How was your experience playing a girl from UK and shooting there too?

I thought it was great. Initially I was a little bit nervous but then I just thought it’s going to be such a fun character to play. There is so much freedom in the character and there are no restrictions. The girl, Jasmeet Singh, was from London so was I. There was also a lot of me that I thought I will be able to portray and show in this film. So that was a really nice experience to be able to do that.

Would you go shop or eat with Akshay between shoots?

No. Akshay was always busy, he always doing ten things at one time. So not really and my sisters are there. Three of my sisters are there in London. So just after pack up, we would go park ourselves in a restaurant and eat food and enjoy and we really had fun. Now that I am back in Mumbai I am missing them. So yes, we had a nice time. Everyday after the pack up my sisters and I would go to this nice Japanese restaurant and we would sit and eat and eat!

You did Humko Deewana Kar Gaye with Akshay Kumar. Now you are doing the second film with him. How do you think the audience will react this time?

I felt I mean to be fair there were some mixed reviews for Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. There was a lot of appreciation and there were some other criticisms. But in this film I really hope that people unanimously like the characters. This is the film were the characters have a scope to be liked. I really enjoyed performing in the scenes because I guess I thought I can relate to certain things of the character and I just hope to that comes through.

Do you think Namastey London takes any influence from the film Purab Aur Pachim? Even that film shows the transition of an actor from UK to India. Have you seen Purab Pachim?

Yes, of course. I think there is about 10% of the soul… may be, you know content of that film. But it is not based on that film. It’s a completely, entirely different story. People definitely shouldn’t go expecting that, otherwise we will be in trouble. The transition from UK to India is done in a different way which you have to see in the film. My character is not an English chick who just comes to India and becomes an Indian housewife, that’s not what the film is about. So you have to see Namastey London. I mean my favorite portion of the film is when Akshay and my character meet in Punjab and I like the kind of scenes that went on at that portion- that’s definitely my favorite part.

Have you been to Punjab earlier?

Yes I have. I have done a lot of shows and during my traveling with modeling, in a fashion shows I have gone to all interiors of India. I went to so many places.

How was it working with Akshay this time around?

He is a great actor and a person who I have really seen change and work so hard over the years. He has unwavering concentration when he gives a shot, and that also forces your concentration to be on the same level. He is a very jovial person. He also keeps that light energy going; there is nothing too heavy or depressing.

And what is your take on the music of the film?

I like the music of film. I think it portrays the spirit of the film very well. May be someone can say okay but you didn’t pitcturised the songs like this and you didn’t do that. But it is exactly the feel and the spirit of film and the music should not take away the concentration of what the story is about.

Your favorite song in the film…

There was a song which was not picturised in the film called Aanan Faanan. Musically to listen to it, I really like that song.

Have you seen any of Vipul Shah’s earlier works?

I’ve seen Waqt and funnily enough when I saw Waq I remember saying to myself and I told Vipul also later when I became friends with him, that when I saw the promos I was not interested to see the film at all. And when I saw the film I remember actually being physically shocked at how much I really liked it! I really liked the film and I found the film so enjoyable that it came as a big shock to me. You can make judgments on people and things without knowing the story behind it. So that was really nice to know since it was Akshay in the film. I liked him the most in Waqt from any films of his films which I have seen in terms of his role, his character, and performance. So I guess that also gave me lots of confidence because I genuinely like the way he dealt with the film and he also comes from a theatre background which also gives you a little bit of extra training in terms of the importance of the script. It is not just about shooting scenes because you are sitting in London in a fancy location.

Okay and we have got today in the newspaper saying that you are ready to come in new age cinema…

No. Someone asked me “Are you going to do art cinema, or small films, you know offbeat films?” So I said “What are offbeat films and small films?” Films are good films or bad films that’s what I said. I think the person didn’t understand what I said. What is a small film, is it a film that is not appreciated and not seen? A judgment of a film should not be the box office report. It should be was it a good film or was it a bad film. May be people didn’t want to see it that time but it should be judged on its own merit. I don’t think we should classify the honours of cinema.

On the skirt controversy in the dargah… Wasn’t it distressing? How did you tackle it?

It was distressing because I realize that people actually felt may be I was being very insensitive and offending somebody when we had no intention. It was probably such an innocent mistake. Obviously you feel a little bad because they were very questioning me, saying things like she was just being obnoxious or so something. It was a genuine mistake and I think the committee was gracious enough to accept the apology after that.

How do you look at the experience of doing a film like Boom, as an actor?

I guess everybody starts at different stages and everybody has different paths in life that they take and I think I have said as much as I can about that film.

There is lots of speculation about your relationship with Salman Khan. How do you feel like when the question is constantly raised?

No I don’t think that the question of my relationship with Salman is too appropriate for today. So I think I’ll skip it for another day.

What are your future projects?

Well, there is Anil Sharma’s film Apne, and then there is a film called Partner coming and Welcome and a film with Abbas-Mustan. It should be releasing towards the end of the year hopefully.

Finally what is the USP of Namastey London? Why should we watch it?

I think that after a long time we have seen a film like this about very definitive clash between an NRI girl and an Indian boy. And I think it has been done in a very light hearted, fun way. You should definitely go and see the film and whatever people would say and if you don’t want to see the film, you can’t force anyone. But whoever goes to see the film would definitely feel satisfied that it was enjoyable. It is not a film where you are going to say “Ok it is too long” or “what they are going on about?” It is almost like watching an English film in terms of the pace at which it moves. So I am happy with that.

Q. “Nishabd” has triggered off a lot of debate.

A. I’m happy to see I’ve been appreciated. I did it because it was challenging. I’m happy audiences understood what the film is really about. That’s contrary to how some people in the film trade saw it from the outset. Ramu now feels the projection of the film’s publicity was wrong. But not a single person has disliked it. I’ve got positive feedback from weird places.

The point of the film is what does a man in that situation (of falling for a much younger girl) do? It’s not about how can he or why did he? I think the ethical speculation is a hypocritical excuse for puerile thoughts. Some people have challenged the wisdom of the character …as though wisdom and age are inherently linked together. They’re not! Wisdom doesn’t come automatically with age.

Q. You’ve once again stunned audiences in “Nishabd”.

A. Given an opportunity and a competent director, it’s possible. One reason why it happened was because we went to a remote place and shot the film at a stretch. There were no crowds, no phones, no connection with the rest of the world. It was just us and the project. It was the silence that stimulated creativity. We’ve forgotten the value of silences.

The moment the camera goes on, the actor craves for solitude. Most of the time we’re so crowded we don’t do our best work. Everything came together in “Nishabd”. I just love the time that Ramu gave to my close-up after my character asks the girl to leave. Ramu just lets the moment linger on. He gives space to all artistes.

Q. Like “Black”, your performance in “Nishabd” is born without reference points.

A. Sanjay Leela Bhansali (“Black” director) gave me huge moments of space. Sometimes during shooting the film ran out or the video monitor broke down. But he didn’t stop me. He just allowed me to keep going. At the end of the shot he’d ask me to do it again. Not once did he rush me. I could easily make out when Sanjay was happy and when he was very happy. I was never content with him just being happy.

I remember one sequence where the girl Michelle says ‘mother’ for the first time and my character sits at the water fountain and starts talking …Sanjay had the camera very close to me. I asked him to take the camera back. Suddenly I didn’t feel crowded while breaking down. Sometimes you get very conscious when dozens of people are watching you. Suddenly when the camera and the unit move back you get the physical space to let your true emotions come out. I felt these true emotions come out in “Black” and “Nishabd”.

Q. Would you say these two are your finest films in recent times?

A. I’m fortunate such roles are coming my way. These two films gave me the opportunity to delve into the darker areas of my personality. Some of my forthcoming films also give me that opportunity.

Did you do your stunts yourself? What was it like?

A couple of them, as would go with an action film and with safety first being the mantra always in every film set and that isn’t anything new, its common knowledge, within the film fraternity as well as the audience. But nevertheless a lot of the work was something that we as a team of actors and technicians did push ourselves for, to experience the adrenaline rush first person because that’s what makes it super exciting in terms of what you deliver and also in terms of what the audience gets to actually experience on screen when they see the artist/ actor in person, pushing themselves beyond the norm. The high point probably was actually at Orabi Gorge, where we had the jump, there’s this one moment where Hrithik’s character Aryan challenges Sunehri, (that’s me) in the film to jump, given the premise of the scene which when you see you will enjoy it, and she takes a beat and goes for it and so does he and you see a glimpse of that in the promos. That was a trip, it was an absolute high, and never in my life have I experienced just literally jumping off the edge, I had to actually do that, of course they looked after our safety, and there is a bungee that we are connected to in person as well, even in the moment on screen, but to actually do this literally just jumping straight foot first like off a diving board, was fantastic. Even when you are actually hauled up, just after a take, when you’ve spent it out there, it was, quite a moment for both Hrithik and me, because just next us, there was a trickle of a waterfall so we were actually seeing the water drops just literally going down in reality what visually we refer to as slow motion, literally the drops were going down forever.

This is your first film with Hrithik and Bipasha, how was the experience of working with them?

Superlative, I mean it really has been fantastic, fun just like the rest of the team, be it Abhishek, Uday, I think the fact that the 3 of them have known each other since childhood, they constantly share their anecdotes which just make you feel that you belong to those bunch of kids who went to those Birthday parties, or hung out in their schooling years, you just felt that you were part of the inner circle, because it was so wonderful to see them spontaneously and at the most unexpected moments, have a recollection and relive it, made you feel you were there as well and the brief moments that I got to share with Bipasha, I must say she’s a real cool girl, and I am glad we are a team on this film, all of us, because the camaraderie was genuine, the spirit was fab and the energy was about being team players, and that’s something that everybody brought to the table very professionally while on the job and aside it just kept the energy what it should be, on a film like this, very naturally. So we had a blast while making the film, solely zeroing on my specific co-star for the film, that is my pair that’s Hrithik, like he himself was saying that its great that he also had eased up a lot and he says that generally, not just from this film, we had a world tour and a commercial together and I guess both of us had been psyched by perception about being extremely professional, being very detailed, almost obsessive about our work, each of us had been told that about the other, but when we have worked together, I can safely say that, I think that’s a given. In any committed passionate professional would be that detailed for what they bring to the job, and I relate to that, so I don’t think there’s any need to make much ado about it. It’s fairly natural to work that hard or be that much of a perfectionist on the job.

What do you think of the music of Dhoom 2 as compared to Dhoom?

I would never make comparisons, because the fact is that Dhoom was a super success and it was a signature tune at that point in time, in every club, car, bikes, a raging success, and I am glad that Dhoom 2 was received with equal if not more responsive. It has been superlative again and very very positive, and I think it was very clever, to have the first promo go on air with KANK, it was very gratifying for the whole team to have received such a tremendous response, where the audience was already in Dhoom 2 while watching the movie! This is something we heard in first person, we all received it on text and as a team we were overjoyed. It was very very good to know that people were so looking forward to this film, with so much anticipation, we’ve had a blast making it, so we can’t wait to share it with our audiences.

Did you watch Dhoom and what did you think of the film?

It’s evident that because at that point it was definitely a cluster breaker. The identity is youth but I take it as just going by the success, they become family experiences that kids enjoy, parents go the entire family goes and they just have a good time, and you come away with an adrenaline rush. I sincerely believe that age is a state of the mind, even 20 years later I will say this. And everybody has been there done that or has aspired to be there do that and have all these experiences in person, if not, cinema is the perfect dream world, the closest thing to experiencing any moment in person. So it was good to know that Dhoom was well embraced, so when approached with the idea of Dhoom 2 touted as a sequel, but I always call it yet it is a brilliant idea, and Adi knew what he was doing when he came up with this idea, going by the response. We were very very happy to be on team, its really funny, how 20,000 ideas fly around within the team of course, about the next Dhoom and the next Dhoom, and the next Dhoom, so it obviously a very clever franchise. At the end of the day it’s a fab experience for the team as well as for the audiences. It’s like college will always be an experience everybody cherishes and the pulse and pace of this movie, is one that is universally enjoyed.

You have so many releases coming up, what makes Dhoom 2 special?

It’s definitely a first in my career and it’s interesting it’s happened in the 10th year of my film career. Of course that’s by choice, its not a moment if I may say so, a moment I have been waiting for to happen to me, in the sense that there have been offers to do roles in the western mode but I have been very choosy, very evident in the choice of films that I have done and made so far. This was a tough offer to resist, because I thought it was perfect, if this was what I wanted to bring on board, this was the perfect premise to do so. So in terms of playing an out and out westernized character, so obviously youth oriented and trendsetting, so obviously fashionable and fun, but at the same time racy, evidently hot and super cool, this was the perfect premise to do so, so yes I chose to project the way I never have before on this film, because I felt it seemed so natural and at ease and it went with the language of the film. If you do find Sunehri sexy at every given point, Sunehri just is, she isn’t someone who is working to turn it on in every frame, unless she needs to as a character, while interacting with another character. So I thought it was great where, wearing shorts or short skirts, dressing a certain way was just natural to the character, it wasn’t about trying to work it on celluloid. I don’t need to resort to tactics, to get attention, thank you very much, I have more than my fair share of it even in my saris! It’s not something I needed to explore for the sake of the apparent, it was a definite character created, and it’s just the language of the entire film and of all the characters. We have shot in Rio, where it was only natural to be dressed a certain way, we have shot in South Africa, yes also in Mumbai, but while interacting with the characters it’s all a natural progression of the celluloid theme. Hence the comfort level.

What was the best moment during the course of shooting the film?

The film as a whole, but like I say apart from the part of the absolute thrill of working on celluloid, I must confess, I thoroughly enjoyed the team, I enjoyed the gang, off-screen as well, because like I just shared with you earlier, that it was so nice that everybody was just being, it was the whole team. There were a lot of laughs, a lot of fun. There has been a lot of talk about the fitness regime, something that I only explored very honestly for a month to 5 weeks before we started the film, then it has only been my schedules throughout the last year, my different films I ‘ve been working on, I didn’t get a chance really focus on the fitness. So for all the talk in the media, this is the truth, it was just 4-5 weeks last year before we started. Then after making Guru, both Abhishek and me had to put on weight for Mani’s film, so we resumed the schedule, I suggested we take Deepika ( the fitness instructor) with us because we were doing the action part of the film, and whatever little bit we could do, which was barely 2 weeks, while filming, but the fun part was that everybody would be in the gym, I mean everybody not just the actors. And it was fun because while we would all try to get into a bit of a routine, I think we were just having so much fun hanging around, that we’d be just about that sincere and then the next plan to go out to dinner, which we would all do very happily and try and hold on to the myths that if I gorge now it will show 20 days later, so that we are on safe turf, it was like a college /road trip, I’d say this film, where while we were working in all sincerity but it was all so much fun, on set and after hours. I think that is by far the best memory the best is everything about D2 is fabulous while making it, but I think we’ve come away being really good friends, time and tide will be able to define the strength of the friendship but nevertheless it definitely went beyond being co-stars, and its something that I really cherish and hold dear to my heart.

How did you enjoy shooting on location in South Africa and a message for your fans there?

South Africa incidentally has a home turf kind of significance in my life, because yes, I did win my title in Sun City of Johannesburg, and I have been there a couple of times, not that often, but a couple of times, my work took me back there, to Cape Town to film Dil Ka Rishta extensively which was again a family experience, so my memories are very very warm, and people have been extremely loving and its something that a lot of my film fraternity really cherish and enjoy with the people of South Africa. Even the year I was giving up the title, when Amitji was on board the panel of the jury, at the pageant, it was overwhelming to see the strength with which our people had descended to Sun City and the applause that he was rendered just took the entire pageant’s breath away because it was so good to see, and such an awakening to the rest of the world to recognize, how passionate our people are about our cinema, and the members of our film fraternity, and the love that they are so generous with. Hence I personally share a very warm bond with our audience out there and I can just extend a heartfelt thank you, for their love and blessings and good wishes all through my career and it was great fun now coming back there and shooting for Dhoom 2, a fun experience for us and again with a lot of very fond memories, I am glad that every time I have come there and worked or filmed, or participated in a pageant, I have come away with super success and a lot of love and great memories, so I guess that’s a good sign.

Did you do any kind of special preparation for this role?

Like I said one was the visual was very imperative, as a pre- requisite, its something we as a team agreed we definitely would work on, as I do work on every film, here it zeroed in on the physical appearance in terms of fitness, and it was a body language and a body type that I hadn’t brought to celluloid before, and since I was going to dress a certain way, I needed to just be the person who wore those clothes, very naturally and not because it was an element of worked on excitement, I am glad that it has turned out exciting, that wasn’t the reason for the costume. People who have well toned bodies as we look around, naturally dress a certain way, when you’ve really worked on your midriff you see that they are happy to wear shorter tops, when you have worked on your legs, they naturally wear short skirts, not because they need to show their legs but they feel natural and comfortable in it. So that was a body type that I was determined to work on, and I was very glad to discover that the first time in my life that I have got down to working out, my body responds very quickly and its very reassuring to know that, so with a little bit of focused time and work it was good to know that we can achieve it, and bring that on board. In terms of the styling, working with Anaita, whom I worked with several times in my career specially in my modeling world, or in the fashion magazine assignments, we’ve worked many times before, so she knows me, my body type, my aesthetics, my comfort, and so we worked on it together very easily and she’s done a fantastic job, because that’s what again people right from on the set and now the audience have begun to identify. The clothing feels like me, it feels natural even if it means seeing me for the first time in the western mould. It doesn’t seem uncomfortable, it doesn’t seem unnatural, and that’s something Anaita knows about me, so we worked on it together and arrived at Sunehri. We decided that we would go with a different hand in terms of makeup and hair styling because that again would bring a newness to board, so I worked with Subbu who also I have known from my advertising, and modeling experience, though this was the first film we were working on together. So we did one day of a look shoot as in a test with my dear friend Farooque and once we arrived at Sunehri, there she was bang on ready to go on set. Obviously the final verdict is the nod from Adi, it was fun to arrive at her in terms of the visual. In terms of preparation to characterization, we were clear again as a team as I said before that we would create a character, while we knew that the visual would be the initial head turner, we needed to create someone who would be, specifically a character from this franchise. Also it has worked out really well, fortunately or coincidentally that currently I am having so many different releases, Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2 and Guru, and ahead there’s Provoked and Last Legion, it’s great that not only visually we have arrived at a specific character, but also in terms of her mannerisms her personality is very very specific and can be identified as someone who belongs solely to this film.

What next? Can we expect to see you doing some more action films in the international front?

Well I started in fact just pre Dhoom 2 I made Last Legion, which was definitely action not contemporary though and I experienced sword fighting and I am a warrior in that film, so I completed that movie before I started Dhoom, so that would technically be my first experience in the action genre, but it wasn’t in the contemporary times, so I am glad that within the year, between last year and now, I have actually got through and tasted action spectrum in Roman times and contemporary biker times and its been a lot of fun, its been a huge adrenaline rush, exactly what I was looking forward to and like I tease I have tasted blood, I can’t wait to have more such experiences because they are really fulfilling and it’s a rush that can’t be explained, but it’s a definite high, that’s the most fantastic part of our job, because we get to experience which probably people just think or dream about, and irrespective of what point in time of your life, to what space you are physically in, where you are, it could from the ridiculous to the superlative in excitement, but the fact is we get to experience life through our film making and I think that’s a blessing.

