Abhishek Bachchan, the son of Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, has found his footing in the film industry in recent years. However, his early career was anything but smooth. Plagued by constant comparisons to his legendary father and a series of box office flops, Abhishek faced significant challenges in the first few years of his career. At one point, the actor even contemplated quitting films entirely.
In a candid conversation with Nayandeep Rakshit for his YouTube channel, Abhishek opened up about the struggles he faced early on. Reflecting on that period, he admitted, “I felt I wasn’t able to achieve whatever I wanted to achieve and match the standards I had set for myself.” This led to a period of self-doubt, and Abhishek made the difficult decision to step away from acting.
However, it was his father, Amitabh Bachchan, who played a pivotal role in getting him back on track. Recalling a conversation with his father, Abhishek shared, “I remember going to my father one night and saying that I have made a mistake and no matter what I am trying, it is not working. Maybe, this is the way of the world telling me that this is not for you.”
Amitabh, however, offered invaluable advice that would shape his son’s career. “He said, ‘I am telling you as an actor and not your father, you have a long way to go, you are nowhere near the finished product but you are improving with every film. Just keep working and you will get there.’” Amitabh added, “I did not bring you up to be a quitter, so keep fighting.” These words from his father proved to be a turning point for Abhishek.
Over time, Abhishek learned to embrace failure as a part of the journey. He emphasised, “With time, you learn a lot and experience teaches you so much. If you look at it, we all are fighting a losing battle. At the end of the day, none of us is getting out of this gig alive. You will fail, you just have to fail forward. Failure is an integral step to success. Without failure, there’s never going to be success.”
Abhishek’s career trajectory took a positive turn in 2004 with the success of Dhoom, followed by acclaimed performances in films like Yuva, Dhoom 2, Bluffmaster, and Dostana. After a long career, Abhishek continues to prove his versatility, with his latest project Be Happy, released on Amazon Prime Video on March 14.