"Bachchan… the name says it all". This is one name which stands apart in the Hindi film industry and the general perception has always been that it is easiest for a star kid to find a place in Bollywood. 13 years ago, when Abhishek Bachchan made his debut with J.P. Dutta's Refugee (2000), he had to carry this colossal burden of stepping into his father, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's shoes. Today, on his 37th Birthday, we wish Junior B loads of luck for the future and analyze his major successes in the past.
Abhishek Bachchan Guru – His best performance ever
Abhishek's first film Refugee opened to an excellent response, but was an Average affair in the long run. After that he acted in 15 successive flop films for 4 years until Dhoom (2004) happened. Post Dhoom, Abhishek featured in few commercially viable and critically acclaimed projects. It's ironical that in spite of acting in almost 40 films (Main Lead + Second Lead), he only has 12 films that have managed to 'Hit' the jackpot at the ticket window.
| FILM | Net BO Collections | Verdict | Comments |
| Refugee (2000) | 18.75cr | Average | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Debut 5th Biggest Grosser of the Year |
| Dhoom (2004) | 29cr | Hit | Abhishek's First Clean Commercial Success Fourth Biggest Grosser of the Year |
| Bunty Aur Babli (2005) | 35.75 cr | Hit | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor Second Biggest Grosser of the Year Biggest Success of Abhishek as Main Lead till date |
| Sarkar (2005) | 23.5cr | Above Average | Second Lead to Amitabh Bachchan Winner – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor Eighth Biggest Grosser of the Year |
| Dus (2005) | 23cr | Above Average | Sixth Biggest Grosser of the Year |
| Bluffmaster (2005) | 17cr | Average | – |
| Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006) | 45.75cr | Hit | Second Lead to Shahrukh Khan Winner – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor Sixth Biggest Grosser of the Year |
| Dhoom 2 (2006) | 80.25cr | Blockbuster | Second Lead to Hrithik Roshan Biggest Grosser of the Year All Time Opener |
| Guru (2007) | 44cr | Hit | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor Eighth Biggest Grosser of the Year |
| Dostana (2008) | 44.5cr | Average | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor Eighth Biggest Grosser of the Year |
| Paa (2009) | 31.25cr | Semi Hit | Second Lead to Amitabh Bachchan National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi First Film as Producer (AB Corp. Ltd) |
| Bol Bachchan (2012) | 100cr | Hit | Second Lead to Ajay Devgn Abhishek's first 100 crore film |
Note – The list above illustrates 12 safe ventures Abhishek Bachchan has been part of, but only 7 of these were clean hits. Moreover, just 3 of these 7 successes have Abhishek as lead actor.
Cameos: An interesting aspect in AB Jr's career has been guest appearances. He boasts of doing as many as 14 special appearances (other than 40 main films): Hum Tum (2004), Rakht (2004), Salaam Namaste (2005), Home Delivery: Aapko…Ghar Tak (2005), Ek Ajnabee (2005), Neal n' Nikki (2005), Alag (2006), Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007), Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag (2007), Om Shanti Om (2007), Mission Istaanbul (2008), Luck by Chance (2009), Jhootha Hi Sahi (2010) – voice over.
Box office flops that were critically acclaimed: There have been some films which were 'letdowns' at the box office but Abhishek's performance was praised by the critics
- Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003): Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
- Yuva (2004): Winner – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. After his angry young man portrayal of Lallan in this film, the industry came to know about the real potential of Abhishek for the first time.
- Antar Mahal (2005): Bengali film by Rituparno Ghosh.
- Sarkar Raj (2008): Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Upcoming Films of Abhishek Bachchan: His confirmed films include Dhoom3 and Happy New Year where he plays second lead to Aamir Khan and SRK respectively. He currently has no films as a lead actor.
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