Source:

I don’t really see Aryan as negative, I see him on the wrong side of the law, but as subtext which is of course in my head and my producers and director’s mind, don’t take this too well, but Aryan seems to be a guy who has this secret mission of ridding the world of all objects of desire that instill feelings of greed, create politics and feed the ego, all these pieces of high desirable objects, like diamonds and jewellery , just displayed to the world that you can just sit and covet. According to him, these are the things that create greed and need and comes in the way of true caring and being true to the people around you. It makes you lose yourself in wanting more and getting these objects for yourself. One really does not know what he does with all the things he robs in the film. So in my head, he does it because he can and because he thinks these objects of desire are something that are the cause of most of our egoistic battles and his mission is to rid the world. So I don’t really see him as a villain. And his modus operandi is very unique because he does it with such a flair that really makes him out to be someone you want to be.

Everyone’s been talking about your many disguises in the film, without giving anything away, how did it feel to get into so many disguises to con people?

The makeup experts that they brought in from London were truly people with a magic wand. They completely transformed me into other human beings and I cannot express how much fun and how exciting it was to live and be and project another completely different human being that particular day, or days of those shoots. I had the time of my life.

You are stepping into John Abraham’s character which was extremely popular, is that a challenge?

I think every film is a challenge, though Aryan’s character does fit the space of the villain that John’s role was in Dhoom, but its got nothing to do with it whatsoever, it’s a completely different world and I would say that if we’ve gone a notch higher with Dhoom 2, its not satisfying enough, it needs to be 10 notches higher for it to actually make a mark, and that’s what I am hoping for.

What are the kinds of stunts you have done in the film, and how did you prepare for it?

I have done everything in this film that anyone can aspire to do in an action film, be it sand boarding, snow boarding, sky diving, train walking, jumping off a cliff, bikes, cars, everything that you can think of. So I don’t think there’s anything left, I think Dhoom 2 has got it all.

I had no idea what was waiting for me once I was preparing to get into Dhoom 2 and what I realized was that what I had done for Krrish was nothing in comparison. It was asking a lot more of me, so yes of course there was 3 months of roller blading training which I think is the most difficult sport to pick up, and the most dangerous, cause if you fall, you most definitely break a bone. I have never given 3 months of my time, to any training, 3 months just for one sequence, then of course there was snow boarding for which I flew to Dubai and trained myself there in an indoor snow mountain that they have created very fantastically. Then there was walking on the train doing stunts, on and off the train, sand boarding, behind the train, I was actually hooked on to a rope that I was holding onto with my bare palm, with a train at a speed of 60 kms per hour and I was on a sand boarding just skimming behind it on this sand and a little falter here and there and what I would land on was the tracks and at that speed to land on and graze the tracks would spell nothing less than … yes, I have taken a few tumbles and scraped through near death experiences, but came out feeling most exhilarated and alive ever. So it’s been a great experience.

What was it like working with Aishwarya and Bipasha for the first time?

It was a pleasure to work with Aishwarya because she is one of the actresses who thinks about the entirety of the film and not concerned with just her close up or make up or what she is doing in isolation. So its great, to work with actors like that. Her talent is definitely much beyond her looks and her beauty. So it’s been inspiring, engrossing, exciting its been a whole lot of fun. Bipasha is just so casual to be with, you know she is just herself and she’s got no airs and is really easy to be with though I’ve got no scenes with her in the film, but there was a this schedule in Brazil, I think every film you know has this one particular schedule where that becomes memorable because that’s the one in which you all bond, so the Brazil trip while we were there for over a month in Rio, we all bonded. Because of a bit of problems Abhishek, Aishwarya, Bipasha, Uday and I had a lot of time together, so it was great, just walking on the beach, swimming in the ocean. Imagine, Abhishek, Aishwarya, Bipasha, Uday and myself in our costumes swimming in the seas of Rio with not a care in the world because nobody knew us there, was absolutely, phenomenally exhilarating, it was a whole load of fun.

What do you think of the music of Dhoom 2 and how does it compare to music of Dhoom?

As I said again, it’s definitely notches higher but how the audience takes it in is something we have to wait and see, personally I think its one of the greatest music albums in the year and it should definitely make a mark even visually its very stunning. The songs that I have done with Shiamak and Vaibhavi are both tracks that I am very proud of. I have not done many of those in my lifetime, though there is this whole myth of me being this dancing phenomena, but I have not had many dance tracks to my credit. But in this case, I have to and I am very happy with both of them.

You have a very different look in the film. Tell us a little about it.

I really want to say one thing about the look and that is that the true hero of this film is Anaita because what she has done for this film is truly representative of the kind of film Dhoom 2 needs to be. She has brought out the best of every character; especially with Aryan. I think she has outdone herself and for me, it’s been such an exciting leap to just be that grungy relaxed easy going but reflective, very calculating, dexterous agile kind of a person, and the clothes really have helped to bring out and project those aspects of Aryan. He is very proficient in what he does and he is an expert but he’s an individual, and lives like the way he wants to live. It’s almost like he puts 2-3 things together and because its coming out of an individual space, it looks stylish, coz he’s creating his individuality out there. I think that’s what style is about, when you wear and put things together that makes you feel more of yourself, I think that’s what creates an individual outlook and that’s what makes you stand apart from the crowd because it’s individual and not because you are following some kind of trend or fashion verdict. So that’s what Anaita has done and I just left myself completely to her and trusted her completely and what she has done to the film is absolutely outstanding.

You have been part of a successful sequel like Krrish, why do you think it worked and why do you think Dhoom 2 will work as a sequel?

I don’t think sequels work, or films of a certain kind work, I think what works is basically good films and bad films don’t. So if Dhoom 2 is a good sequel, if it’s a good film, which I think it is and not resting on the laurels of Dhoom, by itself it should be a film which should have been made even if there was no Dhoom, and I think that was what worked with Krrish because, it was not resting on the success of Koi Mil Gaya. It took on from there but became a completely different world by itself, and should have been made a film by itself even if there was no Koi Mil Gaya. So this is what sequels should be about, they should not rest on laurels of the previous hit, and that is what Dhoom 2 hopefully will do.

Last time you and Abhishek came together on screen you were friends. This time you are foes, which one is better and why?

We are always friends, Abhishek and I have grown up together and we wish the best for each other. Even working in this film with him, has definitely made me decide one thing, that once in every 2 years I definitely want to do a film with him, because working with him has been very fulfilling, as in he’s a good person and he radiates that, and I am a person who works without any egos and so is Abhishek. He gives his best when he is within a shot and he is all for the scene to work in its entirety and there is a lot of give and take. I love that, love working with actors who go beyond wanting to be the best, wanting to give the best so that the entirety of the scene comes out as the best. So he will think, as much for me as for himself and visa versa, so that is something that I enjoy doing, because it really creates a bond and you actually enjoy the process of putting the film together, which is what your life is actually made up of its those moments that you live for a year or two. How much time do you spend watching the success or the reaction to a films release, a day or two or three but what your life is actually about is the process of actually making these films, and what’s important is to enjoy those moments and I really think that working with Abhishek was one of the most fulfilling journeys of my career.

How was the experience of shooting in South Africa, do you have a message for your fans there?

I love South Africa, its been one of my favourite countries of the world. Also the people there I believe what makes a place beautiful is its people and that rings very true for South Africa. Whenever I went there they are very humble people and very helpful. They respect your space. I have been there on and off and always looked forward to going back to South Africa.

What according to you was the best moment during the shooting of this film?

That’s very hard to say, I don’t think its about one moment or two moments, there were so many, the point is to have a fulfilling day, every time you come back home you should feel fulfilled and that is something that I got out of Dhoom 2 a lot of. I think its one of the most enjoyable films that I have done and I know people say this for every film, but this truly is something that I have reflected on, and have been surprised by my own attachment to this film, because it was supposed to be the joyride and something that I wanted to do for fun because I was doing all these serious cinema films, I wanted to do just something just out of the world and completely let myself out there and have some fun, but it became something that I really got attached with and really discovered depth to it and really enjoyed myself projecting Aryan’s persona.

Uday and Abhishek are childhood friends so what was it like working with them?

Since I have already spoken about Abhishek, I will talk about Uday. Uday and me go back a really really long way. We have done everything together, name it, and the last thing that I thought we would be doing together is facing the camera, so we’ve had a laugh chatting about that fact. Right from the second standard he and I have been together in every single thing that we have done, if there was something that I learnt, he has learnt and if there was something that he was learning, I joined him, whether its karate, computer classes, college, school, tuition, sports everything. So doing a film with him was just an extension of that and really had a great time. He’s a great guy and I wish the best for him. Not many people realize the talent that Uday possesses but me being an actor, that I am and with as much experience and knowledge that I have I think Uday has tremendous potential and its just waiting to come out and prove to the world. It’s already proved a lot with Dhoom, but I think it’s going to go ballistic with Dhoom 2 because he’s done an outstanding job in this film.

What according to you can the audiences look forward to in Dhoom 2?

Its like the words of the song, ‘Dhoom again and come away with me on a rollercoaster ride, so strap yourselves up and get ready for the ride of your life, that’s what Dhoom 2 is about, its to the point, its fast, its exhilarating, it’ll keep you at the edge of your seat, you will not know what has hit you, its one of those popcorn thrillers, so come one, come all, and expect the world!

Source:

Yes, it was flattering. If a guy dresses up like a girl and puts on some makeup to shoot for a film then it is obvious that he would become conscious. Therefore, even I was scared and conscious while shooting. I was thinking about how people will think about me. It was very important for me to be comfortable. And my co stars Chunky, Anupam Kher helped me a lot. My female co stars Koena, Celina and Riya were fantastic. They were helpful.

There was a survey conducted by a tabloid, where your girly look was compared to a television actress Shweta Tiwari. what is your take on that?

I don’t know about such survey but I feel sad for Shweta Tiwari. Unfortunately, they were comparing me with her. But as long as one is playing a character and plays an important role in the movie then look is very important. It was quite difficult to play a woman and equally time consuming. We all are quite ok with it, so let’s see how people react to it.

If you lose your lottery ticket on the set of ASMM, whom would you suspect first?

I think Chunky, because he is lost and found department of our film.

Give five reasons for why Ritiesh Deshmukh loves acting and not keen on joining politics.

First, I enjoy my work and never thought of joining politics. I get to dance, do comedy and action and I get to be around the prettiest chics that we have. Again you get awards for what you do. And last you travel the world at the producers cost.

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Excerpts:

Q: “Umrao Jaan” takes you back to the elegant kotha culture; it takes Aishwarya Rai’s elegance to recreate that culture.

A: That’s quite a compliment. I just want to thank my directors for providing me opportunities in such rare genres. It doesn’t come often in these times. So I feel good about it. All creative people are hungry for such experiences, eager to come away enriched from doing films like “Devdas”, “Raincoat”, “Umrao Jaan”, “Dhoom 2″ and “Guru”. I guess I’m blessed.

Q: Isn’t this Abhishek Bachchan’s first costume drama?

A: Yes “Umrao Jaan” is his first costume drama. But I’ve done another beautiful costume drama earlier – “Devdas”. If I may say so, I’m equipped to go back to that era of elegant dancing and old-world culture because I’m a girl very rooted to Indian culture.

I mean the sari is my most favourite apparel in the world. I’m teased that I belong to some other era. But at the end of the day, I am a contemporary woman of the world. It’s cinematic experiences such as “Devdas”, “Umrao Jaan” and “Guru” that give me the privilege of going back to another era.

Q: Please explain.

A: You know we communicate mostly in English. The Hindi we speak is hybridised. Being a south Indian, people like Rekhaji and me have worked very hard at brushing up our Hindi. But Urdu, which is such a beautiful language, is totally alien to me and to most of us in ‘Umrao Jaan’, including J.P. saab, we were all tremendously aided by J.P. saab’s father O.P. Dutta saab. To have a director like J.P. saab, who’s perceived as a task master, was a blessing.

Q: He’s known to be a tyrant on the sets.

A: You think Sanjay Bhansali is any less of a tyrant on the sets? Any director who’s passionate about his work will be perceived as a tyrant. Whatever the decibel at which a committed director instructs his actors, he wants his point made across. It’s the teacher-pupil relationship. There’re different kinds of teachers in school.

I’ve worked with all kinds of directors from Sanjay to J.P. saab to Aditya Chopra to Subhash Ghai. They’re all known to be passionate in their own way. Why, even Karan Johar, whom I haven’t worked with, is known to fly off the handle on the sets. And don’t forget Mani Ratnam. My God! He’s my first director (in “Iruvar”). And now I’ve worked with him again in “Guru”. Of course, he’s known to lose his cool.

Q: But there’s a story about how Dutta cut your costume in a fit of rage.

A: Now let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. I don’t get rattled by the passionate declarations and discussions on the sets. There’s nothing that a conversation cannot solve. There might have been a day when J.P. saab got rattled. If he did, he was very sweet about it afterwards. I’m not egoistic about these things.

The entire team on “Umrao Jaan” or “Dhoom 2″ and “Guru” are committed to their work. And I’m as passionate about my work as the director. You’ve known me very closely. You’ve seen how I lose track of time when I get involved with a film. Sleep, food… all are forgotten.

Q: You’re uncomfortable with the higher notes.

A: That’s the way I am in real life. You won’t find me screaming in real life or on screen. Of course, I’ve gone through a spectrum of emotions with Sanjay Bhansali. “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” and “Devdas” had high points of drama. That’s where you mould your talents to every genre.

Q: Did you enjoy doing the mujra in “Umrao Jaan”?

A: To know how to dance is one thing. But to get the finer nuances of a mujra, down to its smothered energy and expressions of restrained poignancy, is very difficult. Vaibhavi Merchant and I got together after “Kajra re”. She knows Kathak. She brought the classical element into the dances. Along with her choreography there was a huge contribution by J.P. saab.

After three rehearsals he’d suddenly bring in changes and I’d be like, ‘Okaaay.’ The mujras in “Umrao Jaan” required myriad expressions in one sweep. J.P. saab had a three-camera set up. He operated one of them. So I had to give different expressions into different cameras. By far this was the most challenging film for its dancing.

Q: And Abhishek?

A: He was the veteran of the unit, having worked with J.P. saab twice before. Shabanaji, me … we were all the babies.

Q: Abhishek thinks “Umrao Jaan” is your best performance.

A: That’s very generous of him. Me? I can’t assess myself. There’re films and roles that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. “Umrao Jaan” is one of them.

It is your second film with both Salman and Preity. How has the experience been so far?

Priety, yes this is my second film. I started with Sangharsh. It was the film where I started taking acting seriously. It was a film where I took acting as a real profession. Earlier I used to act to earn money. But with Sangharsh things changed. Me and Preity have both evolved and turned out in different ways. She has gone ahead and has become a very great actor. She got all the support from Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra. She belongs from that school and I am still waiting to get admission in that school. I fondly call her Basanti because she keeps on talking all the time. She has a lot of things to talk about. Any topic you give her, she has a lot of things to say. I really enjoy working with her.

Salman is a great co-actor. We enjoy working with each other and I feel we share a great chemistry together on screen. People liked us in our first movie and will like us again here.

Anupam Kher has a complete make over. He plays a dwarf. What do you have to say about that?

Yes he is playing a dwarf. It was a very hard role for him. Not only to enact but it was physically very hard to play a dwarf as all throughout he had to walk on his knees wearing green colored socks so that they could graphically remove the leg. It was quite a difficult task to walk on the knees and even dance and say your lines and even remember your lines. Hats off to Anupam Kher, he has done it brilliantly. I was amazed as to how he could do it and how he could perform it.

Tell us about Shirish Kunder

Very rarely you come across with a new director who is a genius. Shirish is a genius. The way he has conceived the film is extra ordinary. I would proudly say that this man with this film is going to change the level of Indian cinema. He is going to bring it to the next level. So I am very proud of being a part of Jaan-E-Mann.

Did you help him editing the film?

No he himself is a very good editor. He did not require my help. I don’t think so he needed my assistance.

You now seem to be Sajid Nadiadwala’s new lucky mascot. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, now Jaan-E-Mann and you are also doing Hey Baby for him. What do you feel?

Me and Sajid are basically school friends. We go back a long way. He was my senior in Don Bosco. From there I never thought I would one day come in this line and one day meet Sajid Nadiadwala and he would make a film with me called Waqt Hamara Hai. Then we had a little break, we did not work with each other for at least about 9 years. After that we started Mujhse Shaadi Karogi. It was great and I am glad that we started working again.

Tell us about the music of Jaan-E-Mann.

Music is doing very well. It has some different kind of music. It has got Ajnabee which is a different song from the routine Hindi songs. It has been done in a very different way. The orchestra is different. The song has been recorded in Chennai with some different technicians coming and recording with the help of Anu Malik who is the music director of the film. There was a lot of input from Shirish while recording the songs.

So Ajnabee is your favorite track?

Yes Ajnabee is my favorite track.

What would be the USP of Jaan-E-Mann?

In Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Salman and I made people laugh. This time we will make people cry. The USP would be me and Salman coming together again. The USP also is the characters we both play in the film. It is from two different aspects of life. One is a rock star and one is a nerd. Both coming together, having a love story in between for the beautiful girl Preity. This complete package is the USP of the film.

You started of as an action hero, and now you are considered one of the finest actors for romantic leads and comic leads. A conscious decision or just happened?

Well I was actually bored being labeled as just an action hero. So I decided that I need a change. I desperately need it. It was a risky job to switch over because if one actor is labeled in one particular genre then it becomes really difficult to switch over. But I succeeded. A lot of people told me not to try it since everything was going well for me but I was very fortunate to come out of it and get into something different from my image.

Will we see you soon in an action movie?

Yes, definitely yes. I will be doing an action movie very soon. I do want to make a very hi-fi action movie and dedicate that film to my son.

Don is releasing with Jaan-E-Mann. Any sense of competition?

Well Don is a different kind of film. Jaan-E-Mann is different. Don is already a hit concept. It has a lot of action and is different genre from Jaan-E-Mann. So there is no competition from each other. Both the films are releasing during the festive season. So I don’t see any point having competition.

What is your expectation from Jaan-E-Mann?

I am expecting quite a lot from Jaan-E-Mann for a simple reason. I earlier told you about the USP of the film, the look of the film, that producer Sajid has left no stones unturned to make the movie look beautiful. We have a good product and I am very confident of this film.

One of the publications said something about you and Nana Patekar. An alleged fight was mentioned. Could you clarify?

There is nothing to clarify because there is nothing that happened there.

Your future projects

Bhagam Bhaag, Namaste London are the two movies which will be my next releases.

You did an album sometime back. Will you take singing as a profession?

No. I did that for a good cause. I am not a good singer at all. I just did it because the song was in my mind and I wanted to bring it ahead and put it in front of the world what is there in my mind. It is not an album but just one song that I sang. The whole album belongs to Sukhbir. He has done the music and his father has sung it.

Will Akshay Kumar produce or direct a film?

No. I just want to be happy.

