I have never competed with Amitabh Bachchan

For Abhishek Bachchan, constant comparisons with dad Amitabh are an "honour" and not a problem. But as he gears up for his television debut with game show "National Bingo Night", he says he is not competing in any way with Bachchan senior, who hosted the popular "Kaun Banega Crorepati" TV show in 2000.

"If you are not going to compare me to him (Amitabh), whom are you going to compare me to? I have never had a problem being compared to him and, like I said, who doesn't want to be compared to Amitabh Bachchan? He is the best we have and the best that we ever will have. It's a matter of great honour for me," Abhishek told IANS in an interview.

The 33-year-old has faced comparisons with his father ever since his Bollywood debut with "Refugee" a decade ago. Now he says he doesn't want to be weighed on the same scale.

"He (Amitabh) has been on TV and he created history on the medium. Do I hope to be able to outdo that? No, because that's not possible. Nobody is going to be a better actor than him, nobody is going to be able to make a bigger mark than him on Indian cinema and on world cinema and the same goes for TV. Do I have aspirations of outdoing him? No, I don't compete with my father," he said.

Abhishek, who will be seen hosting the show on entertainment channel Colors starting on Jan 23, says such comparisons don't bog him down.

"You can't allow comparisons to deter you. You still have to do what you believe in. I am his son, I love him very much and I am his biggest fan. I want him to be around forever and I want him to be the best. I don't think any son competes with his father. In fact, they are very happy to stand behind and support their father - just as I do, and I am proud of that," he said.

The actor, who has shown his acting skills in films like "Yuva", "Sarkar", "Guru", "Delhi-6" and "Paa", is excited about his newfound role as a TV show host. He says he made an instant decision to host "National Bingo Night", which will have celebrities as well as common people playing two fast-paced rounds of the popular game Bingo.

"When the concept was explained to me and when I saw the Australian version of the show, it was right there that I knew that it is something that I want to do. The fact that it was interactive and would give me an opportunity to interact with the common man was a major draw for me," said Abhishek.

The show will feature a line-up of celebrities like Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi and Kirron Kher, but the star attraction will be his father Amitabh, who will grace the opening episode.

"I have called dad just to make sure the show's TRPs are good," Abhishek remarked.

After shooting for "National Bingo Night", the actor says he will be back to his film schedules.

"I think one new thing in a year is good enough. I don't believe in taking on too much. After 'Bingo', I'll get back to my films as there are lots lined up," he said.

Abhishek is currently shooting for Abhinay Deo's "Crooked". He will also be seen in films like Ashutosh Gowariker's "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey" and Mani Ratnam's much-awaited "Ravana", in which he will feature alongside wife Aishwarya Rai.

Indo Asian News Service