Saif Ali Khan

“Everyone has pretty much the same level of talent, but it’s our choices that define us”

By Ankita R. Kanabar

(From the August 29, 2015 issue of Super Cinema)

If one had to take a look at his career spanning more than twenty years, one could concur that he’s one actor who has only gotten better with time – in terms of the choices, performance and popularity. Of course, with a few glitches thrown in between. What’s nice though, is the fact that he knows his reality and mistakes. Talk to him and it won’t come as a surprise that women find him charming. One of the most easy-going, articulate actors you’d come across; in an in-depth conversation, Saif Ali Khan shares details about his latest release ‘Phantom’, his journey and himself…

The tagline of ‘Phantom’ says ‘A story you wish were true’…but what did you think of the film at the script level?

I thought it was a fairly straight-forward kind of mission movie. You cannot rely on patriotism, nationalism or jingoism to make a film run. I don’t think people will spend money on the movie because it’s their duty. I saw it as a mission movie, a fairly simple genre piece, about a guy who gets a chance to get his honour back. So, it’s a story of salvation at one level, and I thought it’s a gritty kind of action adventure on the other hand where a person goes into the enemy territory to pull off something he’s not going to get the credit for. I believed there was tremendous amount of romance in the story for me.

You already like reading, so did you read Hussain Zaidi’s book that has inspired the film as a part of your prep work?

I’m trying to read classics. I don’t read contemporary kind of fiction, and actually I didn’t feel the need to read it. I kind of understood how to make it my own character. I think ‘Phantom’ was more about the mental preparation and maintaining the fitness. The role required a certain amount of look. It was not an army role I had to look more regular because I play an undercover agent. Just listening to Kabir Khan helped and most of the work was done when we went to these parts like Kashmir and Beirut.

From films like ‘Phantom’, ‘Being Cyrus’, ‘Omkara’ to ‘Cocktail’ or ‘Love Aaj Kal’…has this variety been a conscious attempt?

I choose the best of what I’m offered. It depends on your mindset and what kind of attitude you have actually. You attract what you like, and things you see yourself in. You reject roles you don’t connect to. But if you change or develop as a person then you are attracted to different roles. That’s the whole other side of being an actor. It’s the kind of films you choose that makes you. Everyone has pretty much the same level of talent, but it’s the choices that define us.

And what comes more organically to you?

Something like ‘Phantom’ comes naturally to me also. I do enjoy a comedy or a romantic comedy but I think that requires me to be spiritually in the best mood possible, to be kind and give that much positive energy. ‘Phantom’ is a bad mood kind of job. It’s actually easier. It requires focus. Yes, when you play a character who has been in the army and is used to killing people, it can take a toll on you. But most actors know that it’s actually easier to have a restrained, controlled performance than something energetic and bubbly which is genuine acting really.

It’s been a while since you’re around, almost 23 years…how do you look at your growth? You are one of those actors who’s gone notches higher over the years as compared to when you started out. 

I think the process has just gotten a bit better, as the films have gotten better. I do have a better understanding of the craft. I’m 45 right now, and I feel like I’m on the top of my game in every way. But there are so many people who’ve been here longer than me, so I cannot take 23 years of being here seriously. Look at the other Khans, or Akshay Kumar. I think we started around the same time. In fact, they started a bit earlier, and they’re still going strong. This is a sign of our times. If we look good for our age, and represent our age well, then I think sky is the limit. Having said that, I don’t even know if I’m in a certain position. I had a terrible year last year. You’re from Super Cinema, so I don’t have to tell you that. It’s like the stock market and it’s important that I’m honest. I think the idea is to choose carefully and have a connect with the audience. Some films do good and some don’t.

But you’ve never really been bothered by the number game, have you?
No, but budgeting is important because someone has invested their money in it. I’m not bothered about the number game, but it’s just that people shouldn’t lose their money. Even if my films make a little bit of money it’s fine, but one shouldn’t lose money.

Is this the part where you’re talking as a producer?
I think it’s all connected, so one has to understand all aspects of a film. One cannot exist without the other. We’ve made mistakes in the budgeting of our films too, that’s why I’m saying one should realise the importance of budgeting.

Which means you are someone who analyses the mistakes or criticism in order to improve?
I know what’s good and bad. When people say that a particular film was annoying, I know what they mean. I’m also very self-critical, I think everyone is. Sometimes when people say things like ‘Katrina and I are as boring as Phantom is’, it’s just one person saying that out of many. But everyone is entitled to have an opinion. You need to see what’s good for you.

Can you pinpoint on your most difficult role so far?
On paper, ‘Omkara’ was difficult. But I did all the homework and was really prepared. When you rehearse, it becomes easy. I think for some reason ‘Love Aaj Kal’ was really difficult because Imtiaz Ali has a very conversational style of writing so it took a lot of time for me to learn the dialogues and make it look natural. I think it was also slightly difficult because of the state I was in at that point.

What is it about your profession that makes you the most happy?
There are so many different aspects of being an actor – doing a movie and watching it with the audience, or just watching it by yourself makes you happy for being a part of something. We’re a big industry so to pull your weight down and do something special feels great. Then your family and the lifestyle that this job gives you, comes into picture. It matters what you do with your money or how you live your life. I think we are quite lucky that way for having a lot of options.

