks to his new marital status. Bachchan realises that his wedding is already history and now needs to focus on his flourishing career with JBJ that contains all the ingredients of a blockbuster. Excerpts of an interview with Bachchan Jr:

How did you happen to do JBJ?

Actually while I was shooting for Bunty Aur Babli, JBJ was a story that Yash Raj told me and it was then called Sangam Mien.

It kept evolving as it moved from Delhi Station to King's Cross Station.

The project grew in stature, scale as well as style, so it's something that I was blessed to see right from its inception
stage when it was a germ of an idea. The script happened over a period of time and I think it helped a lot that I knew of the script from the ideation stage because it helps to acquaint oneself with the character. So it's a lot of fun for me to see it grow and finally become a great film to come.

Did being well-acquainted with the character help you prepare for your distinctive look in the film?

I would prefer not to call it the look of the film but call it the attitude. When you have Shaad Ali as the captain of the
ship there's going to be oodles of attitude and a very distinctive style.

I think JBJ is the most precise representation of what Shaad is like in real life. I think he gave everybody a peek through
the window in Bunty Aur Babli to show how mad, flamboyant and genius he is. I think he's truly allowed everybody to look into his soul in JBJ. It's Shaad Ali's film all the way and everything is owed to him. He's responsible for every inch of me in the film.

How have you grown as an actor from the last time Shaad Ali directed you in Bunty Aur Babli to JBJ?

I think my confidence has grown tremendously. When I took on Bunty Aur Babli, there was a huge confidence problem because I wasn't sure whether I would be able to manage that level of high-octane performance. I thought Bunty was a very tough character to enact but the film's outcome boosted the confidence level.

When JBJ came along there wasn't any apprehension towards the film or the character although it was 10 notches above Bunty Aur Babli in attitude and pitch. We tried to play it a bit safe in Bunty Aur Babli but this time we were more bullish as we threw emotions in. JBJ is a thoroughly entertaining film and it's very funny. I think we have the confidence to take on more like JBJ and play it on the scale and the way we want to do it.

How did it feel to work with Bobby Deol for the first time?

I have wanted to work with Bobby ever since I started work. I have known him since I was a kid and finally we got an
opportunity to work together. I am so happy because I really think this is the right movie to star together for the first
time. He is thoroughly professional and always ready to help out. He's just wonderful and one of the sweetest co-stars one can ask for. I just feel so privileged to be a part of the film where he is there as well and we get to share screen space.

What do you think of the music of JBJ in comparison to Bunty Aur Babli?

After a film like Bunty Aur Babli it's a great task to try and create an album which captures the flavour, the madness and the flamboyance of the film. I am really and fully convinced that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Shaad and Gulzar Sahab have actually managed to completely outdo
Bunty Aur Babli in JBJ, which is by far one of the best albums I have ever heard in my life. It is so full of energy and it's
a perfect representation of what the film is. The music captures the madness, the flamboyance, the attitude, the romance and just magnifies it a hundred-fold. It's a flawless musical soundtrack.

'Humble' Amit gives interview, says thanks

Fancy Amitabh Bachchan sending you a little thank-you note. And fancy him doing that after he's given you the longest interview of his life.

And fancy the note going somewhat like this:

"Thank you. You are too kind and generous. It was such a joy talking to you. The quality of an interview is judged not by the person getting interviewed but by the person who interviews. And you were marvellous. Love and regards."

Would you then be left wishing you were Pratibha Advani, the television anchor who produces a programme on Bollywood's movers and shakers and has a famous father in L.K. Advani?

Jokes apart, that's what really happened with Pratibha, according to a press release — put out by her company Swayam Infotainment — that lists some of the nuggets of the superstar's life and times that he let on.

Like how some friends of his parents wanted to name him "Inquilab" after the freedom movement's signature cry. Like how he went in for the "minimalist" style of dancing because of his height.

Pratibha, who doesn't usually interview film stars, is very matter-of-fact about why she made an exception in Bachchan's case. "I have always been a fan of his," she told The Telegraph.

"The basic idea was not to sensationalise but to bring out his personality," she continued, adding it had been "fun" interpolating the interview with film clips and sound bytes.

Did the interview focus on his brief and not-so-happy stint in politics?

