Abhishek Bachchan is back with Mani Ratnam in 'Raavan' and the star feels that the filmmaker is the only one in the industry, who know his true potential as an actor.
"I think Mani is the only one who knows my true talent. He knows it better than I know myself. He shows me what I am capable of. After I did 'Yuva', I could not believe it was me on the screen doing a character like Lallan. Same goes with 'Guru'," Abhiskek said in a video conference from Mumbai.
In a decade long career of his, Abhishek, who made his debut with JP Dutta's 'Refugee' 2000, has given some of his career's best performances in Ratnam's films like 'Yuva' and 'Guru'. In fact, it was 'Yuva' in 2003, which established Abhishek as a performer.
Before 'Yuva' happened, the 34-year-old actor was having a rough patch in the industry with a string of flops like 'Refugee', 'Dhai Akshar Prem Ke', 'Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya', 'Shararat' and 'Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost'.
In 'Raavan', their third outing together, the actor says he is once again playing a role that challenges his very limit.
"If any other filmmaker would have come to me with a script like 'Raavan' I would have said no because I know that I am not capable to do a character like Beera but it is Mani who always shows such confidence in my talent which is unbelievable," he added.
Ratnam, who is known to be media-shy, said that the role was meant for Abhishek only.
"Half of my work is done after I decide my star cast. Everytime I come with Abhishek it is about doing something different which he has not done before. It is challenging for both me and him and we always start from the scratch when we start something new."
Giving an instance from their recent outing 'Raavan', Ratnam said, "Like for Beera I was so worried because Abhishek is so proper. Beera is this badly behaved character and I had to ask Abhishek to learn bad words and be abusive all the time... just let go to get right."
The star cast of the film, Abhishek, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram along with Mani Ratnam were interacting with media persons in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, New York and Dubai through the new technology of video conferencing, from Mumbai and Chennai.
'Raavan', co-produced by Reliance BIG Pictures and Madras Talkies, is slated to hit the screens June 18. The bilingual is the story of a dance teacher (Aishwarya) who is happily married to a cop (Vikram) but their life goes for a toss when a vengeful Beera enters their lives.
After 'Raavan', Abhishek will be seen in 'Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey', 'Game', 'Dum Maro Dum' and 'Dostana 2'. PTI
