Abhishek Bachchan on Rakeysh Mehra's fatty gift

The star reveals the pickles he first sampled from the 51 jars his Delhi-6 director sent him on his birthday

When we meet Abhishek Bachchan at his office, he's just back from a week-long trip from America and London, battling jet lag, bleary-eyed from two hours of sleep after attending Sanjay and Manyata Dutt's anniversary party.



However, he's chippy. Delhi-6, his 'destined' film with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, is the reason.

Delhi-6's script first came to you years ago, right?
Rakeysh has always bounced his scripts off me. Once I read this, I thought to myself, 'Wow, this is really nice.' Roshan Mehra, the guy in Delhi-6, I understood him. When I was schooling abroad, I knew what it felt like to be an outsider in a different environment. I was secretly hoping, 'You're going to ask me to do this film or not?'
But I couldn't shoot immediately. For a month, we tried wrestling dates. So I said, 'We've tried to work before, but it didn't work out. I'm sure God has some other plan for us.' Eight months after, he met me and said, 'I've tweaked the script and I feel only you can do this. Do you have the dates now?' My schedule was open.

Did it feel strange when you saw Hrithik Roshan, Siddharth, Saif Ali Khan, Imran Khan and Ranbir Kapoor being offered Delhi-6?
No, because we'd decided to move on. What was very sweet was that the people he asked, asked me. We're all friends and that's what we do. I told them, 'It's a wonderful script, please go ahead.' Maybe I was just destined to do the film. I'm happy, I'm not complaining!

Rakeysh said after the first shot, you two were careful not to look at each other so you wouldn't start bawling.
Yeah, we were supposed to do Samjhauta Express 10-11 years ago, so yes, the moment was an emotional one. We didn't know what to say. There was this awkward, 'Congratulations' and we moved on to the next shot.

Rakeysh and you were supposed to do your first film together. What kind of people were you both then?
Very eager, overconfident, nau00efve and I think since then, we've tried to sort out those problems. We've settled down a lot. We know what we want. In a sense, I'm glad we worked together now. I know I wasn't prepared when I first started working. I don't know if we had the experience then.

And did Rakeysh really give you 51 jars of pickle this birthday?
Yeah, 51 jars (sighs, shakes his head and laughs), that's Rakeysh, you know? There I was, lambasted by the media for being overweight and Rakeysh feeds me gajar ka halwa and aloo ke parathe. He enjoys his work and it's like a playground. He's not frivolous, but he keeps the atmosphere light so it's conducive to creativity. He's from Delhi so he's a big foodie. And I don't need an excuse! I was happy to oblige.

Which pickle did you try first?
There was an adrak one that was really nice and lasoon ki chutney. I got home from my trip and there were these 51 jars. 'Mr Mehra sent them.' I thought, 'Oh no, here we go again. I just lost weight!'

Roshan is apparently a quiet character is India too overwhelming?
Yes, I think so. But the movie is also from his point of view. I'd like to believe that Roshan is the audience. You experience the movie through his eyes. He'su00a0 observing, absorbing, contemplating. It's his narrative.

Had you interacted with Sonam Kapoor before this?
Obviously, she's Anil's daughter. I've known him since I was a kid. So I've seen her while I was growing up, but she was much younger. I was friendly with her dad so I met her then. But she was a great surprise. It's commendable she chose this as her second film. After a film like Saawariya, it's tempting to an actor to do the expected glamour, song and dance thing. But she chose the acting piece Delhi-6. You have to doff your hat to her it takes a lot, at her age.

She's a talker, isn't she?
She pretty much talks all the time. It was nice she gave me some competition.u00a0

Masakalli is a huge hit.
The pigeon is a character. The actors don't like him because he's getting more attention. Top billing. There's a bit of rivalry.

Waheeda Rehman plays your grandmother here...
I keep making fun of her because last time she played my mother (Om Jai Jagadish). I say, 'Waheeda aunty, you're getting older, I'm getting younger!' (laughs) She didn't take that too well.
You missed enjoying the success after Dostana's release.
Yes, I was shooting Mani's film. Karan (Johar) kept calling me and telling me how people were enjoying Dostana. I was always confident about it. It wasn't, 'Oh, it's a Dharma production, let's just look good.' We worked hard.
Comedy is scary. The script has to be strong. But Tarun's (Mansukhani) writing is brilliant. He is Karan's protu00e9gu00e9 because Karan is such a beautiful writer.

Is shooting for Mani Ratnam's film done?
No, there's eight weeks left, but not back in the jungle. It should be ready for release end of this year. That's my next release.

How was the Pink Panther 2 premiere?
It's a crazy film. Lots of fun. Typical of the franchise. What a treat to work with people like Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Andy Garcia and Jeremy Irons.

Aishwarya said that you had persuaded her to take on the role.
Yes, when they asked her, she wasn't too sure. We'd just got married and she said, 'I want to spend time enjoying married life.' I said, 'Are you nuts? Where are you going to get the opportunity to work with a star cast like this? I'm almost envious. You should do it as an experience. Don't worry how big your role is.'

Memory of a place
With his new film Delhi-6, Abhishek Bachchan speaks of places that hold a special place in his heart

Mumbai: As a city, we have great attitude. The people are very cool. Not much gets to them and they have a live and let live attitude. They don't really get excited to see stars on the road. This is the city I was born in, have lived in, got married in. As far as I'm concerned, there's no greater city. I'm partial. I could never live elsewhere.

Delhi: My earliest memories are of Delhi winters. My dadaji and dadima lived there and we went as kids every winter to spend time with them. I remember large gardens where we had space to play. The cold, the opportunity to run around in parks. My dadima used to take me to India Gate so I could eat candy floss. I try and go now at least once a month. When you have a nephew and a niece, it's tough to stay away. It's a regal city. Delhi people are gregarious, large-hearted and loving.

Switzerland: I was in a boarding school called Aiglon college. It was in the mountains, about a three-hour drive from Geneva. I actually got to go back there two years ago. I was shooting in Switzerland for Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, had a day off and drove up to see it. I have fond memories I spent my childhood there, from when I was nine to 18. I literally grew up there. You miss your school days because it was a wonderful time of innocence and discovery.