Source:

He is Salman’s friend Boney Singh. It could have been a normal role. I have played many friends role, mentor’s and philosopher’s role to lot of leading actors but Shirish wanted the same man to be a dwarf. It looks easy on a concept level but on an execution level it is the most difficult and painful thing in the world. If it would have come to me 20 years back then I would have been much more agile. But then the USP of the character is that he is a dwarf yet he doesn’t work in a circus. Dwarf people can also do the normal job as he is lawyer by profession and that made it unusual. So, I play a dwarf named Boney Singh, who is a friend of Salman Khan and he plays a very important role in the first half of the film.

What interested you to play this character?

What interested me is the fact the he is a dwarf and from the last 70 years of Hindi cinema this is for the first time that any actor played a dwarf. While in Tamil cinema Mr. Kamal Hasan has done it, he played a circus joker. But this person is not a joker. Instead, he is a normal person except that he is a dwarf. So, I wanted to be the first actor in history of Hindi cinema to play a dwarf.

As you said, it would have been more agile if you would have done it 20 years before. It seems this character is physically taxing for you.

It was very painful. When you have to be on your knees all the time, do dances standing on knees, sometimes even tying the legs to keep your balance is not so easy; you have to be a gymnast. But sometimes but you have to act out such characters as well. I am not over playing my commitment to the character or to cinema. It was surely difficult I can’t deny that but the result is fascinating.

Did you undergo any preparations for it?

Of course you can’t play the dwarf without preparation. First of all, if you are reduced to half your size, your whole gestures become small. You can reduce your height by bending on your knees and tying shoes on your knees but you can’t cut your hands. You don’t have to work only on your look but also a dwarf man’s psyche. You have to understand how he thinks, how he reacts and how he behaves. It has to work on both these levels. I am a serious actor, I take acting seriously. I have an acting school and I feel my students should be inspired by their teacher or their principal. They should feel that their mentor is an actor who they can look up to. That is why it is important that my choice of characters or roles should be good. That’s the reason why I have tried out different types of roles. Whether it is a Khosla Ka Ghosla a film like Jaan-E-Mann or Vivaah or Apna Sapna Money Money, I have played various characters and then on the top of all is Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara. So, you have to reinvent yourself as a person, as a director and as an actor.

Jaan-E-Mann is Shirish’s first film as director, so how was the experience of working with him?

Jaan-E-Mann is what it is because of the director. Of course Sajid Nadiadwala played an important role to make his dream come true and let Shirish execute the film the way he wanted to. But surely, Shirish’s interpretation of the film and the characters is very unique. He doesn’t talk much but whatever he wants to show he shows in his work. Whether it is the interpretation of the role or the songs or the way he has put this story together for the audiences. It surely is the genre of Hindi commercial film but the way he had executed it is completely different and I am very happy and proud to be part of this project.

What about your other co-stars?

Well I have worked with Salman, Preity and Akshay in many films before. They are joy to work with. I have more scenes with Salman. He is a dear co-actor to work with. He has a good sense of humor. He has a casual but concrete approach towards his work and towards his characters. Same goes with Akshay. I have no scenes with Preity in this film. I had scenes only with Salman and Akshay. During the scenes, all of us were relaxed and enjoyed because unless all of us are relaxed on screen, audience won’t enjoy our performance.

How is your association with Sajid Nadiadwala?

I earlier did Sajid’s films like Waqt Humara Hai and Judwaa and now I am doing this film with him. Sajid is a very fine producer a very magnanimous producer too. He has a great sense of humor. He was very much involved with the script and execution work as well. It is a joy to have a producer like him.

Tell us something about the music of this film

I love its music. Of course my favorite song is ‘Jaane ke Jaane Naa’ I love that song and I am dancing in that song with my legs tied. I think children are going to relate to my character because I have done TV shows with children and they like me. So, this will be something different for them. It’s my tribute to children that come and enjoy Anupam uncle this way. Coming back to the music, the love song ‘Humko Maalum Hai’ is also very beautiful. In fact, all the songs are very good. I think the soundtrack of the film is really fascinating and I must again say that Anu is a great composer but Shirish has also made a lot of contribution. Sudeep Chaterjee’s cinematography is also good. I think every aspect of this film is good, I haven’t seen the complete film as an end product but I have seen all this in a dubbing theatre.

What is the USP of this film?

I think it’s one of the finest films of this year. It’s entertaining, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry and it has fantastic performances. It has a great music. It has a dwarf and it has lavishness. It has joy and it has everything that viewers want in a film. Besides, it is larger than life.

What is your expectation from this film?

I think it will be a super hit.

You are one of the most versatile actors of Hindi cinema and have played a wide range of roles over the years. Is there any specific character that you have not played and would like to play in future?

If you ask this question to me even when I’m 90, I will say there are hundred more character I could’ve have done. There is no full stop for an actor, he is always hungry. Besides, I feel I am very lucky. God has been kind to me that I have been able to get the roles that I wanted.

Source:

“I didn’t miss home that much – my parents were in the US for dad’s surgery. My brother was the only one in Mumbai. I panicked when he had to be hospitalised for viral fever. I wanted to fly back home. There was just no time to do so.”

She brightened up at the memory of the Australian sojourn.

“I really enjoyed myself. The first-half, which is based in Australia, is done. Now, we move to the second-half in November. I’m very excited about this because a futuristic sci-fi film, and that too on this scale, has never been done in our cinema.”

She cuts down all comparisons with “Krrish”.

“They’re two entirely different films. ‘Krrish’ was about a superhero in the present. ‘Love Story 2050′ is about a normal guy going into the future. This has never been done before. It gives a lot of performing scope to Harman, and even to me. It’s his baby. And I’m doing my first double role. I move into two time spectrums.”

Priyanka’s styling is a special treat in “Love Story 2050″.

“Styling is important. Earlier, I wasn’t so finicky about styling, though I was never careless. But I realise looking good is all-important for a leading lady.”

She’s all praise for her co-star Harman Baweja’s professionalism.

“I’m his senior career-wise. But he knows much more about cinema than I do. Don’t forget, he has been assisting his dad for some years. He became a producer at 21. He’s far more knowledgeable about cinema than I am. In fact, I took a lot of technical advice and learnt about camera angles from Harman.”

Right now Priyanka is nervous hell about “Don”.

“It’s a very different character. To try and step into Zeenat Aman’s shoes is scary. I didn’t even try to fit into her shoes. I instead made my own shoes. I play a tough chick. Doing all my stunts was fun and challenging. We tried to give a very different look to my character Roma.”

She’s all praise for Shah Rukh Khan and her director Farhan Akhtar.

“Farhan knew exactly what he wanted, and how to get it. He’d let me say and do what I wanted to. But at the same time he kept a tight check on proceedings. As for Shah Rukh – I’ve been his fan forever.

“So, you can imagine what it was like working with him. He’s one of the most unselfish co-stars I’ve ever worked with. He makes you so comfortable. He puts the film above everything else. Just watching him at work is a treat. Some of your co-stars can be very selfish on the sets. And that’s sad. Shah Rukh realises that the film needs to work before a performance can.”

She disagrees that there’s more competition among women.

“Even the male co-stars are very competitive. I’ve only one scene with Kareena Kapoor in ‘Don’. Our interaction in ‘Aitraaz’ was different. Here she is doing a special appearance for us. That was sweet of her. And she’s done a fantastic job.”

Priyanka sees how crucial “Don” is to her career.

“If you’re trying to make me more nervous you’re doing a very good job of it. Look, no one can replace Zeenatji. I haven’t even tried. I did it my way.”

She’s waiting for the release of “Don” before signing anything new.

More assignments?

“The right assignments haven’t come my way. The past year has been turbulent. Now everything is getting back to normal. I want ‘Don’ to be seen not as an attempt to be one up on the earlier ‘Don’. But a tribute.”

Umrao was known for her songs and music. What do you have to say about the music and the story telling through the songs?

Its just sheer joy for me personally and for the actor in me because I personally enjoy music and dance. I had always been greedy as a member of the film industry and to get an opportunity to work with this very special combination of J P Dutta, Javed Akhtar and Anu Malik is amazing. Their music is beautiful and extremely memorable. Every moment of performing these songs was fulfilling. Probably the media or audience would expect seven-eight item songs but for Anu Malik each song is part of the narrative. It’s a part of her journey and that’s the way he has treated these songs.

Can you tell us any experience that touched your heart?

Umrao Jaan is a courtesan and a performer, not just a dancer but a poetess as well. She performs her poetry in the form of dance. It is literally from her soul and through her experience on every stage and to pick any one experience is very difficult because the entire art from her first performance to her journey of life is touching.

How did you prepare yourself for Umrao Jaan?

It was a study on set. I’ll be very honest as I didn’t get the chance because of my crazy schedules. I have learned many things on the set under the guidance of OP Dutta, JP Dutta and off course Javed Saab. They have made my work conveniently smooth and I have to thanks them immensely. As you all know that we tend to speak in English most often and our generation is not smooth in such a beautiful language like Urdu. Though we are not fluent in that language, I thoroughly enjoyed the mouthing of dialogues in this film because I had the opportunity to explore that world and their language.

How was it working with J P Dutta?

It’s like a blessing in my career. I had some great opportunities to essay such incredible characters on screen as an actor. It’s a very special experience and a great opportunity to play a character like Umrao Jaan, who has already become an icon in our cinema. I have been through this area of questioning even when I was essaying Paro in Devdas. All my sincere thanks to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who conveyed the story to today’s audience. Whenever a story is told or retold it is the interpretation of that director, cinema finds its audience.

How do you react when you are compared with the previous Umrao Jaan, Rekha?

As a performer, she is inspiring. It’s not only Umrao Jaan but her entire career and characters that she essayed through her performances that are extremely inspiring. In terms of my performance in the film, I am very clear that when I am acting in a movie I am interpreting my director’s vision. I have said this even during Devdas when I was performing Paro. It’s all about how the director sees the character and how he wants me to perform onscreen in the story. I was inspired by her performances before but I just can’t simply be copying or aping her. There is no meaning in remaking the cinema then.

How was the whole experience like?

It was a pleasure. I would like to thank him for giving me the honor of learning so much under him as a student. I have tried under his sincerity, guidance, under his knocking and breaking down. But to become a mirror of her journey all the way to realizing Umrao Jaan on celluloid was a great experience.

It was a privilege to have incredible company like Shabana Azmi, Suniel Shetty and Abhishek Bachchan. Mr. O P Dutta made me break down several times by telling me those sensitive incidents. I couldn’t have asked for a better role to essay than this celluloid. Javed Saab made gave me songs with the most soulful lyrics. Emoting has come naturally with his lyrics. It’s an honour to be part of this project.

Source:

Is the song restricted to cricket?

No, in fact ‘Aaya India’ has a lot many shades to it. It is about people, it is about families, it is about stuff we care about. It is like treating your nation as your mother.

Did you conceptualize the track from scratch?

No, in fact lyrics were sent to us by JWD themselves and what they demanded was to hear a rhythm on the lines of ‘Hoo Haa’! Then we roped in Sukhwinder Singh, who is one of our big favorites, to render the track. Now he is someone who brings in so many different textures to a composition. We did compose the track and later the singers came in. Apart from Sukhwinder there is Tara Baswani, a known name in the ad circles, who has sung the track.

So is the song ‘Aaya India’ mainly for the upcoming ICC Championship Trophy or beyond that?

See, to be very honest to you, I don’t have a faintest of clue about that. I don’t know if they would use it for Championship Trophy, take it till the World Cup 2007 or beyond that!

Fair enough. But Vishal, where are the movies? Long time since we heard from you?

And I would call it as a calm before the storm. There is so much of film music that you would hear from us in the coming months that you won’t be able to ignore us by any means!

And which are these films?

First to come would be Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.’ Then there is Arjun Rampal’s home production ‘I See You’. After that there is Yash Raj Films’ ‘Tara Rum Pum’. Anubhav Sinha’s ‘Cash’ and ‘Airport’ are in the pipeline too. And last but not the least; we come back with Sujoy again with his fantasy flick ‘Aladin’. This means that starting November, we would be practically there on a regular basis till mid-2007. Any complains now?

No, not at all. In fact one feels that you guys must have been over worked by now. Any plans to take rest?

Man, desperately! Our families are after us to take a vacation and we certainly are going to take one soon!

With so many films coming up, let’s talk about your nearest release ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd’ first.

Believe me; Reema Kagti [film's director] has made such a unique film. It is a concept so novel that you would be amazed to see it unfolding in front of you on screen. Even the music is dictated so much by characters and each time a song comes up, you realize that it is due to a situational placement.

Songs driven by characters? Is the music something on the lines of those heard in Sujoy’s films ['Jhankaar Beats', 'Home Delivery']?

Well, not exactly. See Reema and Sujoy are two different people and have different tastes when it comes to music. Each of them demand a different flavor and as composers we strive to give them exactly what they want. They have a different style of music placement in their films.

Coming back to ‘Honeymoon’, do you wish to elaborate on the music?

There is a lot of variety that you would hear there. There is one folksy club song which is really HUGE! Then there is one love song that goes completely filmy. A lovely pop-rock kind of song also finds a place in the album while one track is solely about a journey. Apart from this there are some more. Another special attraction is Shankar Mahadevan singing for us. Believe me there was so much of fun while composing the musical score of ‘Honeymoon’ and we thoroughly loved the outing.

Shankar Mahadevan singing for you? Now this is something new since he is composes with Ehsaan and Loy too?

Well, this is not exactly new, not something for us at least. You may remember Bappida sung for us in ‘Taxi No. 9211′! Then I have sung a couple of songs for Shankar too. So, it’s quite cool actually!

Talking of other composers/singers singing for you, you had also mentioned some time back that you would love to get Priyanka Chopra sing for an album. So is Priyanka Chopra going to be next Sunidhi Chauhan?

No! Not at all. In fact Priyanka Chopra is going to be another Priyanka Chopra. She won’t replace anyone since she will build an identity of her own. She is so unique.

But then why has that not happened so far?

Because she is not getting that push from inside her. Once she gets that push and she agrees, there will be no looking back for her. It is good that she has friends like Rohan [Sippy], Abhishek [Bachchan] and others who would convince her one day that she can be a rock star!

And how about the other actor turning singer – Abhishek Bachchan? Oh, that’s really happening well. The album is happening well and currently there is a lot of jamming happening. Mark my words, in comparison to all the other 5-6 albums that I mentioned in the start, the one that we are creating with Abhishek Bachchan would be most rocking of all. It is coming out so beautifully that we are eagerly waiting for it to be ready and up there on stands.

How is it progressing?

6 tracks have been completed and four more are on the way. And don’t ask me which genre the songs belong to because they don’t belong to a particular genre. Also, if you thought that ‘Right Here Right Now’ [Bluffmaster] was cool then you have to wait for this album to be out. You will have to find a new term to describe the feel.

And is dad Bachchan coming in too?

We hope so, and we are praying hard. We don’t have to really describe how big fans are we of Mr. Bachchan. We believe that he would be singing a track for us but then first we actually want it to happen before declaring it to the world.

With such a big album coming in, you must have already found a music label.

Seriously, this album is more of an art for us and we are not taking it as a commercial outing. We have not even thought on those lines though I can tell you that it will take a wide international release, something that has been rarely seen for a musical score from India.

Source:

What do you think of Vishal & Shekhar’s music? Comment below!

Q: Why do you say that?

A: That’s how brief my appearances are both on and off screen. I’m blessed because people notice me even if I appear at a function for two minutes. My appearance in “Krrish” too is rather brief. Simiji (Garewal) saw the film and said she can’t bear to see me as a grandmother.

Q: That thought is unacceptable to me also.

A: You forget that I’m an actor. For the past 10 years I’ve reached a stage where I could do justice to any role that came my way. It could be the role of a mother, sister-in-law or a negative or positive role. I’ve done it all with equal sincerity and passion. I was asked why I did a negative role in “Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi” or soft porn like Basu Bhattacharya’s “Astha”? After “Astha” people had a lot to say about my role of a wife who moonlights as a prostitute. I don’t have problems playing anything.

Q: Why this democratic attitude for an actress known to be super-selective?

A: I was never selective. Nor do I believe any longer that I’m the chosen one. Nowadays I believe I’m one of the chosen ones because there’re so many others. You know being a character actor isn’t a blessing in India. Abroad even an actor like Al Pacino is treated like a character actor and given his rightful place.

Q: Aren’t you over-modest at times.

A: No no … too much importance has been given to my glamour, clothes … Today I think I’m at the best stage of my life and career. No matter what I do, people are responsive and, to my good fortune, appreciative. And I say this with utmost humility and sincerity. There’s nothing else I can do on this earth to earn a living except acting.

The fact is, and this will shock you, I don’t say no to any offer except when I feel the producer or director’s intentions aren’t honest and he’s just trying to fire the gun from my shoulders.

Q: I don’t believe you!

A: Come on, the fact that I did “Bachke Rehna Re Baba” is proof of what I’m saying. I do anything that comes my way because I’ve the confidence and belief in myself and my fans. We share a symbiotic relationship. I also share a similar relationship of give-and-take with my directors. Even my family has been embarrassed by some of my films.

Q: So do you think you haven’t been too fortunate with roles?

A: No. On the contrary, everything I’ve done has taken me higher. Everything that has happened in my life has been a blessing. I consider myself the most fortunate person I know. For me no film has been mediocre. It’s been my baby – whether handicapped or sick, you don’t reject your baby. I’ve nurtured them all.

Q: How did “Krrish” happen?

A: When Gudduji (Rakesh Roshan) called and said he’s doing a sequel to “Koi…Mil Gaya”, I immediately said yes. I was Hrithik Roshan’s mother in the first one so I had to be his character’s son’s grandmother – as simple as that. If I feel a film is right, then I don’t question anything about it – not even the script, though I must confess its a very important aspect of a film.

Q: You seem to trust your own judgement completely?

A: I’ve used my instincts so well and so continuously, I trust it completely.

Q: You and Rakesh Roshan go back a long way.

A: Yes. We do! He reminded me of how I had agreed to do “Khubsoorat” with him and how grateful he was. I told him, ‘I don’t remember you in that film’. All I remember is how Hrishida pampered me on the sets.

Q: Okay make a true confession.

A: I love my profession. It’s my first love, and that’s a true confession. Everything else came later. My profession has been totally true to me as long as I’ve been true to it. Every time I falter in a performance – dialogue, shot or look – I’ve come out with one positive lesson or another.

Johar is the only Indian filmmaker to have ever been invited to judge at a Miss World contest.

“Yes. But when I actually arrived at the venue I felt more humble than proud. Nowadays you need to be more than just a Page 3 celebrity to judge beauty contestants. The judges were minds rather than just faces and that made me feel special.”

Johar is very much sure that he’s going back to Poland very soon.

“It seemed as if every second person in Warsaw had seen ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ (K3G). They wanted to know where Shah Rukh Khan was. I went to a pub with a friend. And guess what? The deejay was playing ‘Shava shava’! It was unreal and absolutely reassuring. One more European base for Bollywood!”

Such is the craze for Shah Rukh and K3G in Poland that Johar has decided to rush-release “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna” (KANK) in Warsaw.

“I’ll have my European distributor look into the Polish release as soon as the film opens in Germany next week.”

A: I’ve just been shooting for two films in London. And then I also went to Toronto for the film festival. To see Indian cinema getting this kind of recognition abroad is really quite fantastic. For “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna” to be called for the Gala section is very encouraging. I’m happy that Shah Rukh, Karan and I were chosen as representatives, not just for the Gala but also for Maverick session where we interacted with the audience immediately after the screening.

