Looking at Abhishek Bachchan's most memorable roles

At a point when leading superstars like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan are most comfortable playing romantic roles, Abhishek Bachchan seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

Yes, there has been the odd film such as Dostana or Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, but AB Jr realized very early on in his career that his burly physique and unconventional looks could be successfully exploited in other roles.

For the last ten years Abhishek has unhesitatingly signed films where he could prove himself as an actor.

With Raavan all set for release this Friday, here's looking at his more memorable roles.

After his debut film Refugee, Abhishek's career wasn't going any where. Many of his films (Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya, Kuch Na Kaho) fared badly with critics already writing him off as a non-actor.

But Mani Ratnam took a calculated risk and cast him as an uneducated small-town gangster (Lallan Mishra) in Yuva.

The film clicked and gave Abhishek a new lease of life. At the Filmfare Awards Mani Ratnam won the Critics Award for Best Film and Abhishek for Best Supporting Actor.

From petty gangster Abhishek went on to play a super cop in Dhoom and its sequel.

He's sharp, alert and uses his mind to nab petty criminals. Yet he doesn't hesitate to flex his muscle when necessary.

With Ali Akbar (Uday Chopra) as his sidekick, Abhishek's one-liners had the audience in splits.

Often sequels bomb at the box office but Dhoom 2 was a success.

The small-town boy imagines a life full of adventure. Basically anything which helps him escape from his humdrum existence. He reaches the city and realizes his dreams.

One minute he's an unsophisticated small-town lad and the next a slick con-man. After Yuva he was once again paired with Rani Mukherji and these two had great chemistry.

This film also fetched him his first nomination in the Best Actor category.

For Abhishek, playing son to real-life father Amitabh Bachchan was a challenge. A challenge which he took on and came out on top.

Though the focus was on Bachchan Sr, Abhishek did not allow his father to overshadow him.

We see his transition from a young boy, happy to be in love to a power broker, who doesn't hesitate to murder his own brother to get to the top.

Sarkar fetched him his second award as Best Supporting Actor.

Unlike Bunty Aur Babli where Abhishek steals from the rich and gives to the poor, in Bluffmaster he's just a common thief, albeit a smart one!

Even the love of his life Simran (Priyanka Chopra) can't convince him to mend his errant ways.

This film didn't win him any awards but his female fan following went up considerably.

It also made director Rohan Sippy wait patiently for Abhishek's dates for his upcoming Dum Maro Dum. In fact Abhishek always has been Rohan's first preference even though their first film Kuch Na Kaho flopped badly.

This was a role any one of the Khans would have jumped at. But Mani Ratnam opted for Abhishek. His faith in the actor paid off.

Abhishek piled on the kilos and trusting his director's vision, sported safari suits with thick frames and greasy hair.

The result? He won the IIFA award for Best Actor in a leading role and was nominated for a Filmfare award too.

Unfortunately for Bachchan Jr whenever he works with his father, it's Amitabh who steals the thunder. But Abhishek was great in the film too.

As a young boyfriend he's impulsive and callous. Later he realizes his mistake and tries hard to make amends. It's a mature performance without unnecessary histrionics.

Though Amitabh and Vidya Balan have picked up all the awards, Paa is a landmark film for Abhishek too.