Abhishek Bachchan’s debut film was J.P Dutta’s ‘Refugee’, in the year 2000. Ever since then his career has been one of multiple ups and downs, primarily due to the lack of good scripts, and also majorly due to the high range of expectations that Indian audiences have had from “Amitabh Bachchan’s son.” Over the past one year, however, Actor Abhishek Bachchan has proven his mettle in the field of acting with three different films. It is almost as if Abhishek has covered the whole of India in the past few years with the roles he has played.
From playing the role of a Punjabi in Manmarziyaan to a Mumbai goon in Ludo, followed by a Gujarati businessman in The Big Bull, a Bengali killer for hire in Bob Biswas and now a Haryanvi politician in Dasvi, Abhishek Bachchan has become quite a unifying factor for Indians from various states.
Abhishek Bachchan is an actor par excellence. His roles in The Big Bull, Bob Biswas and now, Dasvi also encompass very different socio-cultural realities. It is easy to ‘play’ a role, but not many can ‘live’ a role. Audiences love actors who live their roles; who seamlessly let go of their own self and sense of individualism to actually become the persons they are playing on screen. A true actor is judged on just how flawlessly he can let go of his own identity.
In all recent roles of Abhishek Bachchan, you will not see the son of Amitabh Bachchan. Instead, you will be overawed by the role the man is playing on screen. Abhishek Bachchan has to be the most unsung, yet most profound actor in India today. Yet, the roles he is playing of late, and the performances he has been delivering the promise to wake Indians up to the cinematic gem that he is.
In Bob Biswas, for instance, Abhishek rose amongst the cast and stood out. He played the role of a Bengali killer for hire who forgets his crimes, and quite impeccably convinced the audience with his performance that they were not seeing Abhishek Bachchan, but Bob Biswas himself.
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Now, in Dasvi, Bachchan Junior is playing the role of a Haryanvi politician who has been jailed due to a corruption scandal, but who is determined to clear the Class 10 examinations. Again, Abhishek mesmerises audiences with his performance.
In The Big Bull, Abhishek Bachchan took a calculated risk. You see, the Harshad Mehta scam had already been shown to Indian audiences, albeit, on an OTT platform. Nonetheless, Abhishek Bachchan played the role of Harshad Mehta and outperformed himself.
Indian audiences must realise that Abhishek Bachchan is not a replica of his father and that acting does not trickle down from one generation to the other. Expecting Abhishek to emulate his father is a disservice to both Abhishek and Amitabh. It’s like comparing MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar’s careers. Both are legends of the game and yet they have an individual identity.
In ‘Sarkaar’, many believe that the son outclassed the father, and put to bed myths of him knowing nothing about acting. Abhishek Bachchan is a brilliant method actor who in ‘Pa’, ‘Guru’, ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’, among others, shattered pre-held notions of him not being talented.
In an industry that is currently flooded with nepotistic stars, Abhishek is certainly the welcome aberration that the audience loves. While his acting chops have been top-notch, he has always remained an underrated and under-the-radar actor.
Abhishek Bachchan has surely been a victim of bad scripts in the past. However, in recent times – particularly in the past one year, the actor’s films have been profound, scintillating as well as rightly-scripted. Given the right script, Abhishek Bachchan shines like a diamond. His recent performances show that the man seems to have discovered what works best for him, and now, there’s nothing that can stop him from excelling.