Far
away
in
the
jungles
of
Cochin
shooting
for
Mani
Ratnam's
next,
Abhishek
Bachchan
has
had
no
time
to
celebrate
the
success
of
Dostana.
"Of
course
we'll
have
a
party
when
we
get
back.
But
at
the
moment,
I'm
celebrating
by
doing
more
quality
work."
Abhishek
is
happy
to
be
a
gay
icon.
"I'm
very
happy
with
that.
Why
should
I
be
surprised
or
shocked?
I
think
homosexuals
are
as
human
as
anyone
else.
It's
a
matter
of
great
pride
if
I'm
their
icon." Abhishek
describes
his
pairing
with
John
as
the
jodi
of
the
moment.
"Other
screen
couples
can
go
eat
their
hearts
out."
His
effeminate
gestures
in
Dostana
have
raised
eyebrows.
And
there's
talk
that
his
father
hasn't
really
liked
Junior's
character
or
performance.
Abhishek
is
aghast.
"Why
should
he
take
offence?
Not
at
all!
The
film
is
not
about
homosexuality.
Dostana
isn't
Brokeback
Mountain.
It
was
just
a
comedy.
My
whole
family
has
thoroughly
enjoyed
it.
Who
doesn't
enjoy
a
good
laugh?
It's
a
normal
fun
film.
Aishwarya
is
very
happy
that
it's
a
big
hit....my
second
big
hit
of
the
year
after
Sarkar
Raj."
Whom
was
he
copying
in
Dostana?
"Dostana
wasn't
made
in
haseen-mazaaq.
We
had
a
lot
of
fun
making
the
film.
But
we
were
serious
about
the
making
of
the
film.
I
worked
very
hard
on
the
gestures
and
mannerisms.
We
in
this
country
tend
to
take
comedies
very
frivolously.
Good
locales,
good
songs....and
that's
it.
In
Dostana,
I
had
to
work
very
hard
to
portray
a
straight
man
acting
gay.
It
could
easily
have
gone
over-board.
I
wanted
to
avoid
making
the
character
caricatural.
Barring
one
portion
(the
flashback
about
how
John
met
Abhishek)
we
kept
it
controlled."
This
was
the
toughest
character
for
Abhishek
to
play.
"It's
unfortunate
that
these
kinds
of
films
aren't
taken
seriously.
It
wasn't
a
character
I
could
sleepwalk
through.
People
think
we
partied
hard
while
shooting
Dostana
in
Miami.
Wrong.
We
worked
from
early
morning
till
night,
worked
out
and
crashed
out."
Abhishek
says
he
isn't
surprised
by
the
success
of
Dostana.
"I
knew
it
was
workable
when
I
heard
the
script.
I
was
convinced
it'd
be
very
entertaining.
We
knew
the
audiences
would
laugh
with
us,
that
they
wanted
something
entertaining
to
get
their
minds
off
a
hard
day's
work."
Abhishek
admits
the
disappointment
of
Drona
has
been
wiped
away
by
the
success
of
Dostana.
"It's
always
wonderful
to
be
a
part
of
a
hit.
Dostana
was
the
name
of
Dharma
Productions' first
film
and
it
starred
my
dad.
When
Karan
and
I
put
our
heads
together,
we
spontaneously
decided
Dostana
was
the
best
title
for
our
film."
Far
from
the
madding
appreciation
Abhishek
is
enjoying
the
hit.
"It
gives
you
back
your
self-confidence.
I
worked
very
hard
on
Drona.
I
felt
hugely
disappointed
when
it
didn't
do
well.
Drona
will
always
remain
close
to
my
heart."
Abhishek
next
moves
to
Munnar
with
Mani.
"Munnar
is
where
Pa
shot
Nishabd
with
Ramu."
Reacting
to
media
reports
that
he
wore
a
cap
in
Mumbai
to
hide
the
special
look
for
Mani's
look,
Abhishek
laughs,
"I
know
Mani
is
secretive
about
his
characters'
look.
But
there's
only
so
much
one
can
do.
An
actor
has
many
commitments
to
fulfill
besides
the
film
on
hand.
I'm
sure
Mani
understands
that.
No,
I
wore
a
cap
for
no
particular
reason."
Story first published: Friday, December 5, 2008, 12:06 [IST]