Abhishek proud to be gay icon

Director Tarun Mansukhani's "Dostana" has hit the jackpot at the box office and Abhishek Bachchan, who pretends to be a homosexual in the fun flick, is happy to be a gay icon.

"I'm very happy with that. Why should I be surprised or shocked? I think homosexuals are as human as anyone else. It's a matter of great pride if I'm their icon," Abhishek said.

Abhishek described his pairing with John Abraham in the film as the 'jodi' of the moment. "Other screen couples can go eat their hearts out."

His effeminate gestures in "Dostana" have raised eyebrows and there's talk that his father hasn't liked his character or performance in it.

"Why should he take offence? Not at all! The film is not about homosexuality. 'Dostana' isn't 'Brokeback Mountain'. It was just a comedy. My whole family has thoroughly enjoyed it. Who doesn't enjoy a good laugh? It's a normal fun film. Aishwarya (Rai) is very happy it's a big hit...my second big hit of the year after 'Sarkar Raj'," he said.

Though "Dostana" is a fun flick, Abhishek said he slogged while shooting for it.

"We had a lot of fun making the film, but we were serious about the making of the film. I worked very hard on the gestures and mannerisms. We, in this country, tend to take comedies frivolously. Good locales, good songs and that's it.

"In 'Dostana', I had to work very hard to portray a straight man acting gay. It could easily have gone overboard. I wanted to avoid making the character caricatural. Barring one portion (the flashback about how John met Abhishek), we kept it controlled."