Did you know that 6 is the PIN number for the old walled city of Delhi? Or that Abhishek Bachchan is a decade older than his co-star? These and more fun facts, besides the more serious business of the actual movie, were the topics of discussion when we sat down for a tête-à-tête with the director of delhi-6, Rakeysh Mehra, and its two stars – Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

You’d think the man behind the stupendously successful and thought-provoking film Rang De Basanti can afford to be cocky. But Rakeysh Mehra breaks all preconceived notions within minutes.

Truly humble, he wins everyone over on his very first visit to Dubai. After the film’s trailer was released for the first time, he says, “The press make me nervous. After the trailer was shown, my legs where shaking. You feel absolutely stripped when it’s out there.”

Of Abhishek he says, “I have always wanted to work with Abhishek – it’s almost 10 years now since we had the first discussion for both our debut films, which never got made – Samjautha Express. Hassan was the character’s name and I still call him by that name.

Abhishek Bachchan

Always ready for a laugh, Abhishek added masti to the media interviews.

What impact did this film have on you?

This movie is about the character’s quest to find his true self. It’s nice to wake up and discover the real you and to find out what kind of person you are going to be. I spent my childhood abroad in boarding schools and would discover India on my visits home – very similar to the film’s character Roshan.

What is the film delhi-6 about?

The poster of the movie gives the impression that it’s about my love affair with the pigeon, but the movie is actually about Sonam and her pink shoes [Laughs]. But I must add that the movie is not about Rakeysh’s life. I am not playing an autobiographical character. Anyway, I am a lot taller than him [laughs].

Is this movie relevant to the recent terrorist attacks?

Delhi-6 is about Abhishek’s character Roshan Mehra’s journey from the US to India. This short trip turns into the longest journey of his life. And while communal tensions feature in the film, it’s not relevant to the Mumbai tragedy. I wouldn’t say it explains the attacks, but it questions it – why we behave in a particular way. The audience will hopefully come out and deliberate about why people do what they do.

Was there more pressure on you because Sonam is a newcomer?

I don’t think it’s fair to look at Sonam or the other young actors as newcomers. They have proven that they have the ability to be there; that is why they are in the film. And younger actors nowadays are far more prepared than when I started out.

You seem to come into your own when you are working with directors like Mani Ratnam and Rakeysh (from what we saw in the trailers)...

You know the credit goes completely to the directors. Unfortunately we actors walk away with the glory.

You have acted with your father, mother and wife. Is working with family easier or more complicated?

Definitely easier, because you are in the role and when they say ‘cut’, you are immediately with your family.

Sonam Kapoor

Anil Kapoor’s daughter has huge shoes to fill but looks set to hold her own against stalwarts like Waheeda Rehman and Rishi Kapoor.

Rakeysh thinks very highly of you. How was it interacting with him?

Director Rakeysh is biased because I feed him Punjabi food. My first meeting with him lasted six hours and I just loved the story and my character. My role represents the youth of India and I am so proud of being an Indian.

How was your experience on the sets?

I am usually not in awe of stars but Waheeda Rehman reduced me to being completely star-struck. We also partied a lot and had good fun and everybody was supportive, so the shoot was a really good experience. And Abhishek is great to work with. I always tease him about his age – he is 10 years older than me, by the way [laughs].

You have already worked with two leading directors. Who else is on your wish list?

Dibankar Banerjee, Farah Khan, Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Basu are all people I’d like to work with. In terms of actors, I would love to work with Hrithik and Imran Khan. I’m also dying to work with Ranbir again, but we are not getting the right scripts. My selection of films to act in are purely script driven.

You were born into a B’wood family. Are there any people you look up to?

I look up to my father. I like the way he handled his career, and the fact that he has also remained a consistent family man. In terms of actresses, I admire Kajol for her spontaneous personality, Rani for the way she moulds into her role and Madhuri for the way she combines innocence with sex appeal.

How do you deal with fame and everything it brings – the lack of privacy and the rumours?

I like being recognised. And as for rumours – I just don’t react to them. Also my family keep me very grounded. As long as your close circle of family and friends are cool and are not psycho fans, it’s easy to stay grounded.

Is there any film character that you wish you could have played?

I’d like to have done Sridevi’s [who is Anil’s brother Boney’s wife] role in Chalbaaz.