Exclusive! Abhishek Bachchan: 'Many directors want puppets, they want people they can bounce their ideas on'

Abhishek Bachchan made his OTT debut two years back with _Breathe: Into The Shadows_ that streamed on Amazon Prime Video. He played a character that suffers from split personality, Avinash and J. One asks the other to do his duties to rescue his daughter from his clutches. It was a very juicy and complex premise that left many dots unconnected in season one. And that’s precisely why the makers are now coming with season two that premieres on the same streaming giant from November 9.

And in an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Bachchan talks about the reference to Raavan in the show, if essaying such a complicated character take a toll, why discussions with a director are crucial, and his takeaway from the world they all have created.

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You have experienced the fictional world of Ramayana back in Mani Ratnam*s Raavan. But if Raavan was about the human side of the evil, Breathe explores the evil side of the human. How was your prep for this role?

Totally different. There’s reference to Raavan and his ten heads that represent ten emotions, so there’s no context to Ramayana in Breathe, it’s completely based on the characters that were written for us. Raavan, his ten heads and ten emotions are a catalyst for J in what he does. The characters are not based on the _Ramayana_. The research on the character that we did during the post production was purely based on Avinash and J. There was no need to go to any references of the Ramayana for us.

When you play a character like this that suffers from split personality, does it take a toll or are you able to detach yourself from the character?

A bit of both. You’re able to detach yourself from the character to a certain degree but not entirely. It’s immensely difficult to entirely detach. But I wasn’t going home and kidnapping young girls or walking with a limp. I wasn’t entirely detached but there’s a little bit of work you do take home.

Abhishek, as an actor, how are you on sets like? Do you completely surrender to your director or there are instances when you can have your inputs or ideas for a scene or any character nuances?

I think it’s very important for an actor to have an opinion, this is my personal point of view. But he or she must work within the confines or boundaries the director sets for him or her. At the end of the day, it’s his vision as the captain of the ship. But, it’s also very important for actors to question the director, to discuss everything with them, not to contradict them, that’s how you learn more about things, his view and vision for your character. Many, many directors want puppets, they want people they can bounce their ideas on. I don’t mean disagreement in a negative way but as a healthy discussion as it helps you achieve something better. I don’t know of too many directors who bully the actors into doing what they want. They want their interactions, they want to know what they think, and Mayank, in that way, is very collaborative. Mayank is very set in his ways, he’s very precise and very prepared. When he comes, he knows where he’s going to put his shot, how long that shot is going to stay, the edit pattern. What’s amazing about him is that despite all this, he’ll talk to his actors, see how it plays out, and if he has to tweak anything and edit his vision, he’ll do it on the go. So he comes with everything prepared, throws everything into the giant, big sea, and mix his actors all up. And I feel that comes from immense confidence in your writing and your craft as a director. So to answer the question, I don’t know of many directors that only want silent spectators on the sets, who’ll only execute what they ask them to do.

What has been the one thing you have taken away from the show and the character you have played?

Yaar mera sochna thoda alag hai. If there’s only one thing you’ve taken way then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place. But above and beyond the material Mayank gave us, if I have to say one thing, my favorite takeaway from Breathe is the beautiful group of friends I created. Relationships are something I hold very dear, and I feel lucky to have been blessed with such wonderful co-actors. So I take their friendship back. This is the best thing about Breathe.

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