Talking about things that come with being an actor, for instance, stardom…you’ve been quite detached from it if I may say so.

I don’t know what stardom means. If it means that your film will guarantee an opening, then sometimes I don’t even think I’m a star. Sometimes I think I am. One cannot guarantee anything. It changes from Friday to Friday. But also, one cannot take oneself too seriously. I hate to be a pain to the people I live with or be tensed about movies because as long as you’re having a stable career, you’re working hard, doing reasonably well, and just living an interesting life off-screen in terms of your family or friends, that’s important. You cannot get caught in the frills. I mean, I’ve been doing it for almost 25 years, so sitting and going on about it can be repetitive also. I love being an actor, it gives us so much freedom to do other things and look after so many other aspects of life like see the world, travel, but one gets a little tired also in the sense that I don’t have the energy to party so much. I just want to do my work and come home. When I’m not working, I like relaxing. It’s a good life. I just like to choose my projects carefully, work with good directors, so that nobody is losing any money and some quality work is happening. 

Abhishek Bachchan

“All we do as a generation is blame people”

By Ankita R. Kanabar

(From the August 22, 2015 issue of Super Cinema)

He says we’re becoming a generation of complainers which is true because how often do we meet people who don’t whine or crib? No wonder then, that he chooses to see the positive side of things, and urges people to do so through his tweets about ‘belief’ and ‘faith’ time and again. When sleep-deprived, he says, ‘Sleep is for the weak’; when injured, he says, ‘pain is just a state of mind’. Well, either he is crazy or an eternal optimist. Meet Abhishek Bachchan. Being the owner or rather cheerleader for the Jaipur Pink Panthers has kept him busy, apart from the promotions for his latest release ‘All Is Well’. Amidst all that, he makes time for a quick chat. Excerpts:

Photo credit : Rohan Shrestha

You might have moved into ‘All Is Well’ from ‘Happy New Year’. Does a character in a slice-of-life film like this come more naturally to you than a Nandu Bhide where there’s less scope for relatability?

I was actually shooting for both the films simultaneously. After my first schedule of ‘Happy New Year’ in Dubai, I started shooting ‘All Is Well’. So, it’s been much delayed. We didn’t shoot the film for almost a year and resumed it only in January this year. But I think what’s brilliant about Umesh Shukla’s writing is that everyone can draw a parallel to their own life. So you can easily relate to what he’s saying. Even when I was doing the film, I was only hoping that people would see the scenes and find them similar to what’s happening in their lives.

While the film is largely about this family’s journey, did you also prepare to make the musician part of your character look authentic?

I learnt how to play the guitar when I was a kid, I’m not very good with it, because I’ve not kept up with it. Hence, I knew the basics. But honestly, we didn’t lay much emphasis on the characterisation because the film is an emotional journey of a father and son and we wanted to be very true to the emotion of the script. Umesh was very clear about that because he is someone who pays more attention getting the feel right. So we just did a lot of reading and rehearsals which we do for all our films.

Talking of emotions, which has been the most draining film for you in that sense?

In the last 15 years, the most difficult film I’ve done, emotionally and physically would be ‘Raavan’. It took a huge toll on me.

You’ve also worked with some wonderful actors over the years…does having great co-stars put you at ease rather than add pressure, because acting is a lot about reacting? 

Absolutely! Your scene and your performance, is as good as your co-stars. No actor can perform brilliantly in isolation. You need to someone to bounce-off; you need someone to react to. When you work with great actors your performance automatically goes up two notches higher. I definitely believe that your co-stars make a gigantic difference to your performance.

Does your choice of films depend on your state of mind at that point? For instance, because we evolve as individuals, the choices we’ve made a few years ago might seem wrong at this point…

Possibly! That does happen. Sometimes a movie takes a very long time to be made and by the time it’s released, you’ve moved on and are in a different mind state. But then you have to also think as a professional. I’ve never really been in a situation where I’ve been at a crossroad thinking ‘Oh what do I do now?’ But that does happen a lot of times.

While you’re so involved with Pro Kabaddi and ISL, as much as your films, is shifting gears a bit of a problem sometimes?

I guess with time you learn to schedule or prioritise things and in that process, just become more efficient to get work done. I’ve been juggling with Pro Kabaddi and the promotions of ‘All Is Well’ since the last few days, now I’ll be flying to London to shoot ‘Housefull 3’, and I’m enjoying all of it. Thankfully, I’m pretty good at compartmentalising (smiles).

You recently initiated this ‘Be positive’ hashtag on Twitter. Is that something you’ve been wanting to do for a while or was it rather instinctive?

I was on my way to Pune for one of our matches, so I was reading tweets and felt that all we do on social media is complain. ‘Oh I’m stuck in a traffic jam or the potholes are so bad, so on and so forth.’ I’m not saying people shouldn’t air their views, but I feel that once in a while, people should be positive as well. We’re becoming a generation of complainers. Whenever people start raging about the lack of infrastructure or lack of anything, I feel that all we do as a generation is blame people. I always take examples. I love this quote of John F. Kennedy which says, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ I felt, why do people always rage or rant on Twitter? It feels so good when once in a while you see something positive. So, I was like, ‘hey let’s be positive for a change!’ I hope it made some difference. 

