Something about Prom night date

When he started off, Abhishek Bachchan was the black sheep of the industry. But look who's having the last laugh. 2005 undeniably belonged to Bachchan Junior with films like Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, and Dus. And if you thought that was it, you're mistaken. Because before the year ends, he has yet another offering for you in the form of Bluffmaster. We don't think Abhishek Bachchan is an upcoming superstar… he is already there!

How did this role in Bluffmaster come about?
This is my second film with Rohan. Our first film was Kuch Naa Kaho which released in 2003. Rohan and I have been childhood friends. We went to the same school in Switzerland. After Kuch Na Kaho released, Rohan wanted to take some time off. During that time, we discussed quite a few script ideas and suddenly we came up with the idea of Bluffmaster. We toyed with it for a while since we were not sure what exactly we wanted to do next. He kept on working on the idea. One day while I was working on another film, he came on the sets and said that he wanted me to hear it out. I absolutely loved it. Actually I wasn't meant to play the part that I am playing right now. A casting change had happened because of some date adjustments. My part of Roy was meant to be played by Sanjay Dutt. I was supposed to play Riteish's role. At last minute, there were some date changes. The dates I had given them were coming up and there was no actor. So I decided to do this role and Riteish was cast for my original role. By luck everything fell into place. Then Priyanka, Boman and Nana came on board. It is a fun film. I enjoyed it. Rohan likes to cater to his own sensibility which is unique. It does not have the graph of a usual Hindi film. It's light hearted and keeps you at the edge of your seat.

What is Bluffmaster all about?
It is essentially the story of Roy Kapoor, a con artist, played by me. He's a big time player and has a girl friend, Simi played by Priyanka Chopra. One day his past catches up with him and all hell breaks loose. His life falls apart. That's when he bumps into a small time petty thief, played by Riteish. He gets after him to teach him all that he knows. At this stage Roy is quite fed up with everything in his life and he has also lost the love of his life. He decides to help Riteish out. My character is not negative but he is a con artist. He loves his life but one day he realizes that he has to straighten things out.

First Bunty Aur Babli and now Bluffmaster. What's up with you playing con artists? Are there any similarities in the two roles?
No, not at all. The only similarity is that the two characters are con artists. Bunty Aur Babli had a more rural setting and was set in small town India. Bluffmaster is set entirely in Mumbai. You do the roles that come to you. Beggars can't be choosers. It was a fun part and working with Rohan is always exciting.

You had a great experience working with Aishwarya Rai in Rohan Sippy's last. This time again, it's another Miss World. How was the experience?
I keep telling Rohan that he needs to get over this fixation of casting Miss World's in his films. Ash was supposed to do this film. Unfortunately as the dates got shifted, we could not have her on board. It was unfortunate because Rohan, Ash and myself were a team! We missed her but we got Priyanka. There were no complaints. Priyanka is awesome in the film. She's a wonderful co-star and a very sweet girl. There are no complaints! They are all very beautiful.

##Pg## This is your first film with Nana Patekar. How is he as a person?
I have known Nanaji since I was a kid, because he is a senior member of the fraternity. He has worked with dad. It's wonderful to work with him because he is a warehouse of talent. The things he does are fantastic. He is wonderful as a co-star. He will sit with you and help you with your scenes. It is always great to have a more experienced actor on set who can calm you down when you think you know too much. He can say "guys, let me teach you a bit!" He is warm hearted, caring and a great human being.

Is he as eccentric off camera as he is on?
He is a simple, sweet guy. He just comes to work and takes care of the unit. He really fathered all of us. He kept feeding us. He is a very nice guy.

Your family has been involved with the Sippy family for decades. What makes all you guys so close?
When you work with a director, you forge a great relationship. At the end of the day, an actor-director relationship is like family. Not only my dad, but my mom has also worked with Ramesh uncle. They've done multiple films. Because we are family friends, I have known Rohan since I was a child. And we also went to the same boarding school. We've been friends since so long. They're a wonderful family and I'm happy that they are in my life!

What kind of a person is Rohan?
When you see him, you will understand what kind of a person he is. Rohan is what I call a 'Chupa Rustom'. He looks straight and well mannered but deep down inside he is all over the place! He is very intelligent and I love his take on life. He is a very stable and steady person, who you can count on for sound advice. He is someone you can call at 5 am. Which I did yesterday! He was jet-lagged and I woke him up. He never complains. But on set he is very staid and in control. Movies are generally made in complete chaos. It's like you are losing light, the actor has to go and general chaos. And in the middle of all this chaos, you have Rohan sitting calm and wondering how to capture the shot to the best of his ability. Everything will be haywire but he'll be very calm. I like that quality because when you are in the middle of all this mayhem, it is good to have someone who knows what they are doing.

When you guys were in school, did you ever think that Rohan would be a director?
Never! Not at all! He was in Stanford and then came back. He was working in New York for a while. I never thought he would make a film. When he first came to me and said that lets do a film I almost fell of my chair! I'm glad he did and I got to work with him.

What is special about your character in Bluffmaster?
From all the work that I have done, the character closest to me is that of Raj from Kuch Na Kaho. I think that stems from the fact that Rohan knows me really well. He knows a side of me that other people might not know. He gives me work that highlights that side. I started the year with Bunty Aur Babli, went on to Sarkar, Dus and Salaam Namaste. It's been a lot of variety and I love that. That's what is so exciting about this job. You get to wake up and play a completely different person everyday. What I liked about Roy is his composure. He knows how to talk himself out of a situation. It is a kind of character that I have never played before. He's a cool guy and I enjoyed it!