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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Peony Hirwani

Abhishek Bachchan looks back on father Amitabh Bachchan’s words of wisdom when he was on the verge of quitting Bollywood

Photograph: Getty Images

Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan has lived a lifetime being compared to his father — Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan — and there was a point in his career when he almost gave up on acting.

During a radio interview, Bachchan said he thought he wasn’t made for the industry, and had it not been for his father’s words of wisdom, he would’ve given up acting in Bollywood cinema altogether.

"To fail on a public platform is very difficult. There was no social media back then, but I read via the media that some were abusing me while some said that I do not know acting," Bachchan told RJ Siddharth Kannan.

"At one point in time, I felt it was my mistake that I came into the industry as whatsoever I was trying, it was not working. I went to my dad and said maybe I am not made for this industry," he said.

His father Amitabh had replied: “I never brought you up to be a quitter. Every morning you have to wake up and fight for your place under the sun. As an actor, you are improving with every film.”

The senior actor, who worked in iconic films such as Sholay, also asked his son to “concentrate on working” and “take up every role” coming his way.

Abhishek Bachchan’s new film The Big Bull, released on 8 April, is based on the real event of the financial market crisis that took place between 1990 and 2000 involving stockbroker Harshad Mehta and his financial crimes.

Apart from that, the actor has featured in Bollywood movies such as Dhoom, Bunty Aur Bubli, Bol Bachchan, and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.

The senior Bachchan is set to star in the Indian remake of the Hollywood comedy-drama The Intern. He has previously worked in movies such as Agneepath, Piku, and the American classic, The Great Gatsby alongside Leonardo Di Caprio.

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