Actor Abhishek Bachchan says that when he started his Bollywood journey at the age of 23, he was clear about his career goals. “My birthday falls on February 5, and I signed my first film, Refugee (2000), with J P Dutta (director), on February 1. It was a really happy period in my life, as I started shooting for the film. I was sure at 23 that I wanted to become an actor,” he recalls.

The 46-year-old had a name to live up to and comparisons with his parents — actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan — were inevitable. But he understood that not being affected by them was the best way forward. “I decided this at the start of my career and switched off on the first day itself. I remember at that time, I was only thinking, ‘What is everybody else thinking? What are they going to say about my father?’ I realised I had spent my entire day thinking what people were thinking, when I should have spent my day concentrating on doing my job. I was sure to not allow this (the pressure) to come into my consciousness, because it would have taken over,” recalls the Dasvi actor.

He adds, “My job, as an actor, is to dedicate all my energy and channelise it into doing my work, and not [care about] the other stuff.”