Q: How was their knowledge of Indian cinema?

A: The ratio of the western and Indian audience was equal. They quizzed us about the story, performances. It was great fun. Finally, Indian commercial escapist cinema, which faced so much cynicism and ridicule by Western evaluations is being acknowledged and appreciated. The kind of crowd that turned up, the mobbing and screaming in Toronto were far larger than anything we had seen. What can I say except, ‘Hello, this is Mumbai. Welcome to the Hindi film industry.’

Q: And now “Rang De Basanti” goes to the Oscars.

A: Yeah, this is great news. I’m happy for Rakeysh Mehra. It was a good concept, well executed, got a lot of acceptability within the country, almost became a cult film. You had youngsters emulating some of its good points. I think that’s fantastic.

Q: There’s a spate of remakes, a majority of them originally starring you.

A: It’s very complimentary to the films, not to me. It means people still identify with those films and think fondly of them. “Sholay”, “Don” or “Satte Pe Satta” are being remade not because I’m in them. But because people want to see the same stories again. “Don”, for example, is a fantastic script. Anyone would’ve succeeded with that. It could’ve starred anyone.

Q: Are you looking forward to seeing the new “Don”?

A: It’d be interesting to see how “Don” has shaped up. I see its promos and I am very excited by their slickness. I’m excited by how it’s going to turn out. I’m going to start “Sholay” in a week’s time. I’m fascinated by Ramu’s interpretation of the script.

Q: Are you in favour of remakes?

A: Why not? Why’s such a hullabaloo being made about remakes? It’s done all the time in the West. This is a free country, one can do what one wants, specially in the field of art. “Sholay” was a take on “The Magnificent Seven” which was a remake of “Seven Samurai”. A remake is a compliment to the original and truly a challenge to the ones who’re doing the remake. They’ve to prove there was room for a remake.

Q: But do we need them?

A: Sanjay Leela Bhansali made “Devdas”. It was the fourth take on the same story. And he got his due praise. So why are we so sceptical of remakes? It’s just a homage to the calibre of the earlier films.

Q: Yes but the remakes in Mumbai are almost all of your films.

A: Well…that’s fine. It doesn’t matter who’s in the film. We must make up our minds about what we want from our filmmakers. When they adapt Hollywood films they’re condemned. When they’re now remaking our own films they’re being questioned.

Q: Why not more original films like “Rang De Basanti”, “Khosla Ka Ghosla” and “Dor”?

A: Somewhere down the line these films may be made, who knows?

Q: You sound truly galvanized.

A: The development in technique and talent just bowls you over. I’m specially excited by the enormous bunch of new filmmakers and technicians. Ah! It’s a wonderful time to be in Hindi movies.

Q: Your birthday is round the corner?

A: Right now my thoughts are with my mother who’s in the hospital. I can’t think of celebrations now. No birthday.

How involved was director Shirish Kunder in the music of the film

I have come to know in all these years of my work that when you have a director who understands music it makes your task all the more easier. Shirish Kunder is one director who knew from day one what he wanted. He knew the situations by heart mainly for the reason that he wrote, directed and edited the film. He is very focused and doesn’t let go of his emotions. You don’t even know what he is thinking. There was a time when I used to record 15 tunes for him. He never reacted but just put it in his laptop and came back telling me what he liked and what he didn’t. He wasn’t the guy who goes like ‘wah wah kya gaana banaya’. I felt that he relates to a great melody and I grew to understand him once as time passed. He always said that he wanted a new sound. He said that he wants something that will be Anu Malik’s music but will be different at the same time. Therein lies the beauty of the director when he knows what he wants. He knows what melodies to take and what not to touch. I am very happy to work with Shirish and especially for his first film.

JP Dutta isn’t a guy who goes like ‘wah wah kya gaana banaya’ He said that he wants something that will be Anu Malik’s music but will be different at the same time.

How is it that you always come up with a chartbuster album for Sajid Nadiadwala?

I think it is a Karmic connection. Sajid and I have a beautiful understanding. He has a keen sense of music and we understand each other. We are there for each other and look out for each other.

Another filmmaker with whom you have never gone wrong is JP Dutta. Are you expecting another National award with Umrao Jaan?

For me J.P. Dutta is not just a producer or a director. For me he is more than family. If I look back in the situation I was in, the only person who stood by me was him. He backed me and believed in my music whether it was Border, Refugee or LOC. Umrao Jaan takes the cake as far as believing me is concerned. He said that he is planning Umrao Jaan and that I was the music composer. That really hit me. The earlier Umrao Jaan had some great melodies in the film and the time when he chose me was the time when people were rethinking about Anu Malik. Moreover Dutta never mentioned the earlier Umrao Jaan. He wanted it to be Anu Malik’s Umrao Jaan and the way I would want to compose it. I hope I come 5% closer to the earlier Umrao Jaan then I will be blessed.

From a contemporary, youthful composition in Jaanemann to a classical composition in Umrao Jaan, you have two extremely different genres of music releasing back to back. Do you think u can deliver the best in both worlds of music?

This proves that I can give all kinds of music. For example, people thought that Anu Malik was a man who could only compose a Judwa but they forgot that I also composed a Josh. There was a time when I was working on Virasat, Josh, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega and Border at the same time. This time also I was composing for Jaaneman and doing Umrao Jaan as well as judging for Indian Idol 2. It did take the beating out of me but I also felt this was a test for a composer to prove that you are not just making a song which is to be played in clubs. The music has to become popular and take the film forward.

The music of Zindaggi Rocks has also released and is doing well for itself.

I would stress on the fact that Tanuja Chandra has a keen sense of music. I especially like the number Humko Choone Paas Aayiye and Lets Rock the Charts Baliye. There is another song which has not been mentioned but is a big hit called Ek Din Fursat Mein. Zindaggi Rocks music is absolutely justifying the word Rocks. Its meant to rock. But I didn’t want any music which was loud. I wanted a combo of rock sound and melody. So there is a perfect balance of rock and melody. The music is selling very well and the song Meri Dhoop Hai Tu is a hit. When you hear the music of Zindaggi Rocks you realize that the music grows on you. Also the movie is amazing and has been made very well. So the music gels with the film.

Jai Santoshi Maa is also on the charts. Don’t you think Anu Malik and a devotional album don’t go together?

I feel deeply honoured and lucky that I have been chosen to compose for Jai Santoshi Maa. There are numerous composers around so why me? As a kid I grew up listening the music of Jai Santoshi Maa and let me tell you something – I have seen the film and it is beautifully made. It was a challenge making the Aarti as the earlier Aarti was a huge hit. People who have heard my Aarti loved it. So I am very excited about the music of Jai Santoshi Maa and I see the blessings of Maa because this will be my first film to release followed by Jaanemann, Umrao Jaan and Woodstock Villa. So I have a lot of films coming up.

You are composing the background score for a film after a long time with Umrao Jaan? What convinced you to do that? Why had you stopped composing

I was always busy with composing music. I’m a guy who composes music but J.P Dutta insisted that I not only compose the music or arrange it or just record the songs. He wanted me to be totally committed to the project. When I was doing the third song I too felt that I should do the background song and so I also hinted a bit and J.P saab said that I must do the background music of Umrao Jaan. He said that he needs 100% commitment the way I gave him commitment when I was composing. I finished the background and I worked equally hard on it. There was a different tune for Abhishek and Aishwarya and the whole gamut of great actors in the film. So I am open to doing the background score for movies but you need the motivation and the time from some one like J.P saab.

So I am open to doing the background score for movies but you need the motivation and the time from some one like J.P saab.

Your daughter Anmol has sung for the film. Was it your idea? Does she plan to take singing or music as a full time profession in the future?

Anmol is not only a natural born talent but has also been learning music from a very young age. She loves learning and creating. She writes her own songs in English and leans more towards western music. Actually she is capable of speaking about herself more than me. J.P. Dutta heard her when we were in London. He kept that in mind and told me that he wanted her to sing for the young Aishwarya. I asked her if she would like to sing it and she was all game. She finished the song in 16-17 minutes. It is a very tough song for a young girl.

There are great singers around and you cannot compare and I am not saying this as a father, I’m speaking purely as a composer when I say this – she has a very pure tone – a tone that touches you. She has a lot of expressions and warmth in her voice and that is what I love. She sings with a lot of heart and feel. When Javed Akthar heard the song he burst into tears. He loved her voice as well as the composition. I think that is a great composition for my daughter and I hope with the blessings of the people watching and reading this interview that Anmol becomes a great singer one day and makes a bigger name than her father.

You have also composed music for some English films like Bride and Prejudice. How different is it as compared to composing for a Hindi film? Any more English projects on hands?

Well, it depends on director to director. Gurinder Chadha has her own style of digging out music. It was a wonderful experience working with Gurinder. It was something which was a learning and a humbling experience. Bride and Prejudice music had a different flavour. If you remember songs like No Life without Wife or the marriage song or the song Show me the way, take me to Love. Every song had a beautiful flavour to it. Apart from that film, my song Chamma Chamma was included in the Hollywood film Moulin Rouge starring Nicole Kidman. So these are great highs in my life and I really thank God for it.

Today you are undoubtedly one of the most prominent and prolific music composers of Bollywood. But not many might know that you had debuted in around 1980. Do you remember the first film that you composed for? My first songs lyrics went as ‘Zulmo Sitam Par Itranewale’ from the film Tu Bhi Toh Ek Din Mit Jayega. This was sung by Ashaji (Bhonsle). She was a great help and she was the one who motivated me in my early days. She agreed to sing and I was lucky because today she is huge and those days were her hey days. I’m blessed that she sang my song. Later on I went onto do the film Ek Jaan Hai Hum. Ashaji was in the film again. Then there was Dil Chahe Aasman Pe Likhdoon Naam Tera which was followed by Yatri which was a big hit and then came Soni Mahiwal.

Now it was a big thing then because I was just 18 or 19. There was Manmohan Desai’s film Mard starring Amitabh Bachchan. These are my landmark films. I then sang a song Julie Julie which became a huge hit as well. Others include Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and Toofan. And then things didn’t work out and I didn’t have any work. I would say my comeback vehicle was in the form of Mahesh Bhatt’s Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi. This album too turned out to be a huge hit. Then again something went wrong and again I didn’t have much work. Then came Baazigar. The film became a huge hit and so did the music. I got my first Filmfare award and from then on again I had my highs and lows. Again the last two years things started going wrong for me again. New people came on the block and producers who I had given the best for ran away to something that was new. And it was a huge fight back for me this time that I had to give something unusual. Like they say good is not enough anymore especially when you have many players in the market. I worked my heart out and the result is there – Jaaneman became a huge hit. I would say that this is a huge innings start for Anu Malik. Jaaneman’s music has taken the world by storm. I have been getting calls from overseas and lots of messages as well. So this is a new beginning for Anu Malik starting with Jaanemann.

Your father Sardar Malik was a renowned music composer of his time. Did the music bug come into you through him?

Not only the fact that he was a composer but also had the fact that I was brought up in an atmosphere where music was always there. I inculcated the sense of melody from my father and that has stayed with me till today. My father always told me ‘Be Sureela’ and come out with a song that you can hum. The fact that he never made it was a hurting thing for me but also a motivating thing. I told him that when I grow up I will become big and the industry’s top producers will work with me. Apart from God and very few people like J.P. Dutta, I am a self made man with a little bit of success. Whatever bit of success I have gotten is through my own efforts.

My father just passed away last year after being sick for about a year before that. I was all alone in the last two years and there was a father-son sense in there. No one could understand the pain I was going through. I saw my father slowly die and instead of breaking me I took a vow that dad I won’t let go. Two things can happen to you – one you can break down and completely get lost. Two you can submerge out of it and become a stronger person. Like the saying goes – when the going gets tough the tough gets going. I really pulled up my socks and I knew this was it. This is what my father would want me to do. This is what he would expect me. When he was extremely sick he could sense the pain I was going through when things started going wrong professionally for me. He could sense it and always gave me the thumbs up sign. He would catch my hand and say don’t worry. I think that stays back with me and I have learnt my music from him. I have learnt how to be a stronger person and today when I have Jaanemann which is doing very well I’m sure he is around listening somewhere. He is not gone but he is hearing my music.

I told my father (Sardar Malik) that when I grow up I will become big and the industry’s top producers will work with me. You had been composing very good and popular tunes throughout the 80’s. Still you got your first film award very late in 1993 with Baazigar. Do you think the industry took a long time to give you your due recognition as a good music director? I don’t blame the industry. I think ‘bhagya’ (fate) is a very big thing. The industry has been kind to me. It has always been with me someway or the other. Look at it this way. Awards or no awards, the fact that producers signed me up right from the earlier days was a big thing. We go back to F.C. Mehra to Harmesh Malhotra to Mahesh Bhatt to the Venus family who gave me Baazigar to audio companies like Tips or T-Series. They were always there for me.

I think my producers and directors want me to give in my best. When they saw me not on my best they started running away and now they have started coming back. Awards came a bit late but they did come to me. I look at the positive side of life and don’t grumble. There are people who did great work and have been ignored. I got 3 Filmfare awards, 2 Screen awards and 1 National award for Border. I just thank God and say that I want to work and work harder.

Which musicians from the past have really inspired you? Who are your all-time favorite musicians?

The best thing about me is that I don’t live in the past. When I was a kid I was a fan of The Beatles and Elvis Presley. When I grew up I got inspired by Shankar-Jaikishen and then I fell in love with R.D. Burman’s music. As time passed I started hearing other people. I was really inspired by the movie ‘The Sound of Music’ and I really liked the music The Bee Gees created for John Travolta’s ‘Saturday Night Fever’. That was huge and in terms of melody and harmony you cannot define it. And now there are many groups from the west as well as over here. Music is something which you take and learn. I’m a great fan of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. I listen to him in times of stress and I think he is fabulous.

I’m a great fan of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. I listen to him in times of stress and I think he is fabulous.

Who from the current lot of music composers in Bollywood do you think is good at his work?

Let’s put it this way. When I entered the industry there were 5 composers. You can count the greats on your fingertips. Laxmikant-Pyarelal, R.D Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji to name a few! Today there are 50 thousand composers and I think each and every composer is doing a marvelous job. I can’t pinpoint and say this particular music director is my favourite.

Who are your favorite singers male and female?

On certain occasions it’s K.K, on certain occasions it’s Shaan and on certain occasions it Sonu Nigam. When they sing for my song at that time they become my favourites. I don’t play the favourites game. I do believe that when I record a song I want the song to be sung very well because it is my baby. I want it to be nurtured well

Source:

Sushmita eulogises Chandra: “I think ‘Zindaggi Rocks’ is Tanuja’s finest work till date. If you as an actor have a personal equation with Tanuja, half the battle is won on the sets. Tanuja is a very good actor too and is very clear about what exactly she wants as a director from you.

“Technically Tanuja is quite a progressive director and sets out to juxtapose between close ups as well as cuts. Her strength is to give you several layers when you perform even when the scene is a silent one.”

The actress also gives full marks to the producer for giving Tanuja a free hand to extract the best out of all the performers in “Zindaggi Rocks”.

“Anurradha is an experienced producer even though this is her first film as a producer because she has to her credit several quality TV serials.

Sushmita admits that she could identify herself with the character of Kria to a large extent. Kria, according to Sushmita, is loud, mad, pathologically friendly, a musical genius, an extremely popular singer and also a woman who does not take “no” for an answer.

“Zindaggi Rocks” can be described as a mature love story between Kria – a rock singer with the responsibility of bringing up her 12-year-old son, who is smarter than men twice his age – and doctor Sooraj Rihan.

Sushmita confesses that all that she did to get into the skin of her character was to question her director and follow her instructions besides, of course, using her natural instincts.

“Whenever I tended to go off the track, Tanuja used to bring me back to the nuances of the character of Kria. Kria isn’t just a rock-star because to her, being a rock star is just a way of life. Life is a celebration for her and the film has been narrated from the point of view of the doctor.”

Sushmita seems to have consolidated her position among women filmmakers in Bollywood. She has earlier worked with Meghna Gulzar in “Filhaal”, Farah Khan in “Main Hoon Na” and Kalpana Lajmi in “Chingaari”.

She describes Vidhu Vinod Chopra as her extended family.

“I respect him and we share this warmth and affection. I know if I ever need him, he’ll always be there.”

When asked about her co-stars Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan, she said: “I’m fortunate I started off with great actors like Sanjay and Saif. They are lovely human beings too. Saif prepares for his role and probably Sanjay doesn’t but both of them are very focused and extremely natural. Sanjay is versatile and effortless I feel. I’ve learnt a great deal from both of them.”

She talks more enthusiastically about Abhishek Bachchan with whom she is working in Mani Ratnam’s “Guru”.

“It was a lovely experience. Abhishek is a live wire and I had a blast shooting with him. We were laughing and pulling pranks on each other.”

Talking about Aishwarya, she said: “Aishwarya is by far the most dignified woman I’ve ever met in my life. She is humble to the core. I play a small but an important role in the film.”

Right now Vidya is working in Nikhil Advani’s “Salaam-e-Ishq”.

“It is not yet complete and will release in January. It is the story of six couples from different walks of life. Nikhil and his group are a bunch of young, energetic people. I had great fun shooting with them. I am paired opposite John Abraham. We were constantly laughing and teasing people. He is a great co-star. I guess this probably incited the vile rumours.”

So do they affect you?

“Not at all! There’s no truth in it. John and I just laughed about it. People who matter to me know the truth so I really don’t care. The day I’m seeing someone, I’ll happily announce it to the world.”

Apart from “Salaam-e-Ishq”, Vidya is working in “Eklavya”, “Hey Baby” and “Chandramukhi”.

“‘Eklavya’ is Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. I’m playing the female lead in the film. I’m paired opposite Saif Ali Khan. It’ll release some time in January.

“We haven’t started shooting for ‘Hey Baby’ so it’s too premature to talk about it right now. It also stars Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Fardeen Khan.

“As for ‘Chandramukhi’, I’m playing a normal girl and I have a classical number in the film.”

So far Vidya has played a sweet and loving girl but has no apprehension about accepting negative roles.

“If I’m convinced I’ll certainly do it. Moreover, I have not set any limitations or parameters. So, it’s not about positive or negative, I just want to play good characters onscreen.

“I am here to do good work. My agenda is to enjoy my work and go home feeling satisfied with my day’s work. Every role that I do should be someone else’s dream role.”

Q: Have you sung “Khai ke paan Banaras wala” in “Don”?

A: I wish I had. As a child I used to dance on that song. By the time I asked Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy they had already signed Udit Narayan-ji. With his north Indian background, he’s the right person.

Q: You’ve quite an impressive list of films.

A: Yes. But the challenge is missing – the challenge I encounter when I sing a classical song and have to work on a particular ‘harkat’ or ‘alaap’. Films won’t provide me songs like that. All tracks today are deejay-designed. I can’t expect to get something like ‘Man mohana bade jhoothe’. And private albums are dead.

The furthest I could go with a non-film pop album was “Chanda Ki Doli” where I showed some classical creativity. I’ve therefore decided to come out with a semi-classical album. I might as well do something I believe in and something I’d be proud of 40 years from now. The music for my album will be by Deepak Pandit. He is Jagjit Singh’s immensely talented violinist.

Q: What do you feel about Himesh Reshammiya’s sudden success as a singer?

