‘Are you saying I don't know my job?': JP Dutta slammed Abhishek Bachchan's reaction to his Refugee performance, actor gave 17 retakes in front of 10,000 people

Indian Express

a day ago

If the adage 'hard work pays off' ever needed a poster boy, Bollywood acting legends Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan's son Abhishek Bachchan would be a strong contender. From a series of substandard performances in early films such as Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa, Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai, Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, and a breakthrough success with Dhoom, to back-to-back notable roles in Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Guru, and now owning a name for himself through performances in films like Manmarziyaan, Ludo, Bob Biswas, Dasvi and I Want to Talk, Abhishek Bachchan has come a long way.
Despite being the son of two of Bollywood's most distinguished and accomplished actors, Abhishek initially showed little to no potential or promise. Nor did he have any unrealistic assumptions about himself. He has also never shied away from admitting his weaknesses and where he faltered. Although he feels that his performance in his debut film, the romantic drama Refugee (2000), was not up to the mark, not everyone agrees with his opinion; and one of the people who strongly disagrees is the film's director JP Dutta. Abhishek recently revealed that when he shared his thoughts with Dutta once, the filmmaker gave him an earful.
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'I told him, 'JP saab, I feel bad. I feel I wasn't ready enough for you. I could have done so much better, and you gave me such a responsibility. His response was typical JP Duta, 'So you're saying I don't know my job?' I wondered why he would think that? He said, 'I okayed the take, right?' So I was like, actually, he's got a point. The director okayed the take; it's their decision. He always puts me back into my place when I'm flying a bit too high,' Abhishek Bachchan recalled during a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India.
He added, 'I wish I had the armoury that I have today back then. But I also realise that a large part of the reason why I'm that equipped today is because I've spent 25 years doing what I do.' Also starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty, Sudesh Berry and Anupam Kher in key roles, Refugee was an average grosser at the box office.
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During the chat, Abhishek also recalled giving 17 retakes for a shot in Refugee. Mentioning that he had already convinced himself he was the 'Marlon Brando of passing shots', he said his overconfidence soon landed him in trouble. 'When JP Dutta's father, OP Dutta, who penned the dialogues for the film, came for the narration before one day's shoot, I thought all I had to do was respond 'Name? Refugee' to Kulbhushan Kharbanda's question of 'What's your name?' So I paid no heed and continued fooling around with Bebo (Kareena). The shooting happened in a village. After delivering this line, I looked around, but JP hadn't said 'cut'. I thought he was expecting some more action, so I started filling water in a bowl. But he didn't even okay the next take. There were 5,000–10,000 people watching the set. They had all come after hearing that Amitabh Bachchan's son was acting for the first time.'
Besides the crowd, his parents' friend Reena Roy and his acting coach Anupam Kher were also on set, which scared Abhishek even more. After each take, he said, JP Dutta kept stepping closer to him, sending chills down his spine. Once the fear set in, Abhishek began fumbling more and even broke several clay water bowls. 'Every time he screamed 'cut', I was sure I was about to get a smack from him. But it didn't happen.'
By then, the fear of thousands of people judging him had also set in, pushing Abhishek to the verge of tears. 'After the 16th take, JP saab came up to me and asked what was wrong. I told him that having so many people watching was bothering me. He removed everyone from the set. Then he told me that no matter how long it took, he would extract the performance he needed from me. That was also when I realised JP hadn't cut the shot because 'Name? Refugee' wasn't the only dialogue I was supposed to say. I actually had almost two pages of dialogues, which I had paid no heed to when OP Dutta came for the narration,' he added.