/> Though the Big B wasn't in a very birthday mood this time, Abhishek who had flown down specially to India for the occasion, managed to bring a smile into the saddened icon's heart.

Says Abhishek, "My sister Shweta flew down from Delhi for the day. Dad was really excited about that. The entire family was together. Nothing could've made him happier. It takes very little for us to be happy. We as a family are happy as long as we're together. We just spent the entire day quietly together." says Abhishek from Chennai where he flew down immediately after the Big B's birthday to complete the last four days of Mani Rathnam's Guru.

Another birthday gift for the Big B that has made the entire family happy is the legion of honour that the French government has announced for the super-icon.

"What a fabulous gift for Dad on his birthday! It's fantastic. Earlier I believe Satyajit Ray got it it. Well, great. It just shows that Indian cinema is making inroads into the West. It was high-time that the world stood up and recognized Indian cinema. And they are doing precisely that. And to have dad spearheading Bollywood's amazing movement onto a global platform, makes me very proud as a son, as I'm sure it makes everyone else proud. We as a family are truly honoured. It's matter of pride for every Indian when a recognition like this comes to Dad from a cinema-savvy country like France."

But according to Abhishek, "The most wonderful gift that Dad got this birthday was the love of his fans that he gets every year... But the legion of honour comes a close second."

About Dad's current assignment Ram Gopal Varma's Sholay, Abhishek is enthusiam –personified. "I think it's a wonderful idea to remake Sholay. Every filmmaker has the creative right to carry his vision into whatever area he chooses. Ramu is a wonderful director, and a filmmaker I've immense faith in. I was very upset when I couldn't do Ramu's Sholay due to time constraints. But I think Ramu's will be a brilliant interpretation of Ramesh Uncle (Sippy) 's classic." What about all the voices expressing doubts over the project? "There'll always be naysayers. All I can say is, knowing Ramu's abilities from close quarters I'm pretty sure even Ramesh Uncle will be very proud of the film Ramu makes."