Abhishek is a riot!

Nidhi Taparia

He is no stranger to hype and hyperboles.

Film critic-turned-director Khalid Mohamed experienced his fare share of hype with this recent Fiza. Both for himself and the nation's obsession, Hrithik Roshan.

He is also no stranger to the hype that is now part of Abhishek Bachchan's existence. Who better, than the critic to speak about Abhishek Bachchan, on the day of the release of the actor's third film?

In an exclusive to rediff.com's Nidhi Taparia, Khalid Mohamed speaks about Abhishek:

LET me say this at the outset: Forget comparisons between Abhishek and Hrithik.

Abhishek has a very warm screen presence, a warm smile and immense potential as an actor. He has a saucy sense of humour -- he is a riot.

See, I believe Refugee was a good launch.

The kids, Kareena and Abhishek, came off the best, instead of coming across as just teenyboppers. They had an interesting, semi-serious role, which demanded quite a bit out of them. They managed to deliver.

Abhishek is an actor who doesn't walk in with preconceived notions. Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa, for example, was a lousy film. But he managed to perform it as convincingly as he can.

HE knows how to adapt himself to a role, the script and give it all he can. He treats his roles with a pinch of salt -- it shows in his performance!

If you're talking about his previous flop, his father had five. But look at where is now. I don't believe that is any way to judge someone.

I find Abhishek very approachable, very easy to talk to. Hrithik, on the other hand, takes his own time to open up and let himself go.

I don't think Abhishek apes his father consciously. The reason why you feel he does is because similar scenes have been incorporated in his script sometimes.

Yes, he has inherited one thing -- his father's sense of punctuality.

What he really needs are interesting roles; performance-oriented films and not get stereotyped or slotted.

What I like about Hrithik and Abhishek is that they have seen a lot of films, are literate and well-read. They have realised that the audience wants more. And they are willing to stretch that much more to give it to them and look beyond those trappings.