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Abhishek Bachchan has not had a great time in Bollywood.
Apoorva Lakhia's Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost, releasing August 22, he says, is close to his heart. "I don't want to label it a pioneering film, but it is a film made by good people," he tells Subhash K Jha:
After several multistarrers, you are in a solo hero release.
Actually, there are many heroes in Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost. But yes, I am the only leading man in the film.
That does put an added burden on my shoulder. In my other films, I have had a lot of support from my co-artistes. In my last film [Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon], I had Hrithik [Roshan]. In the one before that [Om Jai Jagadish], I had Anil Uncle [Kapoor] and Fardeen [Khan]. So, yeah, I do feel a bit more responsible, more so since everyone in the crew is young and new.
You were quite a veteran on the sets!
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We all worked really hard in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Apoorva was so well-prepared, he made it all comfortable. He is acutely dedicated. He is the most organised director I have worked with. His clarity of thought and vision is unbelievable.
Did Lakhia's Hollywood experience help him to be more organised?
Why Hollywood? He has inherited his organised nature from [Ashutosh Gowariker's] Lagaan, where he was assistant. It paid off a hundred per cent. We finished Mumbai Se... in two months flat in spite of some setbacks, like the time I had to rush back home after my grandfather [Harivansh Rai Bachchan] passed away.
Is Mumbai Se a satire on the urbanisation of rural Rajasthan?
I think the word satire takes away from what Apoorva has done. The setting is rural. It deals with the impact of electricity on a village. Today, it seems impossible to believe that there are parts of this country where electricity isn't available.
What helped me play my character Kanji was the fact that he had been making a living as a domestic servant in the city for ten years.
Apoorva didn't want to make my character totally rustic. The big-city charm does creep into my character. That is what makes Kanji appealing to the villagers when he comes back to them. They keep asking him questions about city life.
While reading the scenes, I would constantly ask Apoorva if audiences would swallow villagers asking about what is a car or a bus. He pointed out the irony of the fact that we were shooting in a locality were cars, buses and electricity were still alien. Whenever I found a situation archaic, the answer was in front of me.
I remember Lara (Dutta) and I were shooting for a rain song. I asked Appu if it wasn't stretching logic too far to have rain in the middle of the desert. As luck would have it, four days later, just when my father [Amitabh Bachchan] showed up on location, it rained.
How's Lara Dutta?
She's fine [grins]. I was surprised to see such dedication in a relatively new actor like Lara Dutta. She had just come out of shooting Andaaz. In Mumbai Se..., she had to play a completely different character. That required some effort. On the sets, she is a team player, not just an actress. She turned out to be a great friend.
Would you say this has been your most enriching experience?
Every film of mine is enriching. Mumbai Se... is close to my heart. I don't want to label it a pioneering film. It is very entertaining.
If people go out with a message, then fantastic.
I firmly believe if you make an interesting film, people will watch it. It is also a very dear film because it has been made by good people.
I believe good things happen to good people. Look at me.
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