The Beauty And The Brothers

“I have the greed to keep on doing different roles”– Akshay Kumar

By Ankita R. Kanabar 

(With inputs from Amul Mohan)

From the August 15, 2015 issue of Super Cinema

Sometimes the adage ‘more the merrier’ makes a lot of sense. While having a conversation with one actor can be quite enlightening, chatting with three together can only be a lot of fun. Not to mention how interesting it gets to hear out different views of different people! So here we were, on a bright Wednesday afternoon having a rendezvous with ‘The Beauty And The Brothers’. In a white shirt paired with black pants, Akshay Kumar continued to defy his age, looking fit and fabulous. He had his signature humour and honesty right in place, which makes him a sheer delight to speak to, always. On the other hand, we had Sidharth Malhotra exuding immense charm, completely justifying his heartthrob status among women. Being icing on the cake, Jacqueline Fernandez in a pretty peach dress – was poised in parts, yet a partner-in-crime when the brothers cracked jokes and had fun. We chatted to this trio about ‘Brothers’, Akshay Kumar completing 25 years in the industry, and lots more. Read on…

Evidently, ‘Brothers’ is about Mixed Martial Arts, but apart from that, was it the fact that it’s high on emotions that drove you towards doing it? 

Akshay Kumar (AK): MMA is one of the major reasons for me to do the film, but we did the film not just because of that, but also for the emotions. The emotional level of ‘Brothers’ is 60 per cent more than the original, ‘Warrior’. We are a country that loves emotions. When I read the script, or even when I saw the film, I could vouch for the fact that men are going to cry more seeing it. And it’s going to be difficult for women to see men cry like that. To have an MMA kind of background and still make people cry – that’s a unique combination. So, I think ‘Brothers’ is the best gift I could get at a time when I’m completing 25 years of my film career.

And you’ve also said that it’s been the most physically draining film for you…

AK: One of the most difficult actually. Both Sidharth and I worked very hard, so it was challenging for both of us. 

Sidharth Malhotra (SM): As far as the prep is concerned, this film required the maximum time. I didn’t do anything for four months – I would only train, eat and sleep. For me at this stage to not do anything for four months is a big deal because this is the phase where one has to work more hard. I’ve not reached a phase where people will wait for a year for my film. So, it was a bit of a risk.

Jacqueline for you as well, was this a departure of sort from what you’ve done so far?

Oh yes, big time! It was like my first movie, everything was so different. There was nothing I could relate to, or I haven’t experienced anything like that in my real life as well. But I think it was about time I did something different and something that people had not expected. I was hesitant to take this project at first, but now I feel it was a fantastic decision because it’s helped me grow so much. 

When you’re doing a remake like this, do you prefer seeing the original, or would you rather not watch it just to avoid performing the same way?

AK: We’d seen it before there was any plan of making it, just as an audience. But once I was offered this film, I didn’t see it again. 

SM: For me it didn’t make a difference because my character is very different from Tom Hardy. My character is a lot younger. We’ve changed it by about 40 per cent. In this film, we show the back story of my character which is not shown in the original. Even the drama is very different.

Sidharth, not many new actors prefer doing a film with a big star since the limelight obviously would be on the latter. But did you see things differently and thought of ‘Brothers’ as an opportunity to learn?

SM: This is where my background comes in, where it’s not so film-oriented and my calculations are different. I don’t think that I’ll be sharing screen-space with such a big persona and won’t be noticed. My decisions are more personal. The way I looked at it, was that I’ll get to do something I haven’t done. I loved the original, I thought I’ll get to learn a new sport and play such an intense character. I was sold at the first meeting when Karan Malhotra told me I’ll have to put on ten kilos, since in general I have a big built and normally people tell me to tone down. So, I didn’t see it in the overall scheme of calculation. For me, if I’m doing something new, it’ll only add to my resume is what I believe.

Talking of resume, 25 years in the industry and being at this stature…how do you continue to push the envelope with each film and be disciplined as opposed to taking it lightly or throwing starry tantrums, AK?

That’s because of my greed. I have the greed to keep on doing different roles all the time. For instance, a film like ‘Holiday’ or ‘Baby’ or ‘Gabbar’ and now ‘Brothers’ – I feel good that these scripts have come to me and I am only greedy to play those roles. Which is why, it’s not like I just want to come and do my job for the sake of it. Thankfully, I also have the time. People ask me how can I do three-four films a year. I think it’s very easy. I’m not the first one to do that. I’m not saying that people who do one film a year are wrong. They have their own ways, I have my own. I don’t know anything else, but acting and being in this industry so I’d like to make the most of it. Plus I also have so much time on hand to be with my family, go on holidays. After every three months, I take seven days off. Sundays I don’t work. Saturdays are half days (smiles).

And when you’re relatively new, does success give you more confidence?

JF: I think it’s funny that only today Akshay and I were talking about my first item song ‘Dhanno’. I was like a deer in headlights in that song. I think when I first started, I lacked a lot of confidence and that really set me back. Now with certain movies, roles and of course, success, my confidence is growing. That helps because you have to be first sure of who you are, before you slip into a character and be someone else. And when you’re confident about yourself that comes across very beautifully on-screen. 

