Abhishek Bachchan says returning to Breathe Into the Shadows is like reprising Jai Dixit in Dhoom: ‘It’s very similar’

The second season of Breathe Into the Shadows marks only the second time in Abhishek Bachchan’s career that he was reprising one of his characters. Before he returned to play Avinash and J here, he had famously played ACP Jai Dixit in the action franchise Dhoom. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the actor spoke about the similarities between the two, while his co-stars weigh in on the show’s success. (Also Read | Abhishek Bachchan says Breathe Into the Shadows doesn’t stigmatise mental health)

Abhishek famously played the supercop Jai Dixit in the three hugely successful Dhoom films from 2004-13. Talking about the similarities in approach in reprising the two characters, he says, “I never thought of it that way. I would have to admit it’s very similar because there is a certain progression to the character (in Breathe Into the Shadows) because you see him after x amount of time as you would have done with Jai Dixit. The approach is similar. But what was nice in Breathe Into the Shadows is that you are playing two different characters. How those characters would grow in season 2 is fun. And I can speak for all actors that the greatest crutch is the writing. If it’s on the paper, it makes your life easier.”

Breathe Into the Shadows season 2 premiered on Prime Video last Wednesday, over two years after the first season dropped. That the first season ended on a cliffhanger gave rise to several fan theories and the cast being inundated with questions about them. Addressing them, Abhishek says, “When Into the Shadows (season 1) released, it was at the height of the pandemic. There wasn’t as much interaction. The maximum interaction and queries came from the media and I applaud the rest of the team for weathering that storm. I am glad that we managed to keep it under the wraps.”

His co-star Saiyami Kher agrees with the secrecy part and adds that it was the toughest thing in between the two seasons. “I think the toughest part actually was dodging all the C-16 questions for so long. But now thankfully we all have the answers to that. Actually none of us even had a clue till the day we shot. The easier part was getting back into the character. We had a chance to chat with Mayank and refresh. That time helped,” she says.

The second season also saw the entry of Navin Kasturia, who played one of the antagonists named Victor. Talking about entering a set show with a settled cast, Navin says, “I was very excited about the opportunity. Apart from my character, the script, and the world, I was very excited, it was about a chance to work with this set of people. And to develop the character, Mayank was always there and I was totally dependent on him for everything I had to do.”