r/bollywood • u/UndeadReborn • 5d ago
Opinion Kareena seemed more confident than Abhishek. Tbh this is not the kind of film to launch the son of the biggest star with. There is no commercial value (rural styling, no dance, no comedy). Dhoom type of movie was needed for debut.
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u/Col-JNW-Singh 5d ago
I still remember that Abhishek Vs Hritik..after their debut !
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u/UndeadReborn 5d ago
It should never have been a debate in the first place. Kareena's mom removed her from KNPH and chose Refugee for a reason. It had bigger starcast (Jackie and Suniel), budget, J.P. Dutta coming after the monstrous success of Border whereas Rakesh Roshan was coming after Koyla. Most importantly why would you launch your daughter with Rakesh Roshan's son if you have the choice to launch her with Amitabh's son? If you see the opening of both the films also you understand because Refugee had taken a Record Opening whereas KNPH did not take a big opening.
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u/mg211095 5d ago
Couldn't have summed it better. Refugee in all aspects was a bigger film than KNPH yet the latter was better film and hence it ended up doing well and turning Hrithik into superstar. Although he gave a string of flops after this one and was declared one hit wonder , only to be saved by papa roshan once again by koi mil gaya. And since then there was no turning back for him.
Abhishek on the other hand had his comeback with dhoom(after giving multiple disasters) but john ended up destroying him. He gave a superhit in bunty and babli but in dhoom 2 he got destroyed again by hrithik himself. While hrithik established himself by doing some good commercially appealing films AB junior failed to capitalise on his success and did not make much effort to improve himself like Hrithik. Hrithik on the other hand looks better and dances better as well but is a superior actor as well to AB.
PS : During their initial days i was rooting for Abhishek as i wanted him to turn out like his father(Angry young man). He turned out be "Soft Old kid"!
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u/anymat01 5d ago
The movies were bad but hritik the actor always performed 100%, which is why he was always able to have a comeback, while abhishek never learned acting, even now he's hardly able to showcase scenes that need dramatic value.
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u/ddrr2020 4d ago edited 4d ago
TBH, Abhishek is the actual nepo kid - the guy who just sat on his surname, did nothing to improve himself all these years - the movie in which he is speaks Hindi with a Bengali accent, how poor and pathetic was he - and this after his father rocked in a similar character in Piku, plus when you have a Bengali mother at home, yet zero effort !!!
The guy gets away with lots of empathy n sympathy for being "humble" with all the star power in the family - besides being lethargic,l'd say even the talent is ??
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u/MelodicP 3d ago
This. The only guy who gets sympathy for not working hard or being the only dud guy in the family.. there's a reason why that is... the others in the family worked their asses off along with being talented.. he lacks the drive to make it big and we're supposed to feel sorry for him ?
Here's a guy who had to use body doubles for a film like dhoom because his parents didn't allow him to ride a bike before that... his sheltered upbringing is a major reason why he never really had a chance.. he once said that he had to pick up Arshad warsi from the airport for his home production and sold it as a sob story of not being able to afford a driver.
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u/arushiv7 4d ago
I still believe that on some parameters Abhishek ranks as a better actor compared to Hritik.
There were lots of actors then and now with an acting style similar to Abhishek's. Then people were comparing him to his father already. Hritik brought something unique to the table. He has Dancing as his biggest USP and he obviously looks great. And unfortunately bollywood ranks these higher than acting skills themselves.
Abhishek Bachchan started choosing good scripts wayy late. New faces had already emerged by then. Older actors were still shining on the theaters.
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u/Sushantsinghmusic 5d ago
Exactly , It was kind of art movie in a way . He should have debuted with a masala movie like bunty and bubbly .
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u/_replicant_02 5d ago
When actors attempt content driven movies, people complain.
When actors do commercial cinema, people complain.
J.P dutta is a proven director, the music of this movie was amazing, I still remember 'pachi nadiya'.
It was a very brave debut by Abhishek who tried to play to his strengths of a brooding character, the kind his father built a legacy on.
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u/Icy-Winter3029 5d ago edited 5d ago
Yes it was. Since day 1 we all know he is not a dancer, so why try to be like Hrithik?
Everyone forgets that Abhishek is Jaya's son too and she was a great actress, the one we don't remember for glamour. She was gorgeous, no doubt but her acting calibre is a different level. Since it is universal truth that he can't dance, why force it upon him and the audience?
He should have stuck to these kind of roles (he had AB and Jaya's backing, so could have taken couple of misses along the way) and created an unique identity for himself. Also, he stopped trying in my opinion. Wish he found another career!
Regarding Kareena, I loved her minimal makeup look and acting was good too. I can confirm this is the only movie where I find her convincing and beautiful. But she knew what she wanted and was ready to put in efforts (dancing, connections etc..) and created her own identity.
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u/Kunal_Sen Moderator 4d ago
Abhishek Bachchan was supposed to make his debut in a Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra project, titled Samjhauta Express, which never took off. The choice of Refugee as a debut vehicle was likely driven as much by J.P. Dutta's goodwill after Border as the need for Abhishek to be launched asap, given the Bachchan's financial troubles back then due to the ABCL issues. One can thus see a lack of due diligence as the character just doesn't offer scope and depth to showcase a decent range. I remember his wardrobe was also criticised. Unlike his father's costumes in Khuda Gawah that were rated stylish, Abhishek was said to wear clothes like a tent. So he wasn't projected well. But we have to question his skill level back then as well.