A: It’s easy to criticise someone for singing through his nose. Times are changing. Different voices are coming and being accepted. With Himesh at least a distinctive voice from within the country has found acceptance.

Q: What do you think of all the singers who have come from Pakistan?

A: A few were good. But most of them were strictly okay. Who wants these voices in a country which has heard Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi?

Q: Are you happy with the state of film music in this country?

A: Although I had raga-based songs in “Parineeta” and “Paheli”, the songs didn’t get any recognition. I don’t mind Himesh getting all the awards. But it’s an insult to nominate “Paheli” and “Aashiq Banaya Aapne” in the same genre for popular awards.

The genres in film music are expanding. So I can’t be competing with Himesh for the popular awards because we represent two different genres in “Aashiq Banaya Aapne” and “Paheli”.

The songs from “Zaher”, “Aashiq Banaya Aapne”, “Aksar” belong to the same genre. The genres have to be separated or our singers will stop doing ‘riyaaz’. They’ll wonder why they need to work on their voices when they can get awards for simple songs.

Q: Do you think “Aashiq banaya” is easy to sing?

A: Very easy.

Q: Mahesh Bhatt started the trend of bringing Pakistani music in Bollywood.

A: Everyone has the right to do their own thing. But if there’s an infiltration artists need to tighten their seat belts. Pakistan has a different flavour and colour of music.

Q: Where do you intend to go as a playback singer?

A: I’m doing too many things at the same time. I love the feeling of being in demand everywhere. I’m not passionate about anything except music. My work is my only high. I love going to judge “Indian Idol”. Then I come home catch a flight for a concert and return to work on my classical album. But I miss the glory of playback singing. I wish we had one good music company that could respect a good artist. Nowadays, it’s more about putting up with singers out of defiance rather than conviction.

Q: Would you call yourself happily married?

A: Well I am married. One can be happily married. Marriage is a very small part of life. And I’m saying that in front of my wife. There’s a lot more to life.

Q: Has the response to KANK turned out to be what you thought it would?

A: Far greater, in fact. The box office figures are there to prove it. I’ve never been a part of such a success. I think the first week collection of KANK is larger than all my releases put together.

This is a league I’m just not acquainted with. It’s wonderful to be part of such a venture. But it’s entirely Karan’s baby.

Q: Your smallish role has fetched you incredible praise.

A: First of all, I don’t think I’ve a small role in KANK. I think I’ve a very important role to play in the film. Thank you, Karan!

Q: Everyone wants to know how you know so much about marriage?

A: I’ve no knowledge of a marriage whatsoever. I just followed Karan’s directions very obediently. The credit for whatever you consider to be my performance in KANK must go to Karan.

Q: Tell me about the first-hand responses to your performance?

A: I don’t know! I’ve been very busy working on “Dhoom 2″. I haven’t had a chance to interact with people too much. But I’m always thrilled when my work gets noticed.

But, like I said, I can’t take any credit for it. I’m not trying to be modest. I’m not a modest person. I’m a realist. I know who’s done what in KANK. The real hero of the film is Karan Johar.

Q: Do you think the controversies are good for KANK?

A: What controversies? There’s debate on KANK, not controversy. The good thing about debate is, you get both negative and positive, but always healthy reactions to the film. Very few films get that.

Whether you agree with KANK or not, it’s taken Karan to a new level. I think he has unfairly been labelled “a candyfloss maker”. The mistaken belief that he makes frivolous films has fallen to the ground. I think Karan is a very important director in the history of Indian cinema. KANK is a sensitive work.

Q: Do you think Karan took a big risk in moving away from his comfort zone?

A: The best part is, Karan isn’t judgmental, just observant on marriages and extramarital affairs. He isn’t telling people to leave their spouses. He just asks a harsh but real question-what if you meet your soul mate after marriage?

Shah Rukh and Rani are the protagonists. But Preity and I are never shown as negative characters. In fact, I find the relationship between our characters quite fascinating.

Q: What about your relationship with Rani?

A: I felt Karan should have given my character Rishi something negative to do. He loves his wife immensely. He’s basically trying to be as perfect a husband and can be. And that’s how the audience has perceived my character. Despite that, Rani’s character moves away.

So, I felt Karan needed to give my character some dark areas. Whereas Shah Rukh’s character does have reason to stray because his wife has no time for him, my character’s wife has no such alibi. Why does Rishi-Maya’s relationship break up?

Q: Why?

A: That’s exactly what I kept asking Karan. He told me, ‘One could be in a seemingly perfect marriage. Still your spouse may not connect with you.’ I thought that was a very intriguing thought, put forward beautifully in the film.

We never thought everyone would unanimously love the film. We hoped they’d discuss it. And Karan has pulled it off.

Q: Generally such discussions and debates are for arthouse films?

A: For me such categorisation makes no sense. To me a film is a film is a film….

Q: Do you think an Indian wife would move off from a marriage to the ideal husband, the way Rani does?

A: Of course! Such things do happen.

Q: Are extramarital affairs an inevitable part of contemporary society?

A: No, they’re neither inevitable nor justified. I’m totally against extramarital affairs. I’d personally never have an affair after marriage. But I won’t be judgmental about those who do.

What do you think of Abhishek’s thoughts on KANK? Comment below!

But when I went to interview Jackie Chan in Hong Kong I didn’t know him from Adam. We shook hands and had exactly eight seconds to be introduced and then we were both miked. He gave me exactly an hour and I didn’t want to waste a second.

When the ‘Rendezvous’ is telecast no one will know I was interviewing someone I didn’t know before the interview. I enjoy interviews with strangers far more. Knowing a guest is a disadvantage.

Q: Could you share some intimate moments from the interview?

A: It just flowed. I had come armed with the research. He was blown away by how much I knew about him. Because of that he gave me respect. He revealed things about himself and his marriage that he hasn’t said on any interview before.

Q: He tells you that he married his wife because she got pregnant before marriage?

A: That’s right. This fact isn’t even in his autobiography. I was surprised by his revelation. I was touched by his honesty. I asked the crew why he shared such confidences with me when he’ll probably never meet me again.

At the end of it he said it wasn’t an interview but a conversation, and that everything he had said was the truth. Then he came and knelt before me and sang “Falling In Love” to me. He didn’t want to stop talking. The spark plugs just connected.

Q: This is quite a coup!

A: I feel my talk show is no longer a talk show. “Rendezvous” is like a documentary. Jackie and I could’ve carried on talking indefinitely.

A: I don’t claim to be an expert on marriage or anything else. I’m not endorsing anything. KANK is my take on what happens when people marry for the wrong reason. The true foundation of an enduring marriage is tremendous love. If that love isn’t there, things can go wrong any time in a marriage.

That’s what happens in KANK. My characters behave in a particular way because they are my characters. You don’t have to agree with what the characters do or say.

Q: People are reacting vehemently to the Shah Rukh-Rani extramarital affair.

A: Every married person sees a bit of him or herself in the characters. They’re reacting to the characters. KANK is like watching an experience rather than watching a film.

Everyone wants to know why Rani doesn’t love Abhishek’s character. But she doesn’t! That’s it! There’re millions of women who go on being miserable in passionless marriages. I’m not telling those women to go out and have an affair. But you don’t need to be in a loveless marriage. That’s what KANK says.

Q: Surely there’re obligations in a marriage that go beyond self-gratification?

A: I agree. But children shouldn’t be made an excuse to keep a dead marriage going. Preity says, “I’m not one of those who accept defeat in life by making children their weakness. I’m not that weak.” You cannot question why. That’s the way these characters are.

Q: But a Johar film influences a large section of people.

A: And I haven’t been irresponsible towards my audience. The message, if any, is marry for the right reason. And if you’re in a miserable marriage you’re wronging two people. Amit-ji says in the film, “By carrying on an incomplete marriage you’re denying love to yourself and your spouse.”

Incomplete relationships are of no value to anyone. I’d love our women to become much more independent-minded and career-minded so that they could’ve a life of their own after a broken marriage.

Q: But you aren’t married, so how do you know the dos and don’ts of marriages?

A: I’m not married. But I’m an observer of human relationships. And it’s my right to use those observations as and how I wish. I know there will be various debates and discussions on KANK. And I welcome them. I’m overjoyed at the level of participation that the film has provoked. I’m so happy I’ve a job that can touch people.

You can look at my take on marriage positively or negatively. The characters have their own point of view. Rani’s father-in-law wants her to leave. Shah Rukh’s mother wants to stay with his wife even though the wife throws Shah Rukh out. There’s poise dignity and class in all the characters.

Q: Rani’s character has no motivation for leaving her husband.

A: Hers is the toughest role. She rebuffs a loving husband. But her character Maya feels maternal towards Rishi. She marries for the wrong reason. KANK is a film about very unhappy characters.

Q: I see a lot of Yash Chopra’s “Silsila” in KANK.

A: Where? Not consciously. I love “Silsila”. It’s a super take on the cult of infidelity. But I think KANK tells its own story. My admiration for “Silsila” may have subconsciously crept into the film.

Q: What was the need for Kajol, Arjun Rampal, John Abraham and Riteish Deshmukh, who was finally cut out?

A: Kajol is my lucky mascot. Arjun is an important character. He was someone Preity’s character could’ve settled down with after her failed marriage. But she chose not to. John was a fun thing. Why not have a good-looking deejay? You can’t get anyone cooler for the job.

As for Riteish, there was a whole chunk with Rani in play school, which had to be cut off. Stars are important to a film. But you must understand I took a big risk by casting these stars against their images.

Q: Why cast Shah Rukh as a cynical and bitter man?

A: He’s unhappy because of his failures. When I projected him as the ebullient Rahul and Aman in “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” and “Kal Ho Naa Ho” everyone said he needs a change of image. I’m going to get very upset if now people complain about his change of image.

What do you want me to do? I think Shah Rukh gives one of his best performances in KANK. He plays a grey, complex character and he has pulled it off with absolute conviction.

Q: What’s the deal with Amitabh Bachchan?

A: Abhishek’s father in the film is a flamboyant character. And who better equipped than Amit-ji to play him? He’ll be called ‘Sexy Sam’ for a long time. He trusted that I’d handle his raunchy role with a certain class and dignity. Of course, Amit-ji is full of class and dignity.

Q: Were you prepared to open up a Pandora’s box?

A: I did anticipate it. People say I’ve shown a mirror. And no one likes a mirror image. I know many Devs, Mayas, Rishis and Rheas and Sexy Sams. Each is a work of fiction but they’re based on real life.

Thirty percent of the audience is shocked. But seventy percent identifies with the characters. This time I’ve given no candyfloss. It’s more like a slap on the face.

Q: Can you ever go back to candyfloss?

A: I can’t! I’ve matured. I’ve changed. At 25, I made “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” because I felt mushy. At 29, I did “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” because I felt reverent towards my parents.

At 31, when I wrote “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, it was a manifestation of my fear of death. I felt I was going to lose someone dear, and I did (father Yash Johar). At 34, I’m a quiet silent observer. That’s why I’ve made KANK.

What do you think of Karan’s interview? Comment below!

A: Who wouldn’t want to be in Karan’s film? He’s a very dear friend and he is such a warm soul, everyone thinks he’s their best friend. I also happen to be one of his dear friends. He is such a wonderful warm and humble human being.

Q: You are paying a tribute to Helen by doing her “Mehbooba…” item for Ram Gopal Varma’s “Sholay”.

A: It’s going to be exciting. “Mehbooba…” is a song that I’ve danced to at parties and at discotheques. To do it on screen would be a challenging and groovy experience. Just sharing screen space with Mr. Bachchan would be exciting.

Tributes such as this one, especially if you’ve been a movie buff all your life, are worthwhile. I remember I had a done a tribute to all the R.D. Burman tunes at a Sahara event and I was the only actress who was actually singing along the songs on stage, and dancing like the original actresses.

I’m the happiest when I’m dancing. In fact I’m a happy person by nature, something that a lot of people cannot digest. At this stage in my career, all the world cannot be a stage. I’ve to be very choosy in what I do.

Q: So what makes you a happy person?

A: I don’t know. But journalists like to see unhappy situations in stars’ lives. Sorry, I can’t oblige.

Q: Another year gone by. What do you feel about it?

A: It was an interesting year. It started with “Naina”, which took a thumping opening. That surprised people. “Naina” had no star except me.

But because of the bomb blasts in Delhi the same week “Jo Bole So Nihaal” and “Naina” got affected. People were too shaken up to come to the theatre. Then I had “Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara” where I had people from all walks of life coming forward to praise me. I stuck my neck out to do this film.

As Shabana-ji said, it takes guts to do something where you’re constantly pushing the envelope. When I read the script I knew it was Anupam’s film, not mine. But I was impressed by the Gandhian theme and its relevance today. I learnt a lot from Anupam and director Jahnu Barua.

Q: How does the coming year look to you?

A: Equally fulfilling. There’s Harry Baweja-Vikram Bhatt’s thriller. It’s been titled “Speed”. There’s Onirban’s “Bas Ek Pal”. I’m with Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla and Rehaan Engineer. I like working with actors I haven’t worked with before.

I’ll also be doing a film with Ram Gopal Varma with a new director Taufeeq. All I can tell you is that it is a very intense subject. And I’m definitely doing it.

Q: It’s amazing how you haven’t allowed your professional relationship with Varma to suffer in spite of all the unsavoury speculation.

A: I really think it’s really time for all of us to take a mature view of working relationships in the film industry. Just because two individuals work closely and well it doesn’t mean their rapport should be subject to constant scrutiny.

Likewise, actors should not allow unsavoury talk to colour their professionalism. I’ve said innumerable times if there’s something worth doing together with Varma I’ve no problems doing it. We’ve done some brilliant work together in the past. And I’ve no intentions of lowering the bars for our collaboration.

And those who keep harping on why I’m not working with Varma, let me remind them even when they were harping on us not working together we did “Ek Hasina Thi”. It got me many best-actress nominations and did well enough at the box office although it was a song-less unconventional thriller.

I think it’s high time a part of the media stop rushing for news where there’s none. At least a certain breed of makers and stars, who have a mutual respect and who do productive work together, should be exempted from gossipy scrutiny.

I don’t want to trivialise our collaboration by constantly defending it. But our next movie will definitely be a step forward for the two of us. He is a fine filmmaker. It would be stupid on my part to stop working with him just because of all the nonsense that’s written. I treat all the idle gossip as a professional hazard.

Q: So what’s the most precious gift you’ve received in life?

A: The love that I got from my loved ones is way beyond anything I can describe. I don’t think my life would be worth living without their love.

Q: What about the one love that we’re all waiting to see in your life?

A: I’m waiting for it too. That will have to wait for the time being. Getting married is a little far off right now. How about falling in love first?

Q: How about marriage first love later?

A: For me that seems a little far-fetched. I never made plans for my career. I can’t make any plans for marriage. When it will happen, it will happen. I’ve always lived my life with fierce honesty. I guess that quality will be seen in my choice for a soulmate also.

Right now I’m comfortable in my space. I never peer anxiously at what others are doing. I think that’s for losers.

“Unfortunately, media barons and top executives are too fixated on short-term dividends to square up to the larger picture,” said Aamir whose recent release “Rang De Basanti” has turned out to be a blockbuster.

Talking about his current release he said that despite the expected media interaction that the film’s release demanded of him, he couldn’t bring himself to deal with “this kind of people… this monster that the media had become”.

Aamir said he shunned the tinsel press even when he was just a beginner.

“At that time, the mainline newspapers never reported films, there were no hundred channels, only Doordarshan – so effectively you were cutting yourself off from fans if you didn’t speak to film magazines. I understood that, but I chose to do what was right.”

Even today, he feels the same about the press because the core principle of journalism – that of being a watchdog – is being violated.

“The media is meant to be the watchdog of society, not its lap dog! Some restraint you have to show, boss,” Aamir maintained.

Commenting upon the sting operations he said: “Sting operations are admissible if they are governed by public interest. But the non-stop ‘absurdity’ of mainstream media content – be it the Salman (Khan)-Aishwarya (Rai) tapes in Hindustan Times and The Asian Age, or Channel 7′s faux interviews with myself, or the India TV sting on Shakti Kapoor, or alarmist file footage of the Mumbai floods for the second round of monsoons that hit the city, or poaching on an ailing Amitabh Bachchan, has forced me to stop reading and watching most papers and channels.”

The actor, who finds both Hindi and English media guilty of overkill, prefers watching Doordarshan.

“At least one is spared the theatrics, deep sighs, wiping of tears and background music,” said Aamir.

“Some news channel has to get up and say I am not indulging in this. It might lose viewership for the first month or so, but it will establish that it is not indulging in all of this, and I am sure people will come around.”

The actor said: “This is where even channels like NDTV and CNN-IBN, who set them up to be different, have not made the mark.”

He said that trivialisation or degrading of news is something he won’t take and feels in something as sacrosanct as news reporting, commercial priorities must take a backseat.

Q: How was it working with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in “Bunty Aur Babli”?

A: You know I have just written a song for the Commonwealth Games, which they have composed. I feel they have achieved a sensible synthesis of popularity and class in their music. This is the fourth time I have written a sports anthem.

Many years ago I had written a song for a sports event that Anand Shankar had composed. Then for national sports in Pune, I wrote a song that Hridaynath Mangeshkar had composed and Lata-ji had sung. Then I had collaborated with L. Subramaniam for a song celebrating the Olympian flame.

Now, this fourth one with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, which goes “Dilli chalen chalna hai chal chal dilli chalen”. It could be used by any political party.

Q: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s “Kajra re” has become very popular.

A: Just because it is popular it doesn’t mean it’s devoid of poetry. I don’t think the words “Teri baaton mein kimaam ki khushboo hai, tera aana bhi to garmiyon ki loo hai”, is frivolous. Poetry with a serious thought doesn’t mean it has to be serious in mood.

My “Goli maar bheje mein” in “Satya” had a serious thought expressed in the gangster’s language. The lyrics have to express the language of the characters.

Q: You were nominated for three of your lyrics at this year’s Filmfare awards.

A: That’s quite something. People are wondering why I have suddenly become so prolific. Among the three nominated songs I think, “Dheere jalna” from “Paheli” is wonderfully composed by M.M. Kreem.

“Chup chup ke” from “Bunty Aur Babli” has the beauty of poetry along with a beautiful composition. And of course “Kajra re” sweeps the carpet from under our feet. It’s tough to say which of these I like best. As tough as answering which is my favourite film?

Q: All three have a touch of eroticism to them.

A: I think I got the chance to go beyond physical love in “Chup chup ke”. Love transcends physicality. You have to open those layers that occur beyond the physical. I think I got to do some very unusual poetry in “Bunty Aur Babli”. I used English words as though they were Hindi.

The narrative and the musical patterns have changed. The words too have to change. You can’t keep using the same words. I think it’s time for me to get experimental with my lyrics. I have tried to do that in “Bunty Aur Babli”.

Q: In “Paheli” you worked for the first time with M.M. Kreem.

A: He’s very good. He should have been nominated for his music in “Paheli”. Even a nomination is a gesture of victory. He hasn’t been given enough to do in Hindi cinema, though he’s very popular in the south.

I liked the idea of getting the Screen Award for “Dheere jalna” instead of “Kajra re”. I thought the more popular song always wins. Unfortunately, I was unwell and I couldn’t attend the function. I regret that.

