'He should take on roles suited to his persona'

She met him when she first worked with Jaya Bachchan on stage.

And then at a day's workshop at Namit Kishore's acting classes.

Seema Biswas had spoken to rediff.com earlier about Abhishek Bachchan.

He was no ordinary star son, she attested: "This boy, even when he felt like laughing at something, he'd cover it up quickly and use that in his performance. You could sense he wasn't dumb."

His intelligence and humour apart, Abhishek hasn't exactly shot to fame. Refugee did well.

Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa was, to put it euphemistically, a disaster.

Today, Abhishek is waiting for the release of his third film, Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke.

What went wrong? What can go right? Seema Biswas speaks to rediff.com's Nidhi Taparia:

THE high expectations of Abhishek as Amitabh Bachchan's successor are what's gone wrong.

Whether an actor might admit it or not, when there are such high demands and expectations from you, you are likely to be apprehensive and worried. A certain hesitation creeps into your performances.

And when the media plays you up like the way they have done Abhishek, expectations are bound to skyrocket.

AS a person, Abhishek might come across as slightly reserved, shy, sensitive. Somebody not given to being talkative.

Catch him with his friends -- you'll see his sense of humour, his dry wit.

As for him as an actor, he has an intense screen presence. What makes him so likeable is his willingness to learn and his very down-to-earth attitude.

That came across through his improvisation which he had chosen to enact when we were doing a day's workshop. His subject was something to do with medicine -- he did it subtly, with that characteristic sense of humour.

That was a deviation from the norm.

He branded it with his own stamp. It was a revelation.

HE has his own style. His own persona.

True, there are times I feel that Amitabhji shines through.

But then Amitabhji has left a mark in whatever he did. Comedy or tragedy, he did it well.

And it is so easy as an actor to be influenced by these nuances of acting -- of someone's performance.

When you have been around an icon all your life, it's difficult not to pick up some mannerisms or dialogue delivery unconsciously.

I must confess I haven't been able to see Abhishek's films. But I think he should take on roles which suit his persona.

His choice of films could be a little suspect. And that probably could be the reason he is not given room to perform.

WHILE I do not underestimate or overestimate Hrithik and Abhishek, it has been a surprise: to see the immense popularity and hysteria the two have evoked.

Why, it happens in my own house! My two-and-a-half-year-old cousin is excited about staying with me because I happened to tell him that I once taught Hrithik!

I did want to call up and wish Hrithik after I saw Fiza and tell him how much I appreciated his work, but I thought he might not remember me.

The future belongs to both!