He is the scion of one of the most cultured and talented families in Indian Cinema. When his debut film 'Refugee' was about to be released, there were obviously high expectations and although the film did not do too well at the box office, it was clear that Abhishek Bachchan was a 'lambi race ka ghoda'.

 

'Refugee' (2000) was followed by a string of flops and yet critics and audiences alike had developed a soft spot for Abhishek feeling that he had a very difficult task in trying to emerge from the shadow of his father. Possessing unconventional looks but an intelligent sense of humour, an actor loved by all his co-stars, Abhishek took criticism in his stride and continued to remain focused and improve. In spite of his films like 'Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya', 'Dhai Akshar Prem Ke', and 'Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost', not doing well at the box office, top directors and banners continued to flock to him, possibly not only because of his immense talent but because of his thorough professionalism and humility. Finally films like 'Dhoom' and 'Yuva' in 2004 achieved the box office success which had until then been slightly elusive and after that there was no turning back.

 

In 2005, the actor managed quite a few hits with films like 'Dus', 'Bunty Aur Babli', 'Sarkar' and 'Bluffmaster'. He continued to be part of successful films the following year with Karan Johar's 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' and 'Dhoom 2'. He proved that he was not an actor by fluke with his stellar performance in Mani Ratnam's 'Guru' in 2007, where he was paired opposite his to be wife, Aishwarya Rai. And he repeated the magic with 'Sarkar Raj'. He also proved how well suited he was to urbane, comic roles in Tarun Mansukhani's 'Dostana' (2008).

 

With the Bachchans reviving their production house, AB Corp Ltd, Abhishek donned the mantle of a producer for 'Paa'. Directed by Balki, this unique film saw him play father to his real-life Pa, Amitabh Bachchan. It speaks volumes about his potential that a director like Mani Ratnam repeated him for the third time in his 2010 film, 'Raavan'. The film also starred Ash, now Abhishek's wife. His next outing in that year, Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey', based on the Chittagong Mutiny, failed to set the cash registers ringing.

 

The actor has won the Filmfare for 'Best Supporting Actor' for 3 consecutive years, starting with 'Yuva' in 2004, followed by Sarkar in 2005 and 'Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna' in 2006. He has been nominated for Filmfare 'Best Actor' for films like 'Dostana', 'Guru', 'Bunty Aur Babli' and 'Refugee'. Clearly, Abhishek has proved his mettle.

 

Some of his recent films include Abhinay Deo's 'Game', Rohan Sippy's 'Dum Maro Dum' and Abbas-Mustan's 'Players', all of which failed to do well at the box-office.

 

With the 2012 film 'Bol Bachchan', directed by Rohit Shetty, Abhishek managed to get a box-office success.

 

He will next be seen in the third film of the 'Dhoom' franchise, titled 'Dhoom 3'