SM: After ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’ when people started telling me they liked me performance, it felt good because it was a small film, with no big sets. And then during ‘Ek Villain’ we had big numbers on the first day so you know people went to see your film. My struggle was to first make a place for myself at least, because there are so many people here. Being an outsider, with no film background, when you realise people have gone to watch your film, it does makes you happy and confident about your next film.

From ‘Saugandh’ that released in 1991 to ‘Brothers’ in 2015, how much have things changed for you?

AK: A lot! I have changed myself so much, the technology has changed, the zeros added on my cheque have changed (laughs). Of course, even the audience has changed. 

JF: I don’t think you have changed as a person. 

AK: Oh that you’ll have to ask people who’ve worked with me in the beginning of my career (smiles). 

SM: I wonder how he was on set at that point. I used to really like films like ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’, ‘Khiladi’, ‘Mohra’. He always had the knack of making even an action film entertaining. The humour he would get was so new for that time.

I think the one thing that has also remained the same is how he reacts to success and failure….How have you managed to not blow your trumpet during success or get bogged down by failure and simply move on? 

AK: I don’t have a choice.

JF: Stress doesn’t solve anything. 

AK: Yes, it never solves anything. But failure requires you to concentrate more. It is like your body – it tells you, “okay enough, you need to work out more or eat a certain way or I’m going to collapse.” It keeps you on your toes. 

JF: It is about knowing your mistakes 

SM: So, the trick is to not be in denial of your mistakes. 

Salman Khan

“If one success or one failure makes you gloat or depresses you, then that’s a problem”

By Ankita R. Kanabar

(From the July 18, 2015 issue of Super Cinema)

It’s only human to have pre-conceived notions about someone before you meet them. And imagine if the person in question is Salman Khan? ‘Of course, he’ll have starry airs, he’s Salman Khan! He might be intimidating, so on and so forth,’ are the kind of thoughts that may occur in your head. And then, he enters. I’m sure people who watch his movies at a single-screen feel like whistling at his entry. Guess what? His walk even for real, while he enters, makes you want to do that. In a simple t-shirt and pair of denims, as he settles down to chat in the conference room of a posh hotel, he seems slightly tired. Tell him that, and he responds, “Tired is an under-statement! I’m training for ‘Sultan’ right now, and it’s just a quarter of the training which has started. Now that quarter is only so exhausting.” That ice-breaking point later, you realise he’s more child-like than anyone you’ve met in a while. At least that’s the vibe you get from him, while he cracks little jokes or shares anecdotes from the past, in-between some serious talk as well. After a point, this feels like you’re having a long conversation with someone you know over lunch. Now, over to the man himself…

Evidently, it takes a lot of hard work to maintain what you’ve done for yourself…
The problem is you’re always competing. When you are new, you compete with your seniors; when your films start doing well you have your contemporaries, so you have to work even harder. Later you realise that, you’ve come into the position of seniors and now it’s ten times more difficult. The eventuality is that you’re going to lose. The only way to probably pull it off is to work hard, let your juniors come to the same bracket and then even they’ll become old. (laughs). Then there’ll be a new lot of kids coming in.

Talking about the film of the moment – ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ – what was it that made you come on board as a producer and actor?
The script – I felt it was one of the better scripts we’ve heard. My father also said that they’ve not seen a film like this in a while. It’s the most incredible film for SKF I think, but the problem is, we’ll always be competing with this film while venturing into other projects. That’s the kind of benchmark ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ has set. It’ll be a difficult task to beat that.

Some of your initial films like ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ are considered cult even today, and now scripts are specially being written for you. But were you more creatively satisfied then or now?
The creative satisfaction has always been there. It dies off as soon as you lose enthusiasm, or succumb to failure. That failure could either be when your films don’t work, or you don’t know what to do next. When you see a film doing well and you like that feeling, you should work even more for your next. If it doesn’t do well, do not get paranoid of how the next is going to be. If you have that attitude then you’re sorted. If one success or one failure makes you gloat or depresses you, then there’s a problem. You’ll always be like a gas balloon. Some people have one hit and they’re all over the place. But if there’s no bitterness during a failure or light-headedness during a hit then you’re sorted. There should be no insecurity if you know your job.

Do you find a difference in the kind of content made in the 90s and today?
People now say that content is the king, but content was always the king. In fact, in the earlier films, we had a lot more content. Now suddenly people are scared of emoting. The emotional scenes suddenly have become clichés. I don’t know if we are catering from cuffe parade to Andheri or beyond that. But the real Hindustan is beyond Andheri. You may increase the prices at multiplexes and the collections may be big but there may not be a fan following. The fan following will be in the 50-100 rupee tickets.

Even the parameter to evaluate a film’s success has changed over time – from number of days to number of crores. Despite that, do you think earlier films like ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ have more repeat value?
The repeat value for these films is only on television. When it released, ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ didn’t do well, commercially. There is one kind of cinema that you only want to see when you go to the theatre, which is larger-than-life. People would rather watch the sweet films on television – is my belief, I could be totally wrong. So, even if a film does well, it would never cross a particular mark, even though everything about it is spectacular – from the performances to screenplay, dialogue, comedy, action, music. The most important thing is to analyse if the youth wants to go see a film in the theatre. Most films like this wouldn’t cross the 100-crore mark. At that point, 100-crore would be 100 days. ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ released in 18 theatres only initially and then they released it in more screens. Today if you release a film in 18 theatres, it would stick to that and then come down, because the business is only of one or two weeks. The biggest films run for a month maybe and so many prints are being released. There is a scope for a lot more, but we are not equipped with those many theatres.

