Abhishek Bachchan: Challenge for actor to find such a subject

With Dasvi up for release and SSS7 on the anvil, Abhishek discusses being consumed by the remake of Tamil hit Oththa Seruppu Size 7

Gangaram Chaudhary is not your all-white, do-no-wrong protagonist. That is what drew Abhishek Bachchan to Dasvi that sees him play corrupt politician Gangaram who sets out to clear his 10th standard examination from prison. To the actor, the film is an example of fine writing as it turns the idea of a hero on its head. “We don’t have a set image of what a hero should be. The protagonist of a story should overcome the obstacles that his journey throws at him; that makes him heroic. I don’t necessarily feel that a hero has to conquer through his physical strength. I enjoyed where Gangaram came from and where he was going in the course of the film,” says the actor, describing his flawed character as “refreshing.”

Bachchan in Dasvi

For Bachchan, the Tushar Jalota-helmed movie — set to stream on Netflix and Jio Cinema — comes on the back of an interesting string of movies. If Ludo (2020) saw him hold his own in an ensemble cast, The Big Bull (2021) and Bob Biswas (2021) furthered his idea of fronting unusual films. His stardom affords him the opportunities to take such risks, a luxury that many don’t have, but he views it differently. “Stardom defines you, and it’s up to the audience to bless you with that. As an actor, you shouldn’t concentrate on stardom; concentrate on your performance. If that’s not good, you won’t achieve stardom. That is a by-product of being an actor.”

A still from Oththa Seruppu Size 7

Besides Dasvi, the actor has the tentatively-titled SSS7, an adaptation of R Parthiban’s Tamil thriller Oththa Seruppu Size 7 (2019), on his plate. Such is his belief in the material — an experimental solo-actor movie — that he has come on board as a producer. “When Parthi spoke to me about the film, I took it up because it was a challenging [part]. It’s my passion project. We shot it in one go. I am the only actor in the film. Although there are other characters, you never see them. It is a great challenge for any actor to find such a subject.”

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