“Dheere jalna” is a very difficult situation. I had to bring in the image of a burning candle to express the couple’s anguish of having just limited time together. For this image I had to go back to the master, Mirza Ghalib, who said, “Shama har rang mein jalti hai sehar hone tak”.

Q: Tell me more about your forthcoming work.

A: I am very excited about working with Pritam Chakraborty in my daughter Meghna’s “Honeymoon” and with Vishal Bhardwaj again in “Othello”. This again gives me a chance to do a very different kind of music. It’s our third under-world story (after “Satya” and “Maqbool”). This time the location is around Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

I’ve used the dialect in my lyrics. “Maqbool” never looked like “Macbeth” to me. I feel Vishal’s “Othello” would be unrecognisable to Shakespeare. To me, it’s an original underworld story. You will be shocked by the images.

Q: It’s very strange to see you working with Sajid Nadiadwala in “Jaan-E-Man”.

A: For me too. I don’t know how successful I will be, but I want to learn this mainstream language of cinema. The images here are totally different from what I generally write. In real life, the director, Shirish Kunder, is a combination of an editor and director. The same is true of his vision in “Jaan-E-Man”. The shots will surprise you. For a reaction shot, directors generally go for a close-up. He only changes the light. I want to walk with Shirish to learn a new way of expressing myself.

Q: Your directors are getting younger.

A: Yes, after Shaad Ali in “Saathiya” and “Bunty Aur Babli” it’s Shirish. Shaad and I are going to work in his next again. He comes from a family of painting and poetry. Shaad understands poetry. You can see that in “Bunty Aur Babli”.

Shaad knew the whole script in his head. He knew every gesture of the characters. I’d give him the credit for the lyrics in “Bunty Aur Babli”. He knew his characters inside out. He briefed me well. I want to work with people who know what they want from me.

I hadn’t been to Lucknow since my childhood. It is a slow-paced, relaxed town with lovely food and lovely old houses. Some of the old families know my family.

I met a lot of family friends at Shaad Ali’s wedding. The unfortunate part of being a movie star is that you get constant attention. This takes away the pleasure of getting to know people. The atmosphere makes your self-conscious.

Q: Was it tough…and rough?

A: I knew it would be a rough shoot. But it was a bit of a conscious decision. I did it to remain balanced as an actor. Every film can’t be shot in LA, man! All my work was going in only one direction and image. I needed something different like “Omkara”.

Q: But being familiar with Shakespeare…is that an advantage?

A: Not really. Once you are into the script, it doesn’t really matter where it came from…only where the narration is going. I have done so many adaptations. I did “Parineeta” my own way. I had never read Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s original.

But in “Othello”, I was keen to go back to where Iago came from. He’s the first literary psychopath. So, the challenge was the milieu, look and character, and the thought of deglamourising myself.

Q: Isn’t the thought of a star deglamourising himself a form of vanity?

A: If you think yellow teeth and a limp are vanity…I guess they are a kind of defiant vanity for an actor. I’ve played a villainous role in “Ek Hasina Thi”. That guy was far more glamorous and attractive. That guy used his charms to seduce the girl.

In “Omkara”, my character uses other people’s frailties and blind spots to his own advantage. He has no interaction with women. I’d say he’s…impotent.

Q: Is this the toughest role so far?

A: It required homework to get into a different language and body language. Everything I did so far, and came naturally to me, was Westernised. With a little bit of preparation and with Vishal’s help and the whole atmosphere he creates, and also with the help of a cast that completely believes in the project, it was easy to find the truth about my duplicitous character.

Q: Is the black character helping you connect with negative emotions?

A: It’s not a very nice feeling. I can’t wait to finish playing this guy. Even his look is repugnant. With the makeup, costume…I’m okay. But the haircut and the commitment to keep it short for the whole shoot…these have me freaked-out.

I think Vishal and I need to do something more larger-than-life next time. Maybe “Hamlet”? I don’t know…Shakespeare seems to be Vishal’s forte.

Q: Why do you look so tense in public?

A: You mean the picture taken at Abhishek’s (Bachchan) birthday? I don’t know…I was smiling quite a lot. Maybe I need to get my public face more in place…With all those miniature video cameras, shooting stars unawares is no longer a burden for the photographers. But I guess the paparazzi is comparatively okay over here.

Q: Life for you has been difficult in the past year.

A: It has been a big learning experience. The experiences in the past year have made me learn how to tell right from wrong. I’ve become calmer. I’d like to stay calm to do my kaam. I’m surer than ever that whatever has happened in my life happened for the best.

Q: Correct decisions don’t come easily to you?

A: They don’t. But I finally do what’s right. I instinctively make the right choices in life, and then agonise over them. I live in a goldfish bowl. People around me affect me with their opinions. But at the end of it all I don’t know what goes on in their heads, and they don’t know how my mind works. Though I’m sure everyone has his or her agony to deal with. But I wouldn’t know what they feel.

I recently read about some fan getting upset with Angelina Jolie for wrecking Brad Pitt’s happy life. But how does anyone know about Brad’s happiness…or mine?

Q: Do you have wacky obsessive fans?

A: No, I don’t. And that’s the way it should be.

Q: Your daughter Sarah accompanies you to a lot public events.

A: She likes these events…the shows and the weddings for which she likes to dress up. I’d like her to be child-like and fun all my life. But she’s growing up. She’s quite clear about wanting to be an actress when she’s older.

Q: You’re repeatedly nominated for best actor.

A: Yeah, for “Parineeta”. That’s refreshing. Earlier, I’d be repeatedly nominated for best supporting actor or best actor in a comedy role. Now it’s best actor. I’m glad. Though I knew Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan will win all of them for “Black”. At least I was nominated with the best.

Q: The audience at Filmfare awards gave you a standing ovation.

A: It was such an overwhelming moment to see the audience’s reaction to me. I just didn’t know what to say. I had a tough time trying to control my emotions when I saw the audience up on its feet for me. I’ve no adequate words to describe what I feel each time I get the love of the people in this country.

Q: Aren’t you used to it by now?

A: No, I still don’t know how to deal with the emotions that they shower on me. I’ve repeatedly questioned myself when I’m alone about what they see in me. I run against a wall each time. I hope I remain healthy and continue to do good work and live up to people’s expectations.

Q: The “Black” sweep at the Filmfare awards was quite something.

A: I was absolutely in shock, so much so that I forgot what they were giving it to me for. When I got the critics’ award, I thought I won’t get the popular award. It was really wonderful, and not just for the audience. It shows the maturity of the audience and the way the critics are responding to our cinema. It is no longer true to say critically acclaimed films aren’t commercially successful.

Q: You seem extremely happy.

A: It was so wonderful to see so much recognition for “Black”. I never expected both the critics’ and the popular categories for “Black”. That’s historic! Also father and son – me and Abhishek – getting awards in the same year is unprecedented. We were both nominated in the best actor and best supporting actor categories.

Q: Were you proud to lose in the best supporting actor category?

A: I’d have been proud to lose the best actor award to my son. It was a moment of great emotion and pride for me to be nominated along with my son.

Q: He rushed to hug you on stage.

A: (Affectionately) He’s crazy. He does these impulsive things. He startled me. Thankfully, he got his voice back. Just before the show he lost it because of rehearsals from evening till early morning.

Q: Home viewers didn’t get to see Abhishek’s performance.

A: It was very strange. We got home after the awards function and were watching the telecast. Just when Abhishek’s name was announced for best supporting actor, the screen blanked out. Miraculously, the telecast came on again the second he walked off the stage. Again, just when his act was announced, the screen blanked out and miraculously came back again after his act. I thought it was a localised problem on my cable. Later I came to know it had happened all over the country. My daughter called from Delhi to complain.

Obviously, this is much more than a local snag. I don’t know what it was. But the TV going off just when Abhishek comes on…doesn’t sound very right, does it? It’s discomforting that technology can let you down. If someone has done it deliberately, then it’s taking rivalry too far. It is extremely petty.

Q: Otherwise the evening seemed very special.

A: Extremely special. “Black” made it special. I was so excited I forgot to thank vital people like Ravi Chandran. His camerawork in “Black” was ethereal. I’ve rarely seen photography like this. He’s an absolute master of his craft, just like Bhansali.

Q: Ironically, I had filmmakers telling me “Black” was overrated and hammy and that you were over the top.

A: Really? Everyone has the right to an opinion and to criticism. But I also have a right to say what I want. If some people felt I was over the top in “Black”, they are judging me against a certain standard. I want to know what that yardstick is. What’s important is that the film’s maker was satisfied with the vision he put on screen. It’s his concept and dream. No one has the right to challenge that.

Q: The level of hostility against “Black” was exceptional.

A: It’s simple psychology. The higher you go, the more you’re likely to be seen and targeted. I’d love to work with Bhansali again. I’d love to have him remake Guru Dutt’s “Kagaz Ke Phool” with me.

Q: Did you finally meet Hollywood actor Will Smith?

A: Yes. I was very surprised to know that Will Smith had seen “Sarkar” and “Black”. Apparently, a lot of people in Los Angeles have seen it. I’m very happy that Abhishek got the best supporting actor award for “Sarkar”. It’s richly deserved. I also thought he was excellent in “Bluffmaster”. Contrary to what some people in the industry believe, “Bluffmaster” wasn’t a box-office loser. Sadly, Abhishek’s performance in it was neither talked about nor applauded.

Q: So how did you cope?

A: My family was my reality check. My father kept telling me to wait for Jassi’s makeover to happen. Then I’d at least look like myself…I had become like Clark Kent, waiting to be Superman. I used to keep repeating to myself, ‘Jassi isn’t me and I am not Jassi.’ In the morning when I’d wake up my hands would automatically go to my face to look for the wig, the glasses…

When Jassi’s makeover happened in Mauritius I couldn’t act! I needed the Jassi props (braces, wig, etc) to emote. I forgot my dialogues! I was assured by my co-star Veerendra Saxena who plays my father that I’d be okay in a month.

Q: Are you now comfortable with your own natural looks?

A: Yes. I am. It took me a while. Right after the makeover I used to be startled by my own image. Even today when I look like my normal self I hide behind the nearest flowerpot. And then suddenly tell myself, ‘Mona, you don’t have to hide.’ But then there was the upside. “Jassi…” gave me such amazing fame. The serial broke every rule of soap manufacturing. Today there are so many soaps about middleclass girls.

Q: So what plans for the future?

A: I was born on Oct 8. No. 8 people don’t plan anything. Whenever I do, it all goes for a toss. I just believe in going with the flow. Immediately after “Jassi…”, I need a big break. Even if I do another serial now it can never be as big as “Jassi” for me. I have no plans to do another serial. But I am doing a film with Bobby Pushkarna.

Q: Do you play an ordinary middleclass girl?

A: I’m a middleclass girl. But I’m in no way ordinary. It’ll be a completely different character and look in the film…But I don’t get that many offers because lots of people believe I am still contracted with Sony, which I am not after May 2006. We still don’t know when “Jassi…” ends, which is a little strange.

Q: A lot of criticism has been levelled at your serial for dragging its feet?

A: How come no one talks about “Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi” dragging on? Sony says “Jassi…” will end soon. Every soap drags after two years.

Q: Are you fearful of the future?

A: I am not sure what else I can do besides “Jassi…” But I’m not going to burst into an item number just to prove I’m not Jassi in real life. I’ll only do what I’m comfortable with. I hope there are some good roles written for me. After going through so many personality changes on “Jassi…” I can play a psycho very well.

Q: What about your romance with Karan Oberoi?

A: What romance? There’s nothing! I am too ambitious to get into a relationship.

Q: But the two of you sing songs to each other!

A: Each other? I sang to the whole crew of “Jassi…” and he happened to be part of it. Karan is definitely a good pal, just like Nandu is. They can’t link me with Nandu. So they link me with Karan.

Q: Who’s Nandu?

A: My other co-star Gaurav in “Jassi…” Sorry, I shouldn’t call him Nandu.

Q: Finally, how much have you accumulated in your bank account?

A: Not even a crore (Rs.10 million). But I’m a very rich woman in terms of the experience that “Jassi… Jaisi Koi Nahin” has offered me. I’m a happy person by nature. No point in doing your work if you don’t enjoy it. Yes, there were times when I didn’t want to shoot, when I wasn’t convinced of what Jassi had to do. Then I’d get a call from the channel saying, “Listen this is a daily. Don’t ask questions. Just convince people even if you aren’t convinced.”

Male bonding seems to be Luthria’s forte.

“I agree my ‘Kachche Dhaage’ was also about the bonding between Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan. But it was hardly the first of its kind. I’d say my producer Ramesh Sippy’s ‘Sholay’ was the first big male bonding film.

“It’s a nice territory to explore. It always breaks the clutter. ‘Taxi No. 9211′ breaks the mould, though I can’t say whether it cracks a new genre. Maybe it’s been done somewhere.”

Luthria cracks up at the mention of Nana and John.

“John had his young school kids and girls, Nana had his cabbies and street-wallahs visiting on the sets. I’d look at them and say, ‘The film is coming together after all.’

“When we started out Nana has taken a hiatus. John wasn’t doing well at all – he had given ‘Elaan’, ‘Karam’, etc. It was very hard to raise funds. We were told we were going down the wrong road. But Ramesh ji is a man of very strong convictions. We pulled through.”

Though “Taxi No. 9211″ is largely song-less Luthria isn’t against the song-and-dance formula.

“I saw some lovely films recently. But I got restless watching them, because of the songs. I wanted the story to get on… songs and dances will always be there. Though city audiences in India aren’t so fond of the formula, overseas audiences still love it. I think the old formula has to be adjusted to audiences’ limited attention span.”

It wasn’t easy for Luthria to move away from the traditional song-and-dance formula that he embraced in “Kachche Dhaage”.

“I changed my entire team. I got a crew from Los Angeles, got a new-age music director Vishal-Shekhar. I still remember Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who did the music in ‘Kachche Dhaage’ telling me, ‘You’ve given me a treat to my ears’. I feel music in a film touches the soul. Even in ‘Taxi No. 9211′ I have used a couple of songs in the background.”

Luthria is moved by the Sippys’ faith in his talent.

“They left the whole film to me, though they were always there to help when I got stuck. The best thing about them was they didn’t push us to hurry up. We shot ‘Taxi No. 9211′ in 45 days.”

The director is now set to direct a young love story for the Sippys.

“I intend to get prolific now. Earlier, things got out of my hands. ‘Chori Chori’ took too long to make. I couldn’t abandon it when it was stuck. The same happened with ‘Deewaar’. Due to the combination dates of the huge stars the film took too long to make. I had the option to start another film and go back to ‘Deewaar’.”

Luthria is happy making his love story for Sippy.

“When my writer Rajat Arora narrated it to me I was stunned. It is a very young and modern love story with established stars, with music. The music will be by Vishal-Shekhar. They have a soft romantic side to them. When I gave them Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s ‘Ek pyar ka nagma hai’ as reference Shekhar went mad. God, I miss that era! How much musical talent! They were the Tendulkars of their times.”

He talks about some recent films.

“‘Maqbool’ and ‘Iqbal’ were amazing… I didn’t like some of the successful films in recent times. I didn’t think much of ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ or ‘No Entry’ while some gems like ‘Iqbal’ went unnoticed.

“I am happy about ‘Kalyug’ with new talent, exciting music… ‘Rang De Basanti’ had me floored. I wish the new directors would get madly in love with the medium. Flashy lifestyles have overtaken true commitment.”

Unfulfilled wish?

“To make a successful film with Mr. Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan). Too bad our ‘Deewaar’ didn’t work. There’s so much to learn from him. There’s a lot to come in the near future. I have come to a stage in my career when I am in control of the medium. I like to stamp myself in every department of the film. My family thinks ‘Taxi No. 9211′ is my best work to date.”

Q: You have made history!

A: Yes, it’s quite something. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend because I had a prior commitment out of Mumbai. Also to be honest, at an earlier popular awards I was neither nominated for my music nor singing in “Aashiq Banaya Aapne”. I felt baffled. Why did they do that? Filmfare revived my hopes. And I was all set to catch a flight back to Mumbai but got delayed and reached at 11.30 p.m. My dad did go to the awards. But 20 minutes late.

Q: For the first time a music director won the best playback singer award.

A: It doesn’t mean that I see myself as a threat to the playback singers who were nominated alongside me. I do feel sorry that I didn’t win the best music director’s award. The award for the best playback singer is special because it’s the first song that I recorded for a film. I don’t think anyone else got an award for his first recorded song.

Q: People ridiculed you for being nasal.

A: That’s over. After the stupendous sales of “Aap Ka Suroor”, where I have explored my entire range, that has stopped. Now those who still call me nasal are just talking for talking sake. I have sung seven super-hit songs, the latest being “Jhoom” in “Tom Dick & Harry”, which I predict, will be the biggest chartbuster of them all. I insist I am not a professional playback singer. I’m a music director first. If I sing one out of my six compositions, what’s the problem?

Q: Would you sing for other composers?

A: Only if A.R Rahman asks me. No one else! He is the No.1. And he did say in an interview that “Aashiq banaya aapne” is his favourite track of the year.

Q. Your bad back didn’t show. That’s what makes you such a stupendous actor?

A. I need rest. Since November I haven’t been in Mumbai at all. I’ve been working like one lunatic. So I’ve taken a break now. But now my house is being renovated. I was resting in my mum’s house when I got this frantic call about the renovation going all wrong. So I rushed back. Now here I am, confused and not being of any help to anyone. Javed says I deal with stress by piling on more stress.

Q. Don’t you think it was premature to give you the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award?

A. Not at all. I’ve been around for a lifetime. I came in 1974 with “Ankur”. I think it’s wonderful to receive the lifetime achievement award when you’re busy. I’ve never been busier as an actress as I’ve been in the last three years. When I was in parliament, I restricted my work to the time I was on vacation. Now I’m working a lot.

Q. You’re the most awarded actor of this country. Does the lifetime achievement mean that much?

A. I think the lifetime achievement award is significant because your work over the years is being appreciated. But in recent times, the other special award was the Davos award where I was put on the same level as Pablo Coehlo and Umberto Eco, and I received it along with Michael Douglas. So I guess these two awards thrilled me quite a lot.

Q. Do you see yourself as an achiever?

A. I see myself as an actor who has been lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time.

Q. Oh, I’ve heard that one before.

A. But it’s true! I’ve been singularly lucky. What I’ve done so far as an actor is like a writer learning the alphabet. But I think I’ve just achieved the minimum required of an actor. What’s thrilling is that the thrill of acting has still not gone. I feel the same butterfly in the stomach when I’ve to inhabit another character’s life.

Q. You sound so charged?

A. I think acting by itself is a rewarding profession. It allows you to inhabit other people’s lives. Imagine how much it adds to your experiences. For “Ankur”, the 20-year old Shabana Azmi walked into a village in Andhra Pradesh that she had never seen, then so many years later she plays Anu in “15 Park Avenue”. She adds all she had learnt over the years to her character.

Q. You’re lucky to get roles that do justice to your talent.

A. But filmmaking is such a collaborative business. A writer writes it and a director develops the vision and takes on a team he wants. Actors get credit above the rest because theirs in the most visible work. In their hearts, all actors know that others are covering up their weakness and highlighting their strengths.

In theatre, an actor is on his own, no matter how much she’s propped by the director and others. In that sense, theatre is much more an actor’s medium. I’m grateful to the hundreds on the set who help me do my best work possible.