So according to you there’s need for more theatres?
Our country can do with another ten thousand plus theatres, right now. The business is growing but there is still lack of theatres. Two big heroes cannot release their films together on the same day. That’s the reason why Shah Rukh and I plan to come on Eid next year and so there is enough time for them to start building more theatres to accommodate so many films. Once we have more cinema halls, then automatically, two films can start releasing simultaneously. Which is why, I’m going to start building small theatres at certain B and C centres where there’s population and not enough theatres that people can afford. We’ll start with one theatre and then have a franchise.  

Because of your body of work and fan following, the audience has expectations from you to do a particular kind of cinema. Does that form a criterion while choosing a film?
Never! I do anything that I like. The criterion is whether I would want to go see a film in the theatre. I have to like it in the first narration and in my head, go back and say, ‘What a film!’ Only if I hear that in my mind, and by four-five people around me, I do it.

Has there been a film you think fell below the audience’s expectations despite you putting in a lot of effort?
I think ‘Jai Ho’ fell below the expectations of the audience and trade. It was a good film, but we ran away from the number game in this. I thought, if we want to cross the 200-crore mark, then let’s do it with a 250-rupee ticket. Just because the money isn’t going from our pockets, that doesn’t mean we’ll increase the price of the tickets. At that point, we did a business of Rs. 126 crore so in that scenario we definitely did well I believe. Obviously, we’d have made more money if we would have increased the ticket prices to 400 or 600 rupees. If we would have done that, then Sohail as a producer would have earned that much more money, so the loss was ours, nobody else’s. But suddenly, we were blamed for the film not working. So, now we’re coming up with normal ticket prices (laughs).

Have you always been watching a lot of movies? Do you also still learn from them?
Before I became an actor, I used to watch two-three films a day. My education has only been watching movies. Now I don’t get enough time for it, so I learn from people around me. The language or the lines I use in my movies are the lines I’ve heard people say. Whenever I feel something is fitting in a script, I use it.

Over the years, has there been any instance where you’ve gotten affected emotionally, or has a character stayed with you?
‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is the only film where I felt slightly emotional during a few scenes. When I was giving the shots, I knew the whole back-story, or what’s going to happen next, and because of the whole ambience for those 4-5 days, I got emotional. But the moment they would say cut, I would be out of that zone. I don’t take a character’s image back home. I take the nobleness of a character with me. When you’ve taken so much good from a character, you realise that in your day-to-day life, you’re trying to implement a lot of it, so you feel good. But there’s also a flip side. When the niceness of a character stays with you, and you implement that in your real life, you cannot use the same techniques, principles or liberties that the character took on-screen. Because, well it’s real life, with more complications. That becomes frustrating.

So would it be right to say that cinema and the stories you’ve lived, have helped you evolve as a person?
Always! In fact, even before getting into the film industry, I used to get influenced by characters, and real people. I get influenced by real life stories as well – of people who’ve come from nowhere and achieved so much through their hard work. I don’t understand people who say nobody did anything for me. Nobody is going to do anything for anyone; you have to do it for yourself. People have come from the interiors of India and made it so large. How can people come out of those places so many years ago and make it so big. Once you are successful, only then you’ll get things. I’ve realised that, the person who already has everything will only get it all. I remember there was a point when, I used to haggle for 15000 rupees, when I bought a car in the initial days of my career. At that point of time, I needed a car and nobody gave it to me, today I don’t need it and car companies tell me to come, pose with a car and take it. So you have to get yourself to that position. Nobody should ever blame others. If you’re not doing anything for yourself, why should anyone do it for you? People will start backing you up when they see that you’re hard-working.

From haggling for a car to now, you’ve come a long way…how have you stayed away from being complacent at any point?
Success has made more failures than failure itself. It’s easy to act when you’re successful, but after that, you get monotonous, cocky, repetitive, over-confident. That is something one shouldn’t indulge in because it’s seen on-screen and isn’t attractive. When you have a failure you need to realise that you have to pull up your socks. This game has been with me for a long time. I’ve worked hard, seen success, starting taking things lightly and then again there’s a failure. So, I would work hard again and come back. Then I thought, why should I do anything that’ll lead to me going down? Let’s not leave that chance only, because, how many years can one work for? All the roles after 70 years will be around the main character, which will still be the hero, post which I will still work for 60-70 years more (laughs). But, on a serious note, I also think I lucked out. I never thought I would be sitting here someday.

If I mention the name ‘Salman Khan’, every person will have a different opinion of you. In a scenario where there are so many perceptions or interpretations about you, how do you not let that affect what you think about yourself or how you want to be?
There’s nothing much that I can think of myself. Every time I think that this is something I’ll never do, I end up doing it. When someone else is doing something you feel it’s so wrong, but when you do it, you feel there’s no other way, you had to do it. One can never say never. Every time when you look back, you keep on growing. You think that you’re wise and doing the right thing as of now, but one year down the line, you will think, you were a fool last year. Someone reminded me that I wanted to start a charitable trust before ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’. So, that thought was always there. The work of ‘Being Human’ was already done by my family in my growing up years. This year you feel you’ve done good work, and next year, you will think, ‘thoda zyada kar lena chahiye tha.’ It’s an ongoing process, that’s how you grow.

