I FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE AS AN ACTOR TODAY

Abhishek Bachchan, who clocks 25 years in the film industry today, looks back at his debut film Refugee, what makes him nervous, and why pulling off comedy was scarier than action
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 30, 2025)

This day, that year — 2000 marked the much-awaited debut of an actor born into one of Hindi cinema’s most iconic couples. And Abhishek Bachchan quickly carved out a space of his own, with varied performances across genres. As he completes 25 years in the industry, the actor looks back with gratitude and a quiet sense of progress.

“Hopefully, there’s been a fair share of improvement in these 25 years. As an actor, I definitely feel a lot more comfortable than I was when I first started,” says the 49-year-old, adding, “As a person, having lived and experienced that much more, obviously you’re better equipped to handle situations. And that’s all that matters.”

‘Becoming an actor was nerve-wracking’
Abhishek debuted in Refugee (2000) opposite actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, also a newcomer at the time. He recalls how the opportunity came his way: “It materialized because (director) J P Dutta sa’ab saw me at an award function and approached me to do his film. That was his call entirely, and I’m eternally thankful to him and for him.”

Despite growing up around films, stepping into the spotlight was nerve-wracking. “Anytime you do something for the first time, it’s terrifying, and it still is, actually. First days always give a lot of butterflies. I was immensely nervous,” he admits.

‘I was scared to do comedy’
Over the years, Abhishek has explored multiple genres — from intense dramas like Guru (2007) to action in the Dhoom series, and slapstick comedy in Bol Bachchan (2012) and Housefull 5. But comedy, he says, was the most intimidating: “It’s the most demanding genre. In dramatic scenes, you can take a pause. But in comedy, if that beat isn’t written, it’s very difficult to make it funny.”

‘Any success means the world’
With films like Dasvi (2022)and I Want To Talk (2024), Abhishek has entered a new phase of acclaim. This year, he received critical and commercial success with Be Happy doing well on OTT. And he will also be seen in King with Shah Rukh Khan.

“Any sort of success for an actor means the world to them. It’s validation for your work and for your effort, and actors love that. We look forward to that. It means that the audiences for whom we work have appreciated our work, and that’s most important. So any sort of success is always welcome and looked forward to,” he ends.