Abhishek adds more meat to his role

Mumbai: After Umrao Jaan, there seems to be an avalanche of Abhishek Bachchan films - Dhoom 2 this month and the much awaited Guru in December. In between his choc-a-bloc schedule, Abhishek talks about his celluloid platter.

Aarti Kapur Singh: Do you look at Guru as a biopic or a love story?

Abhishek Bachchan: It is a love story within a biopic. It’s not very tough when you have a director like Mani Ratnam who is very precise about what he wants and more than precise about what he needs. He is a director who is willing to involve his actors into the script of the film to such a degree that you get to contribute a lot and build something good.

Aarti Kapur Singh: You have put on 11 kg for this film, was that tough?

Abhishek Bachchan: It is very tough actually. Initially you think that this would be a ‘cakewalk,’ no pun intended, but after about a week when you pile on the kilos it becomes very demanding. But then it was what Mani had demanded and asked me to deliver long time ago.

Aarti Kapur Singh: There is going to be a slew of Abhishek Bachchan films, Umrao Jaan last week, now Guru and then Dhoom 2. Good times looking up for you?

Abhishek Bachchan: I have always believed if you can’t beat them with quality, kill them with quantity. Don’t give them a choice and they would love you. The date of release is not in my hands, it’s up to the producers. It just so happens that every year there is a period where about four-five of my films come up at the same time. I am keeping my fingers crossed, we have worked very hard on all these films whether its Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2 or Guru. Let’s hope for the best and see what happens.

Aarti Kapur Singh: Trust me, no one is really complaining about getting an extra dose of Abhishek Bachchan on the celluloid platter. Thank you for talking to us.