There may or may not be yourself in a character you play, but when you write or paint, does it reflect your personality? Or rather, is it therapeutic?
What I try to do with my painting, is that I try to shun away the hatred. At that point, I feel that nothing is worth fighting for. I derive positivity out of it.

Lastly, you have one of the biggest fan followings one has ever seen…how do you really react to all of it?

The only way to reciprocate to their love is by appreciating them. And how do you appreciate them? By trying your best to ensure that the audience enjoys your film when they go to see it. You cannot let them down when they spend money to watch your film. The common man has only one source of entertainment, even in that, the price at multiplexes is high. To add to it, there’s entertainment tax, which just goes on increasing. When a film is releasing, so many people work on it and earn their livelihood from it. The influence we have on the common man is so high, there’s so much positivity that when an actor stands from a constituency, they don’t ask hi what caste does he belong to. So, we can only be grateful to the audiences, and not let them down. 

Shraddha Kapoor

“From not being offered any films, to actually having films in my kitty feels good”

By Ankita R. Kanabar

There’s never a dull moment when you meet Shraddha Kapoor. The glitter in her eyes has gone up from what one had seen before ‘Aashiqui 2’. In just a short span of time, she’s come a long way. Subsequent hits, and some note-worthy performances later, Shraddha Kapoor continues to have her humility and innocence intact, and hope it remains that way. Being as vibrant as the yellow jacket she’s wearing, the actress talks about the fresh success of ‘ABCD 2’ and how the perception towards her has changed over time…

Has your love for dance gone a notch higher during the journey of ‘ABCD 2’? 

Yes my love for dance has grown more, for sure. Before that I would love dancing in the sense that I would dance in front of the mirror and, and participated in annual day functions at school while growing up. But during the process of ‘ABCD 2’, I fell more in love with it, because I feel there’s a new connect with dance which has come about. When your film has a real life story attached to it, and you play such a character, it just adds another dimension to your love that’s already existed.

As a person, you have this adventurous streak…did that help for a film like this which must have been quite demanding physically?
Yes, I love doing adventurous things, and I think a certain degree of adventurous streak in nature would definitely be required for a film like that. Probably, that’s also something that helped. But it was quite demanding. We literally lived at Remo sir’s studio – we ate, drank, slept, breathed dance for those few months. I think, we were all obsessed with ‘ABCD 2’, so much so, that my brother was actually telling a friend of mine that he would only see me in rehearsal clothes at home all through the film. Now when I think of it, I realise that I actually wasn’t wearing my jeans at that point. My jeans was gathering dust during ‘ABCD 2’ days (laughs).

When you heard the script, or perhaps, when you saw the film yourself, what did you think of it?
It’s weird but when I saw ‘ABCD 2’, I felt what I’d felt during ‘Aashiqui 2’. I felt like it’s going to touch people’s hearts and will connect to the audience. That’s what has happened, so it’s nice. I also thought it was important for the film to have a connect with the audience, so that it would open a door for dance films in India.

And are you still gathering compliments for the film?
(Smiles) Adi sir (Aditya Chopra) sent me a very sweet text saying he is proud of me, Karan and Sajid Nadiadwala called. Adi sir has also messaged me after ‘Aashiqui 2’ which meant the world to me, but yes, it’s the first time Karan and Sajid sir called and they said some very nice things. They said that the hard work is showing which I thought was the most meaningful compliment. My father was surprised to see me in the film, because he thought I looked like one of the dancers only. So, I was really touched to hear these things.

Interestingly, all your characters so far have been simple enough to have a connect with the audience. You’ve not played the quintessential, glamorous Hindi film heroine. Have such choices been a conscious decision?

Sometimes you think of things that you don’t even understand or realise completely, if that makes sense. Subconsciously, I felt like everyone would relate to these characters, and somewhere a part of me wants to probably experience a journey of such characters because they are so different from who I am. I’m born and brought up with a silver spoon. I’m blessed that way. During my growing up years, my father would think ten times before sending me somewhere in a rickshaw. I would literally fight with me to let me travel in a rickshaw. I’d be like, ‘so what if I’m a famous person’s daughter?’ Probably because I’ve had a protective upbringing somewhere, I feel like I want to play characters, or have journeys in my films which I wouldn’t have in my real life.

And apart from having a protective life, how else was it being Shakti Kapoor’s daughter?
I used to think it’s very cool. I would feel good about it because all the boys would think ten times before acting smart with me. There were very few daring boys who sort of came and proposed to me despite knowing who my father is.

I remember telling you earlier that ‘Aashiqui 2’ was more like your quintessential Hindi cinema debut. But do you think the perception of the audience and the industry towards you has also changed post that? To add to it, you’ve had back-to-back hits...
You’re right! A lot of people felt that ‘Aashiqui 2’ was my first film. In fact, I’m so tired telling people that it’s not my first film that now I just say thank you and smile. Now, I don’t often go through the effort of telling people that I did ‘Teen Patti’ and ‘Luv Ka The End’ during ‘Aashiqui 2’. I wish people remembered those films also, but then ‘Luv Ka The End’ was a smaller budget film, with a smaller reach, and with ‘Aashiqui 2’, the music, story and characters left a mark on people. So, perception wise, I feel that people are offering me more films now. From not being offered any films to actually having films in my kitty feels good. So definitely, that shows there’s a change in how people see me. You somehow just know people who truly respect you and your work. You can see when someone’s genuinely interested in working with you.