Q. So when are you directing a film?

A. It’s so easy being an actor. Why should I put my head on the chopper? Mahesh Bhatt once told me that direction is about having a dream and then watching it crumble. Why should I watch my dream crumble? But once in a while, I flirt with the idea of direction. I’ve to find a story I want to direct. And I don’t want the burden of a socially responsible film – burden that I can’t bear. If I direct, it would be a human story that touches me. I’m nervous of forcing myself into making a socially relevant film.

Q. Will you cast yourself?

A. Impossible! There is no question about that. If I direct, I wouldn’t cast myself.

Q. Whom would you cast?

A. Someone like Kareena Kapoor. She’s a very, very special girl. In J.P. Dutta’s “LOC”, I fell in love with one shot of hers. She stunned me.

Q. This was the first year in years when Javed Akhtar wasn’t nominated for the best lyricist award.

A. Yes. Javed was supposed to give away another award. He insisted on giving Gulzar Saab the award. And Gulzar Saab threw such a line at Javed – ‘I’m glad you’re not in the nominations list’. Only a writer can think of such a clever line so quickly.

Q: You were outstanding in “15 Park Avenue”. I wonder who will get the National Award you or Rani …

A: I hope she (Rani Mukerji) gets it. Rani was very good in “Black”. I adore Rani. And I’ve already got one for “Mr & Mrs Iyer”.

Q: You worked really hard on your character in “15 Park Avenue”?

A: Yes, I did. You know, people don’t really make me work that hard. I wish I could be motivated by myself or by my director to work harder. I’d love to. I’m basically lazy. I need that push in the right direction. My mom knows how to get me motivated. She believes in a lot of preparation before shooting.

Q: Well “Page 3″ looked easy.

A: I could’ve been better in “Page 3″. It was shot over a long period of time. That always dilutes the graph of a performance. You know, different directors give such different directions. It’s only after the film you realise why certain things are done. For example, my mother is very particular about certain colours on the set. During shooting I wonder what the fuss is about. Only later do I realise what she wanted to achieve with that colour.

Q: And now you move into a light sex comedy in “Mixed Doubles”.

A: I completely object to the term sex comedy. “Mixed Doubles” isn’t just about sex, much in the same way that “Mr & Mrs Iyer” wasn’t only about communal issues, and “15 Park Avenue” wasn’t only about schizophrenia. If it was a sex comedy I wouldn’t be in it.

Q: But a sex comedy doesn’t have to be dirty.

A: Oh, to begin with, I don’t have any problems with dirty movies at all. They should be made if people want to see them. But I don’t think I’d be comfortable doing one. To me “Mixed Doubles” is a marital film. What works for it is that it doesn’t take itself seriously in any obvious way. And yet there’s a lot of dignity in it.

Q: How did you react when the director narrated the concept of wife swapping?

A: I didn’t get nervous. I’ve too much respect for the director, Rajat Kapoor. I had heard so much about his plays. I had seen him in “Monsoon Wedding”, and his first film as director “Raghu Romeo”. I didn’t think he’d make something sleazy or banal. And even if he did I couldn’t imagine why he’d come to me with it.

And it isn’t as if I trusted Rajat blindly. I read the script. I did have a couple of reservations. But it was a sweet and funny script. I was concerned that the theme of a marriage gone sour may not come through. But it did. You know many marriages do go stale.

Q: Is that the point that attracted you to the script?

A: Also, the fact that it says women also have a libido, that women also want to have sex. Very few films address themselves to a woman’s sexual appetite.

Q: But your character comes across as immensely docile?

A: Yes, but there’re women like my character in “Mixed Doubles”. And I’ve played very strong characters also. But I’d rather play my characters compassionately than be judgemental about them. People are weak and fragile and strong at the same time. There’re so many people who are like the girl in “Mixed Doubles”. And who knows, somewhere deep inside she might actually want to know what wife swapping is like.

It’s quite funny. I don’t think it’s a cinematic breakthrough. I’d be lucky to have one or two of those in my career. I was so comfortable doing the film. It was made on a shoestring budget, so I knew I wasn’t doing it for money. I just wanted to work with this crew and cast, including Naseeruddin Shah in that little cameo as my father. I had a blast.

Q: Ranvir Shorey and you are being linked together?

A: I don’t want to respond to these rumours. Let people say what they want. As a co-star… I’ve worked with new actors before. Rajat and Ranvir knew each other well from beforehand. So initially I was the odd one out. We shot on two locations, and both were Rajat’s homes. Everyone was a friend on the set. Koel Purie and I were the two outsiders. It was fun to work with her. I get along quite well with her. It didn’t seem like a movie set… no one had her own hairdresser or van… It was a very intimate atmosphere on the sets.

Q: “15 Park Avenue” required a lot of performing; “Mixed Doubles” seems easy?

A: It’s true a lot of things happen to my character in “Park Avenue” – she’s epileptic, she’s raped and she converses with non-existent people. Shabana and my mom helped me with that. Thankfully it was a dubbed film, so they would speak to me off-camera as my imaginary voices. And a lot of my responses came from people I had observed in similar predicaments. It’s sad that schizophrenics are hidden away from social interaction. I also spoke to psychiatrists…You’re right. “Mixed Doubles” is far more normal. She cooks, washes clothes….

Q: And goes spouse swapping.

A: Ha, ha! But that apart the things I had to do in “Mixed Doubles” were far more normal than an epileptic fit. So it’s quite a contrast.

After this is Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali “Doshor”. My next Hindi release should be “Deadline” with Irrfan Khan. It’s my first Hindi thriller. So I’m quite thrilled.

Rani loved her long stint in New York.

“I enjoyed being away from Mumbai. I’d shoot, then crash out in the hotel. I went for long walks, shopping, to church… I loved being by myself. I was the only actor who was in New York for the entire three months while other members of the cast came and went.”

With superstar Amitabh Bachchan now in better health and planning to resume work, Rani hopes her two films with him will get completed.

Apart from Karan Johar’s film, which also stars Amitabh, she is working in Ravi Chopra’s “Babul” with him.

“Both have Amit Uncle and me in the lead,” said the winner of the Filmfare and Zee best actress awards for “Black”.

Amitabh, who was out of action for three months following an abdominal surgery, announced earlier this month that he would get back to shooting after March 20.

Rani has bought a new house for herself in Juhu. “It will take at least a year to be completed,” she said.

About the awards, why does Rani always wear a sari to them?

“For some reason I’m very comfortable in them. Everyone says I should not dress up like that. But my fans on the e-mail seem to love my saris. So why shouldn’t I?”

Rani had a ball shooting with Preity for Karan Johar’s film. “I think to a large extent, even ‘Kabhia Alvidaa Na Kehna’ is in some ways a woman-centric film. I think women in the audience would have no trouble relating to my and Preity’s character in the film.”

In the meanwhile, Rani isn’t the least inclined to sign anything new.

“There’re lots of roles, yes. But nothing that excites me. They’re all woman-oriented roles. But not exciting enough to sign another film. I think ‘Saathiya’ taught me to choose wisely,” she chuckles. “Now I put my heart and soul into every role I do. Post-’Black’, people’s expectations are scary.”

Back home, Rani is looking forward to being an aunt. “My bhaiyya and bhabhi are expecting their first child. And that’s the biggest excitement in my life right now. I’m dying for the baby to come… Till I don’t have my own I’ll pamper my brother’s baby.”

Love is not around the corner for Rani. “I just hope when it happens it doesn’t hamper my work. Right now I’m too much into my working space. I get so passionate about anything I do, I don’t know how I can balance a personal with a professional life.

“I’m very happy with life. Last year my dad was unwell. That has passed. This year, the entire family is looking forward to the baby’s birth. I suspect I’ll be a slave to the baby. The family will finally stop babying me.”

“He had earlier erected a village set for my ‘Virasat’. This time he has done an equally good job on the outskirts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.”

Speaking about the two enormously talented leading men of the film, Paresh Rawal and Om Puri, he laughs, “They are like Pran and Ashok Kumar in Brij Sadanah’s ‘Victoria No. 203′.

“Like Navin Nischol and Saira Banu in ‘Victoria No. 203′, there’s a romantic sub-plot with Riteish Deshmukh and Reema Sen. But I admit Paresh and Om are the heroes of ‘Malamaal Weekly’. And also full credit to Rajpal Yadav who’s playing the villain.”

After Akshay Kumar and John Abraham in “Garam Masala”, it’s Om and Paresh doing the Tom & Jerry act for Priyadarshan. “My job is made half-difficult when working with actors like Om and Paresh. I don’t have to guide them.”

The director admits there was a healthy rivalry between the two talented actors.

“The rivalry was certainly there, and quite understandable. And we all laughed over it. There was a definite edge of competitiveness between Om and Paresh. It was very healthy but it was very, very fierce.

“One could see Om and Paresh’s determination to outdo each other. But you know what? The maturity with which they handled their rivalry makes their togetherness on screen look very positive.”

He stops to look at the film’s prospects. “I’m not bothered about the success or failure of ‘Malamaal Weekly’. I am very sure I have made a very cute film.

“I have rarely felt so proud after completing a film. My earlier films took away my sense of achievement because I had made them before. This time I am not remaking my own film. It makes me feel very good.”

Priyadarshan thinks people are in for a good time. “I’m hoping they’ll laugh fully. ‘Malamaal Weekly’ isn’t a slapstick or a thriller. The comedy is treated in a realistic way.

“Yet it has all the ingredients of a commercial film. It all depends on how many people will come on the first day,” Priyadarshan crosses his fingers about the lack of conventional stars at the helm of the film.

“Only word of mouth can help ‘Malamaal Weekly’. There’s no Salman (Khan) or Shah Rukh (Khan). And I hope my reputation helps,” says he.

“I don’t know what kind of song it is. They are keeping it a secret from me. Once the track is ready, they’ll ask me to come and record with Abhishek.”

Excerpts:

Q: This sudden decision to get back to work…

A: It isn’t sudden. I am starting with some dubbing for Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s “Eklavya”, which I hope wouldn’t be strenuous. A few days ago I did some recording with Aadesh Shrivastava in “Babul”. I shall also be singing a song with Abhishek (Bachchan).

Q: A song with Abhishek!

A: Yes. It is a private album that Rohan Sippy is producing with music by Vishal-Shekhar. I don’t know what kind of a song it is. They are keeping it a secret from me. Once the track is ready, they’ll ask me to come and record with Abhishek.

Q: When will you start shooting?

A: It should happen by the end of March.

Q: Do you think you’ve regained your energy to that extent?

A: I don’t know. I’ll soon find out. Let’s see how it goes. I am going to take one step at a time. I am starting with what’s less stressful and what doesn’t require me to go into the studios. I’ll be undergoing my final tests at the end of this month or the first week of March. Then we will start allotting my dates for shooting.

Q: And that would be for Karan Johar’s and Ravi Chopra’s films?

A: That’s right. For “Kabhi Alvidaa…” and “Babul”. For “Kabhi Alvidaa…” most of the work is over. Some small scenes with Abhishek remain. “Babul” requires a heavy amount of dates. Their 20-day December schedule was cancelled because of my illness. Those are the only two films I have on the floors.

Then I have Balkrishnan’s “Cheeni Kam”, Ram Gopal Varma’s “Sholay”, “Sarkar 2″ and “Ek” in various stages of pre-production. And I must tell you, my makeup man Deepak Sawant has been waiting patiently for me to make a special appearance in his Bhojpuri film.

Q: You’ll be in a Bhojpuri film?

A: I must try and do that as soon as I can. His is a small film. And he doesn’t have that much resource. Deepak was supposed to finish his film by November. This (my illness) has been a terrible blow for me. As it is Bhojpuri cinema isn’t flush with funds.

Q: Would you like to say something to those who are waiting for your return?

A: Arrey, why make such a big fuss about it? Everyone has to work. And I must do the same. I am not doing anything extraordinary. I need to get back to work a little at a time. So it’s just a bit of work now. A bit of singing here, a bit of dubbing there.

Q: When did you actually take the decision?

A: I asked my doctors. They have been monitoring my health. And they said I could do some work to start with. I am starting with the dubbing of “Eklavya”. The film has sync sound. But needs my dubbing here and there… hardly an hour’s work. Vinod has been waiting since December.

Q: There’s a queue of producers waiting to sign you.

A: I can’t meet too many people right now. Some of them have left scripts. Deepa Mehta has spoken to me about “Komagata Maru”. I am waiting for the script.

The other big happening in John’s life is a cell phone game called Velocity, which he has developed personally in collaboration with his career managers Matrix and a company called Small Devices.

“It’s something that I thought of. Sure beats the image that model-turned-actors have of not being brainy, huh? And now the game is ready. We have sent it out on a trial basis to consumers. And the response has been very encouraging. We’ll launch it as soon as we zero in on a date.”

John lights up at the mention of the wondrous ‘W’ word.

“I think ‘Water’ with Deepa Mehta was a learning experience. No one believed I could carry off the dhoti and the Sanskrit shlokas. Even I find it hard to believe. I am so proud to be part of a film like ‘Water’… and to be part of an industry which has made ‘Rang De Basanti’. I think it’s one of the best films I’ve seen. Even ‘Zinda’, which did just okay at the box office, pushes the envelope.”

He pauses to reflect on his career and adds: “You know when I came in I was the outsider. But no less than Mr. Amitabh Bachchan agreed to act with me in ‘Aetbaar’. So I guess I didn’t do too badly for myself. ‘Taxi No 9211′ smells good. I like what’s on my plate.”

Right now John’s schedule looks crazy. For Valentine’s Day he had to give Bipasha Basu’s company the miss.

“I was in London. And she was busy shooting in Mumbai. This was the first Valentine when we weren’t together. But she’s a truly understanding girl. No issues.”

The issue on hand is “Taxi 9211″.

“You know when I saw the film I was blown. It’s just 1 hour and 55 minutes long. And it’s unlike anything I’ve done before. It’s about two guys who are basically losers, and their adventure together. I think it’s a film I am very confident about. The director Milan Luthria belongs to the Mahesh Bhatt school of filmmaking. And Mr. Bhatt has always been a favourite. Nana Patekar and I are such different individuals and actors… We had a blast shooting together.”

He is working in Nikhil Advani’s “Salaam-E-Ishq” where he has been paired with South African model-turned-actress Sharon Asra. His other projects are Priyadarshan’s film in which he teams up with Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan’s home production “Partner” being directed by David Dhawan.

“The unique combinations and storylines of these films make them very interesting projects. Besides, the directors are the best names to work with. Nikhil is a fantastic director and ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’ will be something to watch out for in terms of human emotions.

“Priyadarshan is a genius in his own right and I am looking forward to working with him. As for David, it’s a great feeling working with him again after all this time. He has an inherent penchant for comedy,” says Govinda.

After completing these films, the actor will start shooting for Aparna Sen’s “Jewellery Box” in October. The film will see him playing a laidback zamindar.

After the failure of his home production “Sukkh”, the actor-politician has decided not to produce films.

“There is no question of producing a film at all after the huge losses that I incurred after my last production ‘Sukkh’. I am not in a financial position to risk production for at least the next few years.”

Q: But surely the past does make your present tense!

A: (Laughs) You’ve known me for years. You’ve seen me go through trying times. I’ve chosen to disconnect with my past completely. “Zinda” required me to be extremely emotional, and yet completely focused. It was a very difficult to role to play. I had to walk a very thin line. I could’ve gone over-board at any time. I made a conscious effort not to go berserk.

Q: The violence is stomach-churning!

A: I sat with Sanjay Gupta and brain stormed over this issue. Today when the film is doing well, I guess the violence is justified. I think it was needed in the plot. We decided we had to have the violence. If people have accepted it we’re relieved. I’m glad people are willing to accept something new.

Q: Your audience thinks your roles can only be played by you?

A: I’m flattered. And I’m grateful. I don’t take my so-called stardom seriously. I just like to be the one I am regardless of ups or downs. People love me the way I am. I can’t change myself to behave like a star.

I’m a guy who goes completely with the flow. I hang out with my own set of friends. And they haven’t changed. Sanjay Gupta has been a close friend for years. I’ve been in almost all his films.

I don’t think any of the so-called top banners have contributed to my career. I like to be work with friends. I don’t care about being No.1 or No.2. I am Sanjay Dutt and I want to remain who I am. I’ve an audience and I’m thankful to them. I’m happy to be where I am.

Q: In fact Sanjay Gupta has become a big player through your continual support.

A: Arrey nahin, yaar! He’s a very talented boy. I’m grateful to him for giving me roles like “Kaante” and “Zinda”. I’m always with him. And I’m so happy that at last he has proved himself with “Zinda”.

Q: You’re getting to play your age these days?

A: You know, I’m not getting the kind of roles that require me to dance around trees. I’m 46 now. I need to act my age. It’s very important for actors to accept the years. Once they do that they start growing as an actor. I think I’ve accepted my age in my recent films like “Parineeta” and “Zinda”, and even that cameo in “Shaadi No.1″.

Q: Why did you do a supporting role to Saif Ali Khan in “Parineeta”?

A: I won’t lie to you. Just like Sanjay Gupta and Mahesh Manjrekar, Vinod Chopra is like family to me. I can never say no to Vinod. He’s like an elder brother. I’ve told him I want to be in every film of his, even if it is for a passing shot. I know Vinod will never take advantage of me.

Q: But a lot of people felt there was too little of you in “Parineeta”.

A: But I couldn’t have played Saif’s role. I’m not into measuring the length of a role. I’ll do it for friends, family…I go by my heart completely. Sometimes I get hurt. But my heart never lets me down.

Q: What are your current assignments?

A: I’m doing the sequel to “Munnabhai MBBS” with Raju Hirani. Then I’ve a very nice comedy with Abbas-Mustan where Ajay Devgan co-stars with me. I’ve really cut down on my assignments. I may do a film with Sanjay Gupta this year. I want to do just one film at a time.

Q: What do you plan to do with Sanjay Gupta next?

A: Nothing decided right now. We were going through the hiccups of releasing “Zinda”. We couldn’t get a distributor in Bihar…We haven’t sat down to talk about our next project. Now that “Zinda” is a hit we’ll be doing something even more unexpected.

Q: Is the “Munnabhai” sequel turning out as well as the original?

A: It’s even better. It’s so hilarious and emotional. I agree “Munnabhai” is the “Mother India” of my career. I’ve been in the film industry for 25 tears. Raju Hirani is such a superb director. And he isn’t at all corrupted.

He doesn’t make movies for money, but for the love of it. After such a big hit like “Munnabhai” he could be doing 15 films and made a fortune. Instead he’s making one film again for Vinod Chopra. Raju still lives in the same small apartment in Bandra (East). I’m proud to be associated with him.

Q: What do you play in the sequel?

A: It’s the same character and the same supporting cast. I’m Munnabhai but it’s a completely different story.

Q: You recently lost your father…

A: I don’t feel he’s gone. His death was so sudden I had to grow up suddenly. I’ve two younger sisters and I feel like their father. I’ve no excuse to remain a kid any longer. I’ve no dad to run to with my problems. He was there to bail me out of every crisis. Sometimes when I’m sitting with my sisters it hits us that he’s no more.

Q: Would you like to be in politics like your dad and sister?

A: Never. I don’t understand politics. I’ll always work in films and make people happy.

