It’s been two years since 26/11 shook our country and actor Abhishek Bachchan is not sure enough has been done to protect the nation since. Talking to Hindustan Times on the 2nd anniversary of the incident, the actor says, "When innocent lives are involved there’s never anything that can be enough. When you have dealt with people who have become martyrs, lost loved ones, family, it’s very hard to define what is going to be enough. Keeping that in mind I don’t think we can ever do enough. Our police has become more proactive which is good but whether it’s enough or not is yet to be seen."
Bachchan, who plays legendary freedom fighter Surya Sen in his upcoming film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se, says the youth of the country should take on leadership roles. "We have a lot of young leaders in our generation. I feel youth should be given an opportunity to play an active role in the governing of our country. They are the future and should be encouraged more."
Two young politicians he mentions are Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora. "I went to college with Milind in Boston. He is a young leader who understands today’s problems. It’s nice to see young leaders like him and Sachin and the work they do. I knew Sachin as a child when I used to live in Delhi. We keep meeting on a social basis on and off.
In Khelein… Bachchan plays the school teacher-turned-revolutionary, Sen, who led 64 (of which 58 were teenagers) people in the Chittagong — erstwhile Bengal, now in Bangladesh — uprising in 1930. "What were we doing at the age of 13? These people were fighting for the freedom of our country. That’s how strongly and passionately they felt for the cause," says Bachchan.
While he looks up to freedom fighters such as Chandrasekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh, he says he doesn’t understand why freedom fighters like Surya Sen are not spoken about in the same breath as them and hopes after this film they will be. Bachchan says playing this character brought immense pride in his country and made him feel very patriotic. “We hoist the Indian flag every morning in our house. Today it gives a lot more meaning to this because through the film we have experienced all that went into making this freedom possible,” says Bachchan.
{{/usCountry}}While he looks up to freedom fighters such as Chandrasekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh, he says he doesn’t understand why freedom fighters like Surya Sen are not spoken about in the same breath as them and hopes after this film they will be. Bachchan says playing this character brought immense pride in his country and made him feel very patriotic. “We hoist the Indian flag every morning in our house. Today it gives a lot more meaning to this because through the film we have experienced all that went into making this freedom possible,” says Bachchan.
{{/usCountry}}“There’s a scene in the film where they take over the English cantonment and hoist the tricolour for the first time. It’s a very powerful moment because you know what it meant to them at that time. It awakens the patriotic sentiment in you,” adds Abhi.