Abhishek Bachchan on Umrao Jaan, Guru
By:
Subhash
K.
Jha,
IndiaFM
Monday,
November
06,
2006
Another
era,
another
milieu...poetry,
music
romance...
I've
never
done
anything
like
this
before.
Umrao
Jaan
is
my
first
period
film.
Living
in
the
age
of
Dhoom,
I
was
suddenly
transported
into
this
world
which
is
completely
poetic
and
lyrical,
and
so
very
different
from
what
I've
been
doing
so
far.
I'm
so
lucky
to
be
an
actor.
I
get
to
go
into
places
and
eras
that
have
gone.
Umrao
Jaan
was
a
special
challenge
because
there
was
no
ready
reference-point
for
the
era
that
we
were
working
on.
We
had
to
rely
totally
on
the
research
done
by
JP
Saab.
Which
was
very
thorough
.
The
language,
body
language
everything
was
entirely
different
from
the
way
we
conduct
ourselves
today.
What
about
the
beard?
What
about
it?
Your
Dad
always
found
beards
very
cumbersome.
But
it
isn't
false!
I
grew
a
proper
beard
for
Umrao
Jaan.
I
generally
have
stubble.
JP
Saab
wanted
a
full
beard.
Luckily
I
was
shooting
only
this
film
at
that
time.
One
of
the
advantages
of
doing
one
film
at
a
time...We
shot
in
Jaipur
where
I
had
shot
the
songs
of
my
first
film
Refugee
and
in
Lucknow
where
I
had
shot
for
Bunty
Aur
Babli
.
We
shot
Umrao
in
the
City
Place
of
Jaipur
which
was
very
fascinating.
JP
Saab
is
a
filmmaker
who
subscribes
to
the
notion
that
if
you
put
your
actors
in
the
correct
ambience
it
aids
the
performance.
He
likes
to
shoot
on
authentic
locations
rather
than
sets.
So
when
you
work
in
a
J.P.Dutta
film
you're
sure
to
go
into
places
you've
never
been
before.
What
should
the
audience
expect
from
Umrao
Jaan?
Well,
it's
the
story
of
the
courtesan
Umrao
Jaan
is
played
by
Aishwarya.
So
there's
plenty
of
dancing.
But
it's
also
a
very
emotional
and
dramatic
story.
I
see
it
as
a
cluster-breaker.
In
today's
day
and
age
when
whatever
we
see
in
cinema
is
contemporary
it's
nice
to
reclaim
such
a
glorious
era.
Would
you
say
Aishwarya
supports
your
performance
in
Guru,
as
you
support
hers
in
Umrao
Jaan?
No.
Every
character
is
equally
important
in
every
film.
I
cannot
SUPPORT
her
character.
Umrao
Jaan
is
about
her
character.
It's
Aishwarya's
movie.
I'm
one
of
the
small
players
in
the
film.
Yes,
I'm
one
of
the
cast
members.
But
I
don't
think
Aishwarya
requires
any
support
from
me.
She's
a
very
capable
artiste
and
someone
who
can
shoulder
an
entire
film.
She's
done
a
fantastic
job
in
Umrao
Jaan.
I've
worked
with
her
earlier.
This
is
truly
her
best
work
so
far.
What
about
her
dances?
She's
a
wonderful
dancer.
I
believe
she's
classically
trained.
What
better
opportunity
for
her
to
display
her
dancing
skills
than
to
play
a
courtesan?
And
what
better
experience
than
to
sit
and
watch
Aishwarya
dancing?
Well,
strictly
speaking
I
wasn't
there
all
the
time
when
she
was
dancing.
A
lot
of
my
shots
were
taken
separately.
Unfortunately
my
father
was
in
the
hospital
when
the
first
schedule
of
Umrao
Jaan
was
held.
They
very
sweetly
waited
for
me
in
Jaipur.
I
did
my
work
only
when
I
arrived
three
weeks
into
the
schedule.
And
no
one
can
tell
the
difference.
That's
the
magic
of
J.P.
Dutta's
cinema.
Even
Mani
Rathnam's
Guru
takes
you
into
another
era?
True.
It
isn't
set
in
contemporary
times.
Guru
starts
in
the
1950s.
It's
fascinating
to
live
through
a
time
when
I
wasn't
around,
and
a
time
that
I
haven't
personally
experienced.
The
dress
code,
the
behaviour
everything
is
so
fascinating.
A
tumble
of
three
big
releases
before
the
year
ends.
Nervous?
Every
film
is
a
responsibility.
For
me
every
film
is
a
major
release
and
to
that
extent
every
release
is
a
challenge.
The
rest
is
up
to
God
and
the
audience.
These
are
very
exciting
times
for
our
cinema.
Diverse
films
are
being
made
and
watched.
People
have
accepted
Rang
De
Basanti,
Fanaa,
Kabhi
Alvida
Na
Kehna
and
Lage
Raho
Munnabhai
during
the
same
year.
And
the
fact
that
I
am
an
actor
during
such
exciting
times
is
a
blessing.
After
Umrao
Jaan
a
culture
shock
for
audiences
in
Dhoom
2?
I
don't
think
audiences
go
with
pre-conceived
notions
into
any
movie.
For
them
every
movie
Umrao
Jaan
or
Dhoom
2
,
is
different
experience.
Yes
there're
huge
expectations
from
audiences,
as
there
ought
to
be.
That's
what
pushes
filmmakers
to
work
harder.
You
don't
seem
to
be
caught
in
the
image
trap.
Yes,
I
suppose
Umrao
is
as
different
from
Guru
as
they
both
are
from
Dhoom
2.
Well,
good!
Audiences
will
get
bored
if
I
keep
doing
the
same
thing
repeatedly.
I
think
audiences
expect
variety
from
all
the
actors.
One
can't
be
bothered
with
the
image.
One
has
to
do
one's
work
to
the
best
of
one's
abilities.
I
feel
if
you
adhere
to
an
image
you
aren't
submitting
to
the
film.
Well
your
Dad
was
bound
by
the
image
of
the
Angry
Young
Man.
I
totally
disagree
with
you.
For
every
Deewaar
he
did
a
Chupke
Chupke
as
well.
For
every
Kabhi
Kabhie
there
was
an
Amar
Akbar
Anthony.
I
don't
think
there
has
ever
been
a
more
versatile
actor
than
my
father.
People
just
chose
to
highlight
one
aspect
of
his
work.
How
would
you
describe
your
role
in
Guru?
Well...
he
isn't
a
poet
and
nawab
as
in
Umrao
Jaan
nor
a
cool
cop
as
in
Dhoom
2.
Gurukant
Desai
is
a
unique
character,
an
achiever
who
has
the
brains,
luck
and
a
diligence
to
achieve
his
dreams.
It's
about
a
character
who
dares
to
dream.
Guru
is
totally
different
from
both
Umrao
and
Dhoom
2.
I
know
many
actors
who'd
die
for
the
opportunity
to
work
with
either
J.P
Dutta
or
Mani
Rathnam.
I
got
to
work
with
both
during
the
same
year.
I'm
thankful
to
be
in
their
films.
Compare
JP
and
Mani.
It's
amazing
how
different
the
two
directors
are.
JP
Saab
is
very
spontaneous
while
Mani
is
carefully
planned
about
every
shoot.
But
both
know
exactly
what
they
want.
I
owe
a
lot
to
these
two
directors.
I've
come
out
as
enriched
from
Umrao
Jaan
and
Guru
as
I
did
in
my
earlier
outings
with
them,
namely
Refugee
and
Yuva.
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