Actor Abhishek Bachchan has spoken about the debate on nepotism again and how people believe he has taken help from his father, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, to advance in his career. Abhishek said that Amitabh never financed any of his films.

Abhishek often responds to trolls on social media and their rude comments about how his career exists, all thanks to his father. The actor has maintained that he, too, has had it tough in the film industry and has to struggle to find good work.

In a recent interview with IANS, the actor said that his father did not produce any movie for him but Abhishek did produce R Balki’s Paa, which starred Amitabh in the lead and him as a supporting actor. “The fact is he has never picked up the phone on anyone. He has never made a film for me. On the contrary, I have produced a film for him, called Paa,” Abhishek said. Paa starred Amitabh as a child with rare genetic disease called progeria. Abhishek played his father while Vidya Balan played his mother.

Recent when both Amitabh and Abhishek were admitted to the hospital with the coronavirus, a Twitter user wrote to Abhishek, “Your father admitted in hospital… Ab kiske bharose baith ke khaoge (who will feed you now)?” The actor had written back, “Filhaal toh let ke kha rahe hain dono saath aspatal mein (right now both of us are being well fed at the hospital).” The troll replied, “Get well soon sir… Har kisi ki kismat me let ke khana kaha (not everyone has the good fortune to be well taken care of).” To this, Abhishek responded, “I pray that you are never in a situation like ours and that you remain safe and healthy. Thank you for your wishes, ma’am.”

Another person expressed anger that Abhishek had more followers than Prachi Desai. “I assure you Mr Singhal the amount of followers you have on social media is by no means a barometer of acceptance or popularity or talent. My friend @ItsPrachiDesai is a very talented actor and doesn’t need social media to endorse that. Her work speaks for itself,” the actor had replied.

When the government announced that film theatres will be allowed to reopen after months of shut down, Abhishek expressed happiness at the news. However, one troll wrote, “But aren’t you still gonna be jobless?” Abhishek wrote back, “That, alas, is in your (the audiences) hand. If you don’t like our work, we won’t get our next job. So we work to the best of our abilities and hope and pray for the best.”

Abhishek will soon be seen in Anurag Basu’s anthology film Ludo. He was last seen in Breathe: Into the Shadows.