Nobody even looked at Abhishek Bachchan when he walked into a room, he'd call himself a ‘flop actor' in front of mom Jaya Bachchan

Indian Express

02-07-2025

Abhishek Bachchan debuted as an actor in the year 2000, with immense expectations. He was, of course, the son of the legendary stars Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. His first film, Refugee, earned him admiration, but a string of flops followed. There came a time when Abhishek was ignored in public places because people simply didn't care about him enough. He said that things changed for him after Dhoom became a blockbuster in 2004. In an interview, Abhishek said that the setbacks gave him perspective, as he recalled a piece of advice that Hrithik Roshan shared with him after Dhoom's success.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Abhishek said, 'Actors are very fragile people. We put on this exterior, but actually, on the inside, we're like scared children. You're looking for validation. You're scared of going unrecognised when you go out somewhere. I genuinely hope for any actor that they get to experience both. That's when you learn to value each of them. I've walked into rooms where nobody even turns and looks at you. I've walked into a hotel lobby, and it didn't make a difference. I expected it to make a difference because I'm a film star…'
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He continued, 'You walk into a hotel lobby and you expect someone will come for an autograph, and then, nobody comes. You swallow that, and you keep going. A couple of months later, Dhoom comes out, and you walk into the Marriott and the lobby comes to a standstill. You only value that because you've been at the other end. And because you've been at the other end, you never want to go back there, so you work even harder… I say this often: The foundation stone of success is laid on the ground of failure.'
Abhishek recalled what Hrithik Roshan told him the same night that the lobby came to a standstill. Hrithik had experienced overnight stardom following the release of his debut film, and is still regarded as the last major movie star to be launched in the Hindi film industry. 'He was there and he was so happy. He hugged me and he said something in my ear which just threw me off. But it's kept me so aligned to what has happened. He said, 'Till now it was nothing, your problems start now. Now you have something to lose'.'
In Khalid Mohamed's book, To Be Or Not To B: Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya recalled the moments of sorrow that both her husband and son went through in their professional lives. She said about Amitabh, 'I never took his flops seriously; I was convinced that they were a passing phase. He was learning and improving. He would not get depressed by his failures but yes, at times he would retort sharply, 'Naturally no one wants me since I'm a flop actor.' Now Abhishek talks like this all the time and again I am convinced that it is just a passing phase.' The book was released in 2002, two years after Abhishek made his acting debut. Some years ago, Abhishek had admitted that he nearly quit acting after the string of flops, but was talked down from the ledge by his father.