For Abhishek Bachchan, nothing is more important than his family. Be it the Bachchan legacy or what his family stands for, he values that the most. He considers himself a good son and yet, going through the process of shooting Umesh Shukla's All Is Well made him question himself on how he could become an even better one. Over an hour-long conversation over breakfast that included many sausages, the extremely well mannered AB (as he is lovingly called by his friends) talks to us about his parents' unconditional love for him, occasions when he touches their feet and why he considers only successful cinema as good cinema. Excerpts:

Lets talk about about All Is Well.
What I loved the most about the film when Umesh Shukla narrated it to me was his narrative style. He definitely has something to say in his film but what I liked is how he dresses it in humour. Such a nice way to put across such a serious point. Someone once said if you want to make a point, make them laugh. He doesn't sermonise or preach at all. He narrated the script to me and instantly, I wanted to be a part of it. 50% as I liked the story and 50% how he wanted to tell the story. Has a film on this subject been made before? Yes. But it's told in a very different way. It's a story about the dysfunctionality of a father and a son, a normal family from Kasol, where the father runs the family bakery, which doesn't really do very well, son grows up seeing his parents fight a lot. He is very traumatised and complexed as a result of that. He wants to become a musician, father wants him to obviously carry on the family business. They have different dreams and different aspirations. Circumstances are such that he needs to come back home and discovers that his mother has Alzheimer's. There is a huge loan that he needs to pay off and for that, they have to embark on this journey together. And the twist over there is that the doctor has said that the mom has to be kept happy. The father and son have not spoken for ten years and that makes it all the more tough as seeing his parents fight he had left his house ten years ago. There is one hilarious incident after the other, but what is nice is how Umesh has woven in his message about love, family, togetherness, commitment, communication and in the end how both the characters realise their wrongdoing. So it's a relationship-based film. What's nice is how he does it with a lot of light-hearted banter. The reason I really liked it is that I felt that what he is trying to say is very important. When you leave the film and come back home is when you realise, wait a minute, that was a very important message. I remember when we were shooting the film in Shimla over dinner, Umesh asked me something very interesting. He said, 'When is the last time you came late from work at home and went and checked on your parents?' And that got me seriously thinking. We have all become so busy in our lives in today's day and age that there is no such thing as a 9 to 5 job. Competition is stiff, the pace of life has become so fast, there is no such thing as I am on holiday. You are always accessible. We have all got so busy in setting the goals for ourselves and to aspire to achieve them. So busy trying to do that we forget one of the main reasons why we are doing it and that is our family. Just to do simple things as check on them to see if they are sleeping alright. It's not that today's generation is doing it on purpose, but it's just that life has become busy. We all want to go back to a healthy happy family but that is the first thing we trade in, our family, in order to achieve what we are trying to achieve for them. Is it worth it? Is it right? Somewhere down the line, I don't entirely think so. Whenever I leave for work in the morning, my mom will say 'Eat your lunch properly.' That's what mothers do. Even today at 39, when I am going out at night, my dad will say, 'Don't be home too late.' And this happens with everyone. I am no exception. But when is the last time after lunch you called your mom and asked, 'Hey mom, have you eaten lunch?' When did you last call your dad and ask, 'Hey dad, have you eaten dinner? Go to bed. Don't be up too late. Don't blog all night.' We don't do that. Our parents' love for us is unconditional and I am not saying that we don't love them but just call them randomly and say, 'Hey mom and dad I love you.' It will make their day.

Do you do that ever?
Yes I do. I'd like to believe that I am a good son and have always done what I can do for my family. And yes, their happiness and approval is of paramount importance to me. There have been times when a film has not done well and my family has liked the film and it kind of softens the blow for me. The film made me think, okay you are a good son but still is there scope for being even better?

Do you demonstrate your love to your parents?
Yes, we are a very demonstrative family that way and are huggers. On occasions though I even touch their feet, for instance if I am travelling somewhere or if I am starting something new. Then I want to touch their feet and take their blessings. These are things we are brought up to do. I have seen my father go every morning and meet up with his parents. When they were alive, he would touch their feet. My relationship with my parents is a lot more casual than that and it's not as formal.

Piku is a film about a father and a daughter and All Is Well is about a father and a son. Are there other commonalities between the two?
There are three similarities between Piku and All Is Well. The first being that both the paternal characters in the fllm are obsessed about relieving. Secondly, a large part of both films takes place on the road and third, both films have a Bachchan in them. Piku is a brilliant example of a director on top of his game who takes a slice of life and his pure genius makes it so watchable and intriguing, bringing out brilliant performances and talking about relationships and women empowerment so subtly without underlining it. On the other hand, in All Is Well, Umesh Shukla wants to give you a message. There is a definite purpose to his story. He wants to tell you about family, relationships, parents and about generation gap.

Did you choose to be a part of All Is Well as it is a film with a message?
For me, good cinema is successful cinema. Bad cinema is unsuccessful cinema. As an actor and a producer working in a commercial medium, I don't have the liberty to think otherwise. The minute I ask my audience to purchase a ticket, I owe them entertainment. I owe them a good film and they don't care whether you give them a message or not. They need their money's worth. Period. Whether this is good cinema, this is nonsensical commercial cinema is all hogwash. You make a good film, that film is going to work. That is the one sacred rule of moviemaking. And that has no exceptions. Yes there will always be a select few or at times a large part of a section of the audience that might not like the film, but at the end of the day, you have to go with the majority as this is a mass medium. Somewhere down the line, you have to accept that you can't make everyone happy.

Do you ever take advice from your parents on a script?
No, never, and I have consciously stayed away from that. I have informed them, I have never consulted them. My mom had told me very early in my career, 'You have to do the film, not me. So why would my advice help you in any way?'

Which of your parents is more generous with accepting your performances?
My mom. She loves everything I do as she is my mom. And it's the same with me for my mom. Like for my dad I can see him as Amitabh Bachchan the actor, but my mom will always just be my mom for me. I cannot blur the line in her case. I can never see her as Jaya Bachchan the actor. My dad has always said, 'I will give it to you in the solar plexus (a punching term used in boxing).' He said, 'The best thing I can do for you as a father is to be ruthlessly honest.' And I am so glad he is. There are many films he has not liked and many he has but he will always tell me straight up. In this world of make-belief, you start playing into a lot of the make-belief, so it's so important that you have factors at home that ground you. At the end of the day, he is who he is. Nobody has seen and been through what he has. So obviously as a parent, it's a fantastic thing to have. Of course, if a film does well everybody is very happy and proud and that's a great feeling.

At what point do your parents tell you what they feel about your performance?
On the drive home, it's instant. My mom you will know as soon as the trial is over, it's on her face. So if Ma gives you a hug at the end, it means she has liked it. If she tells me, 'Let's go home,' you know she didn't. Later on that night, dad will sit me down and talk to me. The nice thing is they don't criticise, it's very constructive. The more understanding of the lot there is Aishwarya that way. She lays it down much easier, but she is also very truthful in her reaction.

Which is your dad's favourite film of yours?
Guru. He is very cute. Till date, if Guru is coming on TV and I am not at home, he will watch it and call me and say, 'Hey Guru is coming on TV.'