So now has the situation reversed? Do you chase work or are you chased for films?
I think if I really want to be a part of a film, I’ll chase it down. I think I’ll make sure I do everything in my power to be a part of a film. I will not have a second thought about calling a producer or director, if I know a film is going to be made or something. That’s actually how ‘Rock On 2’ and ‘Haider’ happened. I got to know from someone that they wanted to meet me, so I said, I’ll call them and say I want to meet them. Eventually, you don’t want to waste time and lose out on a precious film.

With the influx of so much young talent in the industry, all at once, do you believe in healthy competition?
I consider people who I admire as healthy competition. For instance, I am very fond of Parineeti and Alia. Parineeti is such a fantastic actress, and Alia is also so amazing on-screen. And we are also friends so even if there’s competition, it’s nothing more than healthy competition.

Your singing has also been appreciated, so any plans of coming out with a single?
No plan for a single as of now, but it should be fun doing that. Right now though, it’s important to focus on my films, because both ‘Rock On 2’ and ‘Baaghi’ because they’re both going to start in a month’s time. Plus I’ll be singing all the songs in ‘Rock On 2’. So, as of now, there’s no time for a single. In fact, I’ve just finished recording for ‘Bezubaan’ unplugged, I was supposed to do it before the release but we just got tied up with promotions. Now it’s time to switch off from ‘ABCD 2’ and focus on these two films.

Amit Sadh

“I’m very fearless, and I’m not saying it arrogantly”

By Ankita R. Kanabar

(From the June 27, 2015 issue of Super Cinema) 

Enter Amit Sadh’s house, and his dogs greet you first. Not a good thing for people scared of dogs though. Later of course, Sadh graciously welcomes you with a warm smile. He’s recently shifted to a new apartment in Khar, so is still in the process of settling in. Donning a white t-shirt and blue jeans, he’s in his usual exuberant mode, jumping around the house, getting all animated when you ask him something. On the other hand his infectious positivity and a deeply philosophical side is not something you can miss either. Clearly, a conversation with him has to be about films and acting, but you can always expect more, because well, it’s Amit Sadh! Read on…

Does your character in ‘Guddu Rangeela’ have this crazy streak which is closer to the real you?

In fact I’m more crazy in the film. I’ve tried making it more like me, so Guddu is a more internal character than external. But the credit goes to Subhash Kapoor, because he knew how to control my energy. I get too energetic and this character could have been fake and loud but sir toned it down. That helped a lot, and infact I took a lot from Subhash sir. I didn’t know anything about that world, but there’s a very good saying that ‘bad actors copy, good actors steal’. I am a big thief. In ‘Yaara’ I took a lot from Tigmanshu sir. I would purposely give a wrong take, he would scold me and then I’d ask him to show how to do it. Being an actor doesn’t mean I know everything. It means I don’t know anything but I can still do everything. I have to make you believe I can.

Be it displaying Omi’s evolution in ‘Kai Po Che’, or looking older than what you are for ‘Yaara’, you’ve never been bothered about always looking good on-screen as long as you’re in the skin of your character….
This thought has never prevailed or entered in my consciousness, to look good and not look good. It’s always a fragmentation of people’s minds. To become somebody else, you always have to let go off who you are. Somehow I like that process so far in each character I’ve played. I celebrate imperfection. It’s the imperfection that makes people unique. For me that is magical and I try bringing that to my characters. I try making my characters so whole, so real, that there’s never an evaluation if he’s good or bad, because you stop looking at me, you start feeling me and my character and that’s what matters.

Is that why you don’t like looking into the mirror while shooting?
Yes, as a rule, I don’t allow a mirror on my set. For me, acting is more organic, and about being in the moment, so I try to stay away from myself. I think as actors we tend to be full of ourselves, which we need not be. When you have the understanding of being gentle, when you have the compassion for people and an interest in their lives, only then you’ll have a memory or record of what people are. When you’re full of yourself, you won’t see anything else. I like meeting people, knowing about their life, their pain, exchanging energies with them, so I can know more and have a big ocean of memories which I can utilise in movies.

It’s been two years since ‘Kai Po Che’ released...while many would think, a big gap after a film like that would work against you, you’ve been pretty careful with choosing projects...
That’s because I need challenge, I need something to make me feel uncomfortable. When you’re comfortable, it gets easy and there’s no magic. It’s not that I want to do less movies. I just wanted to wait for characters that challenge me. But now I have five movies releasing in the next twelve months, I was away because I was shooting for these films. Many people told me after ‘Kai Po Che’ that ‘you’ve acted very well, but there’s no perception about you.’ I thought a lot about what that meant and realised that it’s good. I read in a book that actors shouldn’t have a perception. When people perceive something about you, you’re limiting yourself. If I don’t limit myself, I can do anything. Now that I’ve understood it, I will try and make sure that people have no perception of me. The moment they form an image, I’ll break that with every film.

