Exclusive! Abhishek Bachchan: Don't know if a lot of films that are being made today would have been possible 20 years ago

Since the time I watched Breathe: Into the Shadows, I have been curious about seeing Abhishek A Bachchan in the opening credits. Thereon, in his every outing, namely Ludo, The Big Bull, Bob Biswas, and now Dasvi, AB Jr. has added the initial "A" as his middle name. Finally, after two years, I got the opportunity to ask Abhishek when he decided on that and why. The actor exclusively told OTTplay, "Two years ago, and just like that, it's something I felt like doing."

For two years since the pandemic started, Abhishek has been seen only in the OTT space, including a web series and three films. Dasvi, directed by Tushar Jalota, is the actor's fourth movie to directly premiere digitally. When quizzed if he had found a more comfortable space with the advent and boom of OTT, the actor replied, "I don't think it's a comfortable space. I mean, it's a medium I'm very comfortable with. But a film is a film. My approach has to be the same for it to come on your laptop, on the television screen, or on a theatrical screen. So my work is the same, so I don't think it changes anything for the actor. "

Read on to know what more Abhishek shared about all things Dasvi...

What drew you towards Dasvi?

Well, it was a story. When Dino (Dinesh Vijan) and Tushar (Jalota) approached me with the film, I just loved the premise. That was very interesting. The story was something that grabbed my attention, and I knew it would be a film that would be fun to watch and be a part of.

You have a heavy Haryanvi accent in the film. Did you undertake any diction training for it?

Yeah, we had a dialect coach. We worked with the dialect coach about two months before the shoot, and then, obviously, they were on set with us.

In the trailer, we see you using colloquial words in your dialogues. Coming to OTT, there are times when actors use cuss words onscreen. Are you comfortable with using abusive language on the screen?

I'd prefer not to unless it's extremely justified.

After Yami Gautam's character talks about your character not being even in 10th grade, that gives a jolt to take up a mission to complete your high school diploma. Has it ever happened in your career or life that someone said something and you kind of took it as a challenge to make it happen?

Every day, somebody says something that inspires you and urges you to work even harder. You read something on social media, or somebody close to you says something that serves as a great source of inspiration.

Are you missing the big-screen magic?

Of course, I am. But I think we have to be very happy because the reach of digital streaming platforms is immense. If we take Netflix, it has a wonderful subscriber base. At the moment, JioCinema has the potential to have a base of at least 400 million people. There are 400 million people who watch it at the press of a button. That's amazing! I think the silver lining for this film is that you know that a lot of people are going to get to watch it.

Does it ease the box office pressure?

No, the pressure is the same. The box office is just a barometer for you to judge what the audience thought of the film. Whether they liked it or not, on OTT, you judge that by the kind of responses you get on social media. You always get a sense of whether a film has been accepted or not.

For most of the film, you are seen shooting in a confined space as you are serving a jail term. And you also shot it during the pandemic. How challenging was that for you?

We were shooting this between the two lockdowns. We finished shooting the day before the second lockdown was announced. We shot most of the film in Agra Central Jail, a real-life location. It was wonderful, and it adds a lot to the characters, the look, the feel, and the authenticity of the film.

Having spent more than 20 years as an actor, what kinds of roles now excite you as an actor?

It's very difficult to pinpoint and put your finger on just what kind of role to play. I think it's more than just a role; it's about the story. It just has to be a story that you like and want to be a part of. That's what it's more about.

So, do you think the opportunities have gotten better for you over the years?

I don't know. I don't think I have the authority to say that. I think what's exciting is that there's a lot of exciting work being done and written, which is nice. A lot of films are made today, I don't know if they would have been made 20 years ago. A lot of that has to do with the fact that we have yet another medium through which we can have a platform on which we can put our work out, not just cinema. There's television and OTT as well. There's a greater demand in the world. That's why I think there's more diverse and interesting work being done.

Tushar Jalota is making his directorial debut with Dasvi. How exciting was it to work with a new director on an interesting subject?

He's wonderful. I've never looked upon him as a first-time director. He's my director, and that's it. He was making a wonderful film. I'm very happy and glad that he chose me to portray Gangaram Chaudhary. I hope I lived up to his expectations.

And you also have two terrific actors, Nimrat Kaur and Yami Gautam, as your leading ladies...

Both Yami and Nimrat were just a pleasure to work with and to collaborate with. There's a great exchange, and I'm a richer actor after having worked with them. I'm very thankful that I got the opportunity to share screen space with them.

Dasvi is directed by Tushar Jalota and written by Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair, and Sandeep Laeyzell. Under the banners of Maddock Original Film and Bake My Cake Films, Dinesh Vijan, Shobhna Yadav, and Sandeep Leyzell have produced the film.

The film is slated for release on April 7 on Netflix and JioCinema.