In an industry debating about youth and GenZ all the time, Abhishek Bachchan seems to be the only actor who is actually surrounded by children constantly on-screen – and not metaphorical man-child heroes. It started with Ludo (2020), continued with I Want To Talk (2024) and Be Happy, and the latest release Kaalidhar Laapata again sees the actor sharing the screen with a child actor, and how their relationship is at the heart of the film. To look at it from an optimistic point of view, this could be a mere coincidence that he found good stories which had child stars as co-leads or emotional anchors. Nevertheless, it has been an evident pattern since a while. When will the streak end – and does it even need to?
Art reflecting reality?
Abhishek Bachchan is a father in real life. He welcomed his now-teenager daughter Aaradhya, with wife Aishwarya Rai, in 2011. The actor’s fatherhood and mentorship film choices lately, could be a subconscious push. His art could simply be reflecting his reality. One thing is for sure, his roles with children highlight softer and more vulnerable male characters, in a day and age when hypermasculine alphas are driving Indian cinema.
Abhishek Bachchan with Aishwarya Rai and daughter Aaradhya
He even spoke about this possible reason in an interview with Zoom earlier. The actor said, “Ever since Aradhya was born, a lot of my film choices have become very encompassing of her. So if you see, not for the right reasons in Breathe, but you know in Breathe, be it Ludo, Bob Biswas, I Want to Talk, Be Happy and Kaalidhar Laapata, there’s been this recurring theme of a kid. And that, I’m guessing, could be because I’m a father today, so maybe that emotion resonates with me. Or maybe that relationship just feels that much more visceral at that point in time, possibly. I do see a parallel over there. I’m not so sure, but I kind of figured out that maybe this is just the phase of life I’m going through.”
Mid-life/mid-career reinvention?
After beginning his career with Refugee (2000), LOC Kargil (2003), and Zameen (2003), then moving on to Delhi-6 (2009), Paa (2009), and Dostana (2008), the actor’s career had hit a plateau. After a sabbatical, Abhishek chose slice-of-life films, and deeper and emotionally-layered characters while consciously staying away from hero-centric roles.
This could be Abhishek Bachchan’s own niche – a broken adult healing and finding meaning from the innocence of children. It’s a niche few lead actors want to explore today. Undoubtedly, it can set him apart from his other male peers in the industry.
Abhishek Bachchan and Inayat Verma in Be Happy
Might get repetitive
While creating your own niche might work for a while, an actor has to keep doing different roles as the similarity can get repetitive and boring. Despite being a Bachchan family star, he might be considered for film offers with child actors only or easily be typecast and limited in the audience’ mind. His filmography’s impact, which is quite alive right now, might end up decreasing with time. His fans certainly deserve to see more of him than just a father figure starring in an xyz film with Inayat Verma.