You’re quite fearless, aren’t you?
I’m very fearless, and I’m not saying it arrogantly. In fact, I’d say that more humbly. I’m very child-like, and children are fearless I think. Someone told me a while ago, that ‘Amit you’re too excited in life, you should tone it down.” I called that person the next day and told them, never tell me to curb my excitement or exuberance, because I can’t work with someone who tells me that. There’s just one thing in my life – exuberance or excitement, and if you take that away from me, or any person, he won’t be happy. I have too much excitement for everything and I can’t change that. I’m not going to act like an actor, I’m going to be an actor who’ll do his job and go. I’m a simple guy. I’m not this cool guy. I’m messed up, my life has been messed up, but I’ve had the guts to wake up and smile every day, to thrive for the best. I’m not going to pretend I’m something in life, I’m not going to pretend that girls go crazy for me, because that’s not my aim in life. My motive in life is to be happy.

Would it be right to say that you’re a misfit here in a way and still proud of that?
I did try fitting in, not just in films, but for various things in life. All my examples go back to life. There were phases when I had doubts about fitting in but then I realised that eventually, there’s no norm, there’s no right or wrong. I’d rather be me. In that, if I fail, that’s my fault, so I became ignorant and thick-skinned. Over time, I have evolved a lot through books, travelling, people, climbing, trekking. I realised that we live once so I am going to be who I am. It’s my energy that matters, so I’m going to cultivate that. I read this amazing book called ‘Being You, Changing The World’, by Dr. Dain Heer. I met him last year and he was a great influence. So, a lot of things happen in life, people evolve. That’s the same thing about movies. I’m just keeping it pure. I just become a character, so in that sense, I’m fitting in the most right? Acting is a make-believe medium, and actors that I emulate, they comprehend and help me find an articulation for what I want. When you see it from an outer circumference, it may seem like I maybe a misfit, but otherwise if you see it deep down, it’s simple.

You mean, you’ve always been yourself…
Yes, and I’ve not tried explaining myself to anyone. People who’ve seen my evolution, craziness, eccentricity, will understand me. But otherwise, I don’t want people to understand me, that’s not my need anyway. I want them to find me through my movies. In that process, they might see my ideology, which also may seem like a contradiction. What I’m thinking today, will be totally opposite to what I think tomorrow, and I like that about life, about cinema, acting. There’s a lot of contradiction, which again people oppose, I embrace. That’s the truth of life. I embrace everything that holds truth. 

So, cinema has had a great influence on the person that you are? Or rather, has it made you a better person?
I was always a great person, who’s done a million mistakes in his life and will continue doing so. There should be no judgment about who is a good person and who's not. It's all about comfort and convenience. We call the other person not a good person when he doesn’t believe in your ideology or principle. But yes, for me, cinema is a psychiatrist, who I don’t pay. I don’t go to her, she comes to me, she heals me, rectifies me, enlightens me. It also makes me a little less judgemental about people, but that comes from compassion and gentleness. We all have our life, our problems, our insecurities, so when you're gentle to someone, you're healing them. And when you heal someone, you're healed.

You've travelled some rough edges, are you healed now? And when you look back today, do you think you're successful?
When I think about the life I have come from, I think I'm a superstar. I'm not a film-star yet, and that I can’t be, people will make me, that's not in my hand. But superstar I already am. At sixteen, I used to clean someone’s house, I am uneducated, I have no degree. I was a security guard at Benetton Delhi, the South Extension one. At 17, I was a helper at Jordash, which now it’s Indigo Blue. I’ve stayed in a chawl, at Munirka village and today I am here. That’s why I’m a star. Not because I’m doing films today, but I’m proud of the way I did it. I’m proud I woke up every morning and worked. A lot of people have their hand in this, but I’m a star in my head. And for me, every person who crawls and stands strong, is a star. If you have a story, I will call you a star, live to tell a story. Get inspired and inspire. That’s my philosophy. This is what makes me secure. A secure person is someone who is ready to receive and give anything. I’m already saying that without people, I’m nothing. Everyone in the frame I’m sharing with, or people saying good and bad about me are the people who make me relevant. So, yes, I’m healed, I have no grudge, I can only be grateful.

But while you are grateful for where you are, is there still a lot of greed for good work? Or is greed a wrong word I’m using here?
I’d say I have this pure, undying greed. I’m absolutely fine with it. Having greed for anything is not bad. There’s a lot of greed for different things but I have simplified life. Right now, there’s greed for work. Maybe after three years, there may be some other greed as well. I want to also climb Mount Everest. I crave for appreciation, just like kids do. Probably because I never got that in my childhood, people called me a loser. Which is why, right now, I’m close to people who pamper me. Thankfully, I’ve also worked with people like Subhash sir or Gattu (Abhishek Kapoor) or Tishu sir (Tigmanshu Dhulia) who treat me like that.

You’re now a lot more confident than you were before ‘Kai Po Che’. What else has changed? Are you just as sensitive?
I’m more confident. You have a lot of fears, you’re scared, but when you start getting fixed, you become this fearless child. I’ve learned this great philosophy in life that when in doubt, love more. What has changed is, now I have an emotional balance. I’m very sensitive and emotional still; ten years back I was mocked about it and now I’m earning a living out of it. I’m not ashamed of being a sensitive man, but now, there’s an emotional balance. I have a little bit of more maturity but I’m still crazy, young and stupid and I’m okay to being that (smiles).