While many might assume that being the son of Bollywood titans Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan would have guaranteed a smooth entry into the film industry, Abhishek Bachchan recently revealed that this perception couldn’t be further from the truth. In an interview, the actor shared how his path to debut was surprisingly filled with rejections—not due to a lack of talent or passion, but because people found his famous surname intimidating.
“When you’re 21 years old and filled with exuberance and zest, and you know the chatter that you keep hearing around you, ‘He’s gonna become an actor.’ Oh, it’s a big deal. Somewhere you get caught up in that,” he said, describing his eager mindset as he prepared for his foray into films. However, his enthusiasm soon met a harsh reality check. “When you go into a meeting—and not one but several—to say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ and very politely. None of them were rude,” Abhishek revealed.
According to the actor, these refusals weren’t rooted in disrespect but rather a shared apprehension among directors about the immense expectations that would come with launching Amitabh Bachchan’s son. “I didn’t understand then but I understood when I signed Refugee,” he explained. “They were like, ‘We don’t want the responsibility of launching Amitabh Bachchan’s son.’ I didn’t get that, but when I started working and I started seeing firsthand what my father meant to the film industry — fellow actors, directors — I said, you know, I get it.”
“He’s such an immense figure that people have so much love and respect for, and I think that’s amazing,” he added. “I can understand why people said, ‘Don’t put that on us.’”
Ultimately, it was director JP Dutta who stepped forward, offering Abhishek his first film, Refugee (2000), which also marked Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Bollywood debut. Reflecting on that challenging period, Abhishek shared the emotional toll those initial setbacks took on him. “I get it, but when you are so young and are like ‘I’m ready, but no, really? Okay.’ You feel bad, you’re young, you know, you haven’t seen as much of the world. You’re not as wise. So you feel bad.”
It was not easy for Big B’s son as well.