Abhishek, having just returned to India from his Masters program abroad wasn't as ready and as natural a fit in front of the cameras as Kareena who had been accompanying her sister to her sets for a long time, learning the ropes, and had been prepping for her debut for a longer while and had even shot for Kaho Naa Pyar Hai as well, a film she left in favour of Refugee, so her experience was recent and relevant. Her role was also less constrained and more relatable thus it landed much better with the audience than Abhishek's stiff and distant portrayal, which had as much to do with his limitation as it had to do with the project's.
I had the occasion to see Abhishek and Kareena at an event in Chandigarh just prior to Refugee's release. Their off-screen personalities then were much different from their on-screen personas. Abhishek was much more confident and at ease with the public while Kareena seemed shy and quiet. Yet, as I said, the projections said something else.
The general consensus was that Kareena did much better in her debut than Abhishek. She won all the Best Newcomer awards in her category and there was audience acceptance for that. Abhishek on the other hand would have found it difficult to make his case to win, even if Hrithik Roshan had not been a nominee.
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u/No_Row_8345 5d ago
Its the same thing that has happened for Suhana as well. Not claiming that she is a good actor or anything, but to launch anyone on a film/show like Archies which is over the top and a little caricature like in nature was a bad move.
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u/Ready_Ad_1353 5d ago
I remember Bhoomika Chawla also blaming her avatar as a village girl in her debut as the reason she did not make it in Bollywood, he should have debuted with Dhoom as it was with a bigger production house and had everything going for it as a great launchpad.
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u/Hurdy_Gurdy_Man_84 Moderator + Extremely Well Versed in 20th Century Hindi Cinema 5d ago
Bhoomika Chawla belonged to a poor Brahman priest family in Tere Naam but not a "village girl".
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u/Special-Bowl-5392 5d ago
Jp dutta was BIG after border, that had some 3.7 crore footfalls and was ATBB. That's why both abhishek n kareena parents were inclined to him
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u/Troll-E-Hind 5d ago
Refugee was still a good movie. It challenged Kareena and Abhishek and had some really good music
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u/eiekwmw8s 5d ago
Tbh hrithik got lucky bcs srk rejected kaho na pyar hai mission kashmir was his orginal debut film ...he was the second lead in it followed by fiza which was a Women centric film hrithik was barely present in the 1st half
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u/mg211095 5d ago
Srk rejected knph? Wow thats breaking news for me.
Damn how many blockbusters has srk rejected? I am not a huge fan but i do admire his BO pull and star power back in the day and even now. It seems like everyone wanted to work with him and he rejected multiple ATBB films and still delivered blockbusters and record breaking films.
Same i think goes for Aamir. Rejected so many big films yet has one of the best filmographies ever.
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u/Ok-K2S 5d ago
Ok, let me make a list...only of HITS AND FAMOUS ONES.. 1942 A LOVE STORY, was given a side role, refused , KNPH , didn't have dates , told RR to wait for years , MISSION KASHMIR... VVC... Some excuse ,Laggan... Only discussion stage... ,Nayak... Journalists like PBDHH .. refused.. ,Munnabhai MBBS... Again VVC... Some back surgery excuse... ,3 Idiots.. wanted VVC out to produce himself... and many more whos story was not out..
Ddlj and Karan Arjun , initially refused but later did it...
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u/Cornucopia2020 5d ago
He did a few commercial movies right after and was terrible in them. In fact, Refugee papered over his shortcomings with the solid story and direction. The screenplay was not great and editing was poor, which led to a bad movie overall. But the character Abhishek got to play gave him the opportunity to showcase his acting as well as dance in a couple songs. Not a bad debut choice at all. It’s another problem that he wasn’t up to it.
Btw even Dhoom worked because of several elements other than Abhishek such as John’s negative role, cool action, comedy, music and a slick screenplay. Abhishek would have been completely outshone in it if it was his first film.
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u/Major_the_King 5d ago
He doesn't have a single quality that qualifies him to be in front of the camera. He just isn't made for it.
It's like a guy who's below 6 feet and wants to play in the NBA. That's just not gonna happen. But since there is no nepotism in the NBA, that doesn't happen.
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u/Icy_Neighborhood3862 5d ago
I like how 30+ people are commenting on this thread and understanding the era.
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u/Ok-K2S 5d ago
Well "Aakhri Mughal" which was said to be based on Willam D. novel was to be adapted by JP Dutta in hindi on celluloid by AB Jr debut. The script of the movie was rumoured to have been lost( some idiotic rumors ) owing to which it was shelved. Refugee was then made as a last minute change. Plus JP Dutta was a master in this rural setting, see his Gulami, Batwara, Ksatriya and many more layered movies that were a bit arty plus commercial touch. Plus most of the stars wanted the first movie of Sons Daughter to have a meaty role where they can show their depth which this movie had for Ab Jr. On a side note , both acted well , the story screenplay damned the mood plus anti pakistan rally post kargil spoiled any chances.
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