Kamal Ghorui
At a time when the lines between creators, critics and audiences are increasingly blurring, Abhishek Bachchan, son of megastar Amitabh Bachchan, shared a candid and introspective take on the evolving ecosystem of content and criticism.
Questions relevance of traditional critics
Speaking at the Critics’ Choice Awards 2026, Abhishek pointed to the explosion of digital content and how it has reshaped performance and opinion.“We see millions of reels every day where creators perform. They perform our dialogues, our dances, our action, our comedy. Many a time, as good, if not better than the original. They are empowered enough today to think they are as good as their heroes, their idols,” he said.Raising a pointed question about the space critics occupy today, he added, “Why should a newspaper editor or a channel executive employ you as their in-house critic, as opposed to who? What do we need to do, or be, in order to stand out from the crowd? How to ensure that we are the most deserving candidate to be chosen to act in a film, or to be an in-house film critic? Let’s see. Be original. Be unique. Offer a perspective or performance that nobody else is able to do. Please pardon my cynical and slightly disgruntled side. Humour me. Be original.”
‘I am answerable to the audience’
At the same time, the actor underlined the importance of criticism in his own journey, admitting that his understanding of it has evolved over time.“I think we often misunderstand criticism. We tend to see it as something negative, but it shouldn’t be. I work in a commercial art form, and if I expect people to spend their time and money on my films, then I am answerable to them. I am open to scrutiny, to judgement, and to criticism,” he said.
From denial to learning
Reflecting on his early years in the industry, Abhishek acknowledged that accepting criticism wasn’t always easy.“Early in my career, I didn’t always feel this way. Like most actors, I believed everything would work out perfectly. But when reality hits, it hits hard. I went through phases of denial, where I felt critics didn’t understand my work or weren’t qualified to judge it,” he shared.However, over time, his perspective shifted. “I realised I was looking at it the wrong way. I began to see that critics are not my opponents. They know the way. If I believe I know how to drive, then why not listen, learn, and improve? Their feedback helped me build my journey as an actor. Only a fool would ignore that.”