"Silly things like whether he was a Congressman or not are not brought out. Amitabh is the greatest icon of Indian cinema and it doesn't matter whether he was in a political party or not," Pratibha said.

In the interview, Bachchan apparently did not shy off speaking on politics. But instead of terming it a "cesspool" — as he did in the eighties, just before quitting the Congress — he said he left because he had "not contributed enough". "But he had no regrets for the time he was in public life," Pratibha said.

Of her own, she did not quiz him on his relations with the Gandhis or the Amar Singh-Mulayam Singh Yadav duo. But, Pratibha said, Bachchan himself said he had entered politics because of Rajiv Gandhi.

The superstar also spoke of how wife Jaya had put family before films, how proud he was of her and how she was now back in public life.

Pratibha said it had taken a while to get an appointment because Bachchan had been travelling. But everything fell beautifully into place once he strode in for the interview.

"I told him it was supposed to be a one-hour interview and he said, 'How much time, one hour? How will I get through, anyway let's see'," she said.

"The first cut came at the end of 53 minutes... because the battery (of the camera) ran out. After that it went on for another 45 minutes."

What was incredible at the end of the day was how "humble" he still remained, Pratibha said. "I was struck by how humble and creative he is even after almost 40 years in the film industry."

Out of control

Hindi Film Review

By: Shradha Sukumaran

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Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Director: Shaad Ali Sehgal
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan,
Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol, Lara
Dutta, Amitabh Bachchan

Rating: **

HE'S from Bhatinda and she's from Lahore, but the two could be from a different planet for all that the viewer can understand of their strange actions. Step into Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, where all the world's a stage and all the characters are so steeped in play acting that they can't separate their real lives from their fantasies. In the process, this quasi-musical takes you on a psychedelic, psychotropic journey of colours, with spurts of dancing and weird dialogues floating over your head. In fact, the first half of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is so vulgar in its treatment that it is only mildly redeemed by an entertaining second half.

Rikki Thukral (Abhishek, irritatingly loud) and Alvira Khan (Preity, insipid) bump into each other at Waterloo station, while waiting for their fiancs to arrive. The two are instantly attracted to each other, but keep their feelings at bay by narrating their love stories. So Rikki falls out of money and curries favour with Paris-based hotel manager Anaida (Lara, speaking Hrench – Hindi in fake French accent) while the spectacle of Princess Diana's death unfolds around them. The two get their act together over a ticket to Hollywood, but they're still better off than Alvira. She's grown up with a posher than Posh Spice accent. Her Prince Charming, Steve (Bobby, looking like Marie Antoinette with his curls) rescues her from a crashing Superman statue at Madame Tussauds (resembling a tacky suburban studio). Seems Steve's a lawyer who will sue Shrimati Tussauds for the mishap, while dancing choppily to the extravagant song Kiss of Love. By now, JBJ is spinning out of control and is way too loud.
Who are these people? Why do their clothes seesaw from uber stylish cuts to flashier than pop singer Prince's fur-trimmed coats and sequins? As Rikki and Alvira untangle themselves from their relationships with a wildly kitschy dance competition post-interval, you can enjoy JBJ's rare moments of comedy.

Shaad Ali's direction is so uncoordinated. There's just no narrative to sink your teeth into. JBJ may be a musical, but there's no individual sense of colour or timing that makes it fall into place and the editing is jerky. If anything, the film is spectacular with its cinematography (just see the way Ayananka Bose treats Paris, Agra or Southall). Choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant too adds zing to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's pacy Kiss Of Love or title track Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.

More than the lead pair, it's Bobby and Lara who stand out. Bobby lets himself go and is wackily cute, while Lara pours herself into the part. Amitabh Bachchan flits in and out, but has a fantastic presence, while Piyush Mishra as Rikki's Pakistani dost is glibly funny.

But Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, with its cheerless jokes on Pakistan, 'gora' God and a script all over the place, is mostly just obnoxious.

Edited by monika.goel - 17 June 2007 at 11:35am

Congrats to all bachchan club members for our club #12
I am really busy these days so can't come to club so often but u all doing excellent job in taking our bachchan's club forward-keep up the good work-
cheers
monika

Edited by fan_of_Big_B - 17 June 2007 at 12:22pm

 

Edited by fan_of_Big_B - 17 June 2007 at 12:31pm