Q: Your problems with the law persist…

A: I’ve left it to fate and destiny. I haven’t hurt or harmed anyone in life. God is great. One day, I will get justice. If I sit and think about it, my work gets affected. I’ve just left it to god.

Q: How can you work with so much stress?

A: I use work as a therapy. I go to the gym. I go out with friends, or just sit with my family – an occasional dinner.

Q: How often do you meet your daughter?

A: I’ve a court matter to attend to. I can’t keep applying for permission to go out of the country. She comes here for holidays. I go when I can.

Q: Didn’t the portions in “Zinda” with the daughter disturb you?

A: No they didn’t. There’s no sense in living with or in the past. It takes a lot of effort to move on. But I’ve done it.

Q: The Bachchans are very fond of you.

A: Abhishek is like a younger brother. In spite of being Amitji and Jayaji’s son he’s so down to earth. That quality will take him a long way. When his initial films failed I was the only guy saying he was the dark horse. Today I’m so proud of him. He’s got such terrific films on hand. I get angry with him when he does stupid roles.

Q: So do you.

A: I’ve been here for 25 years. I can afford to do stupid roles.

Q: Apart from Abhishek whom do you like among the younger actors?

A: After working with him in “Zinda” I realised how good John Abraham is. Hrithik is a good actor.

Q: After you who has the potential to be the next Sanjay Dutt?

A: You tell me.

Q: What makes this birthday special?

A: It’s another year to look forward to. I don’t want to sound philosophical. But I am just happy to be financially and emotionally independent. I can do what I want. But I am sad because my mom is in America with my brother. We are an absolutely global family. One of us is always travelling.

Q: How’s it working with Karan?

A: Ah! After a long time a role I can completely connect with, and yet remain detached. I think Karan is really gifted as a writer. I can’t believe how progressive his and Niranjan Iyenger’s lines are. We were constantly bouncing ideas. Karan is someone I have always looked up to. But to work with him as a director for the first time, and that too in a project very different from his style, is a unique experience. The vibes on the sets with Amit-ji, Abhishek, Shah Rukh and Rani were amazing.

Q: Such an awesome cast?

A: To work with Karan is an enriching experience. I have discovered new facets to myself as a person and an actor. I used to call Karan the acting police on the sets of “Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna”. He wanted to change every nuance in my personality. He wanted me to change from Preity to Priya. He was constantly correcting me. I suddenly felt like a newcomer all over again. I was born again as an actor.

What I am doing here is very different from anything I’ve done so far. It gives me a chance to portray different aspects of being a woman. I have done many different roles like the unwed mom in “Kya Kehna” and “Salaam Namaste” and the vixen in “Armaan”. But this one is really different. Do I sound like one of those actors who are always talking about being ‘hatke’? But when you see the film you’ll know what I mean…

Q: And your other assignments?

A: I only have “Alvidaa” and “Jaan-e-Man” on hand. “Jaan-e-Man” is much more casual and crazy. It is a very sweet film. I have a big smile when I go on that sets. It is a more relaxing experience as an actor. It’s great fun working with Karan. But my character is far more intense.

Q: So you didn’t cash in on the success of “Salaam Namaste”?

A: You know I am not that kind of an actor. What’s there to cash in on? Money is important, but not the only criterion for accepting a role! How much money does one need to live comfortably? No matter how rich, I still will eat an ordinary biscuit, not a gold one. I am having fun with my work. I want to do films that excite me, that are progressive. But I also need time to myself. I don’t understand how others can do four films at the same time. I’ve done two and I still haven’t had time to move into my new house though I got it one year ago. It’s still to be done up.

Q: Even your co-star Rani Mukerji has got a new home?

A: Has she managed to move into her new place? The rumours about our rivalry are so misplaced. The mindset on a film set is decided by the director. He’s the captain of the ship. It is impossible to have negative vibes on a Karan Johar set. And all us actors had the script. So we knew what we were getting into. So why fight? We all had the right to accept or reject the film. Once we accepted we are all working as a team to make the same film. For my performance to work, the film has to work. “Kabhi Alvidaa” will be powerful in the performances because the roles are all so well-etched.

Q: You haven’t worked with Abhishek before?

A: Just that bit in “Salaam Namaste”. He is delightful to work with. I’ve lots of scenes with him. I have worked with his dad in “Armaan” and “Veer-Zaara”.

Q: Are you concerned about what you’ll do next?

A: No! I want to do something different from what I’ve done. I want to do a fun film. I am a happy-go-lucky person. I am listening to scripts.

Q: What are your final birthday thoughts… marriage?

A: I don’t know where these marriage rumours came from. The people who spread these rumours got very excited with the thought. But they have finally given up. Marriage is a personal decision. I’ll take the plunge when the time is right. As of now, there’s nothing on the cards.

Q: Isn’t the time right now?

A: No. Everything happens in its own time. Right now I am working on my career. There’s too much interest in my marriage. It is a stressful topic. I am a frank person. When there’s something happening I’ll announce it. Right now I am sick of these speculations.

Q: And what gifts did you get?

A: I can buy myself anything. So my best gift from friends is that they love me for who I am. I hope they continue to support me although I don’t have too much time for them. My closest friend is Shagun in Delhi. She is always there for me. I don’t need birthdays for my friends to make me feel special.

Q: How much have you recovered by now?

A: I am getting along. But it takes time.

Q: Congrats, the awards season has started. The best-actor awards are all yours for “Black”.

A: It feels very, very good. Sanjay Bhansali swept the Apsara awards. Both Jaya and Abhishek were unable to go. So, Sanjay collected the best actor award on my behalf and called me after the function. I won best actor award and Ayesha Kapoor won best supporting actor award. So cute! Sanjay gave a very emotional speech. Then he called and told me it was the most special evening of his life.

Q: When will you attend one, maybe the Filmfare awards?

A: I don’t know if I can attend that. It all depends on what the doctors say. I can’t be subjected to any investigation or scan to see if it is all healing well. I just have to wait for nature to take its course. It can take any amount of time. I am gradually going back to my normal diet and routine… The whole re-orientation of my body has to take place. I am coping as best as possible.

Q: STAR Plus has given an indication that you might be shooting for them from February end?

A: How can one order the body to get into action again? It will happen when it will happen. When the doctors say it is fine, I’ll inform all the producers. It is unfortunate but what to do?

Q: Shockingly, neither of your two post-illness releases “Ek Ajnabee” or “Family” has lived up to expectations?

A: Why, what’s so shocking about it? If a film is not liked by the public, it doesn’t work. It is as simple as that.

Q: Maybe audiences don’t want to see you in gun-toting action roles?

A: Then I won’t do them… Simple! The audience always lets its pleasure and displeasure known. If they don’t go for a particular kind of film it is signal for us that we don’t feature in such films… I actually told makers of “Family” including Raj-ji (Santoshi) that I was doing a similar film “Sarkar”… Somewhere I felt there was a similarity between the two. But the makers of “Family” felt their film was different.

Q: But do you agree when I feel audiences don’t want to see you as gun-toting cynics?

A: I have no immediate means of knowing. It is very difficult to decide. You do a family film like “Waqt”. And fans say: ‘We don’t want you to die on screen’. People love “Black”. But some people say we don’t want to see you as an old senile man stricken with Alzheimer’s… There is a freedom and a spectrum of opinion and we should respect that.

Q: Immediately after your recovery do you return to Karan Johar and Ravi Chopra’s films?

A: Yes. There’s some work left in Karan’s “Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna” and a lot of work in Ravi’s “Babul”. They have been very gracious, understanding and kind. Karan and Ravi meet me every other day. But they never discuss work. Karan and Ravi are both like family.

The moment I can get to work, I will. I have only these two films on the floor. Vinod Chopra’s “Eklavya” is over. That’s in sync sound. So that’s all right. It depends on when he wants to release it.

Q: What about the assignments that are supposed to start this year?

A: We’ll adjust the dates accordingly.

Q: Apparently the income tax department has asked you to prove that you are a “kalaakar” (artiste)?

A: Income tax is a perennial issue. We all have to deal with it. They are only doing their job. I am a law-abiding citizen. And I’ll always respect their demands and dictates. As you must have read, I am the highest taxpayer. And I’ll follow the law. I have never challenged the law. But I’ll go to appeal. And if I lose I’ll pay up.

Q: The Filmfare power list places you at number three.

A: The clout? I don’t have any. I am just an actor. These are media-generated surveys. It is quite entertaining for everyone. But I have no power.

Q: How can you say that after watching the whole nation pray for your recovery?

A: That isn’t my power. I am lucky enough to be part of people’s prayers… I have recovered. Right now I have so many things to do around the house.

Q: Abhishek was spectacularly successful in 2005.

A: I am very proud of him. Jaya and I did nothing special for him. We supported him like any other parents and stood by him. Like everyone else, Abhishek had to fight his battle alone. Once the camera starts your impact depends entirely on your acumen and performance. Abhishek has fought many odds. He has braved severe criticism and ridicule.

Today he has proved himself. He had several successes last year. By far the most exciting moments last year were those where I was with him on screen. Those films will always remain special. He also sang a song in “Bluffmaster”, which has proved to be a chartbuster. I found his performance in “Bluffmaster” to be the best so far. This may sound ridiculous. But I know what I am talking about. He was extremely subtle in “Bluffmaster”. It was a wonderful, nearly flawless performance.

Q: Would you’ve preferred his performance in “Bluffmaster” to be recognised at the awards?

A: I have many desires. But they don’t need to tally with others. People have different yardsticks for excellence. I respect their opinion. But I’ve my opinion on my son. And I think his performance in “Bluffmaster” is by far his best.

Q: You two come together again in Apoorva Lakhia’s “Just Punjabi”.

A: Oh yeah… I’d love that. I love working with Abhishek and Apoorva. I have always liked him from the start.

Q: What was the best happening of 2005?

A: The success of “Black”. It was a marvellous experience. All the faculties available to an artiste were put to use within me, thanks to Sanjay. Everything from the co-artistes to the dialogues to the ambience on the sets… they provided such a beautiful atmosphere for work. I couldn’t have not excelled. And then to see the finished product!

I remember the first trial with Sanjay, his mother, Jaya, Rani and myself… I had been through it but it moved me so much. After the trial Rani and I just held each other and wept… Somewhere it was a culmination of the emotions that we had lived in the film. But it was more… This process of re-living the experience just continues. It is embarrassing for me to weep at every viewing of the film. It’s the ultimate desire of an artiste to have his work noticed. When you have people from your fraternity come up to you and express themselves with so much love, it becomes an incredibly emotional experience.

Q: What was the most moving moment in the “Black” experience?

A: Shah Rukh Khan coming up after the premier to say he wanted to touch my feet while I was holding Dilip Kumar’s hand. Dilip saab just hugged me and kept looking at my face. It was an unbelievable moment. He went home and sent me flowers and a beautifully worded letter, which I’ve framed in my office. Dilip saab has been my inspiration from the time I was in school and college. To have someone of his stature write a complimentary note…. these are moments that I am truly blessed to have got from “Black”.

Q: What are the things you are looking forward to this year?

A: Work… films are all I do. Then I have some endorsements pending. They need immediate attention. There are companies who want to renew their endorsement contacts with me.

Q: What was the biggest high of the year?

A: Dad’s performance in “Black”. That was undoubtedly the biggest high for me. I wouldn’t single out any of my own performances because none of them were anywhere near Dad. And at the end of the year, “Black” was selected by Time magazine as one of the 10 best films of the year. Isn’t that cool?

Q: What about your own films?

A: They all made me happy. And I am equally proud of all of them. At the end of the year, I was happy to know that the first week’s collections of “Bluffmaster” in the US were $160,000 dollars. In the second week, the collections went up by almost $60,000. That’s practically unheard of.

Q: How do you explain it?

A: I dunno. Maybe they just liked “Bluffmaster”. I certainly did. I am fond of all my films.

Q: Elle magazine has chosen you as the most stylish person of the year?

A: It’s very humbling…

Q: Do you think you’re stylish?

A: No. I have to thank all the people who work from behind the scenes to create that illusion. Special thanks must go to my personal stylist Falguni Thakore and Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla. These are the people who do most of my clothes. And if I am being labelled stylish the credit must go to these persons. I don’t think I’m fashionable. But thank you very much.

Q: Suddenly in the last one year you have become a pinup favourite?

A: How do I explain it? I don’t even try to explain it. Aditya Chopra once told me, very seldom does the audience decide to like someone. No point in questioning it. Just be thankful and work extra hard to keep the audiences’ faith intact. I’ll try my best not to disillusion those who’ve faith in me.

Q: Also, CNN has designated you the entertainer of the year?

A: I am thoroughly flattered. I don’t agree with that at all.

Q: It could have something to do with the variety of roles you did in 2005?

A: No, they are just being kind. I think there are artistes out there who have done far better work than me during the year. I don’t think I am the most entertaining actor or the most stylish person. But like I said, there’s no point in analysing these things. I am trying to improve myself. Because I know there are people who are far more stylish and entertaining.

Q: What are you looking forward to in 2006?

A: Quite a lot of things. But mainly I want to do more exciting work. I’ll continue to work hard and leave the rest to god and the audience.

Q: How is it going with J.P. Dutta and “Umrao Jaan” in Jaipur?

A: It is wonderful to get back in front of J.P. saab’s camera. It is like coming home. Shooting this film is a great deal of fun.

Q: And Aishwarya?

A: She is a thorough professional. So am I.

Q: Sanjay, how does it feel?

A: What should I say? Richard Corliss had been extremely kind to my “Devdas”. Now he has this verdict for “Black”. I feel extremely reassured. It feels as though my hard work has paid off. If a distinguished critic from another part of the world thinks “Black” is one of the 10 best films of the year, then there must be something to it. It is a great victory for Indian cinema and all my cast and crew. It feels very comforting.

“Black” was a film that was completely off the Bollywood genres. When you do something different and it connects so widely and hugely, you are bound to feel reassured. I didn’t make the film for any market, or to impress any section of viewers. I just did what came from the heart. It got a standing ovation all over the world. And now it gets ovation from Richard Corliss.

Even Sony Pictures, for whom I am making my next film, felt “Black” was a very moving experience. It acknowledged the movie as being among the superior films from any part of the world.

Q: Some quarters in Bollywood have been going on about “Black” being derived from Arthur Penn’s “Miracle Worker”?

A: Criticism is a healthy impetus for growth. Everybody doesn’t have to like my film. If Jaya Bachchan hadn’t constructively criticised “Devdas”, maybe I’d have never made “Black”. She spurred me to attempt something totally different. If some people have not liked “Black” it is fine. Better luck to me next time. But it is not “The Miracle Worker”. It is the life of Helen Keller. Her life has a timeless quality. It can be expressed in any form – a play, a TV series, a film from India or Hollywood.

If a director interprets Helen Keller’s life in his own way it does not mean he is copying another film on the subject. If a director makes a film on Gandhi it does not mean he is stealing incidents from Richard Attenborough’s film.

Helen Keller’s life is exemplary to all of us. I have personally learnt so much from her. I learnt the value of a teacher in any student’s life. “Black” is my interpretation of the age-old teacher-student relationship. And the language was sign language, not Hindi and English. “Black” is about feeling, not speaking.

Q: Corliss had also singled out “Devdas”…

A: It makes me happy proud and fulfilled. The more the people respond to my cinema the more alive I feel. To be in Corliss’ list along with world masters like Werner Herzog and Ingmar Bergman makes me feel extremely comforted. The fact that a story about a deaf-and-blind protagonist can be formatted in the popular genre was to me the biggest challenge.

Every person whether Amitabh Bachchan in “Deewaar” or Rani Mukerji in “Black” is a hero deep down. Every person is capable of extraordinary achievements. For this film to get such widespread acceptance is a victory for all physically and mentally challenged people of the world. It is not just socio-political issues that make a film important. It is the ability to talk to the most neglected sections of our society that makes a film special.

Q: Where do you think “Black” goes from here?

A: Where can it go? I only know how to make a film. I do not know how to market it. Once I make a film, I let it go wherever destiny will take it. Unfortunately I do not know the art of selling my film. I am deeply obliged to Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji.

Look at their performances. Bachchan is world-class, incomparable. “Black” would not have been possible without him. Rani’s is the best performance by a female actor since Seema Biswas in “Bandit Queen”. And Ayesha Kapoor… Richard Corliss has spoken about the performances. This is a victory for all of us. It is a victory for Bachchan. I could not have asked for more.

Q: Corliss has called “Black” the ultimate Bollywood love story?

A: Strangely it is apt. Love has many forms. “Black” is about the love between a girl and her teacher. They teach each other the dignity of living. To call “Black” a love story is a true compliment. “Black” is a pure love story.

“I can’t make ‘Murder’, but I liked the film. I could see the sincerity of the filmmaker,” the filmmaker tells IANS.

Sooraj doesn’t enjoy watching tragedies and complexities in films – he prefers to watch romantic flicks especially made by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His favourite film from the current lot is Yash Chopra’s “Veer-Zaara”.

In this interview, the shy and incredibly soft-spoken Sooraj Barjatya opens up like never before.

Excerpts:

Q. You’ve been extremely reclusive.

A. Even now I’m very nervous of the press. But somewhere I’ve realised it’s important to connect with the audience, let them know what you’re making. I’m trying to reach out.

Q. What do you think went wrong with your last film “Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon”?

A. I’d say a lot of things. But the first thing that my father said when he saw it was, ‘Your theme was that Kareena (Kapoor) would love Hrithik (Roshan) till the end of time. Then how did she agree to get engaged to Abhishek (Bachchan)?’

I was talking of pyar ki oonchayaiyaan, rishto ki gehraayiyan and my characters weren’t living up to that idea. Actually, my protagonists in all my other films have lived up to certain ideals.

Q. Audiences thought you were going against your cinema in “Main Prem” and Hrithik was acting like your favourite Salman Khan.

A. That’s true. I take full responsibility. I tried to give a certain feel and flavour to my characters. The equation worked with Abhishek’s character. But something went drastically wrong with Hrithik’s… Salman played my hero Prem in my first film “Maine Pyar Kiya”. When I first sketched the character, Salman was very much a part of it. When you start off together you are bound to grow close.

Q: Will you work with him again?

A: Of course! But it has to be a film and a role that allows both of us to go beyond what’ve already done. The best thing about Salman is, he isn’t afraid to experiment on screen. After “Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon” I was going through a period of creative uncertainty. I had ideas for five films with Salman. When I narrated them to him he liked some of them. But all the ideas were in gestation.

“Vivah” was one idea that had concretised in my mind. It kept coming back to haunt me. It had to be made first. And my father is very excited about it. I trust his judgment completely. “Maine Pyar Kiya”, “Hum Aapke Hain Koun” and “Hum Saath Saath Hain” were subjects chosen by my father, “Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon” was chosen by me.

Now you know why trust my father’s judgement. I went up to him and told him about the ideas for my next film. He straightaway selected “Vivah”.

Q: You’ve gone back to the old Rajshri favourite Ravindra Jain to do the music for your new film “Vivah”.

A: I truly believe melody is timeless, the older the better. There’re so many tunes that I’ve heard my father and grandfather sing to me. Raviji brings that old nostalgic feeling in me. Instinctively I knew he was right for “Vivah”.

Again there’ll be lots of songs even in “Vivah”, though maybe not that many dances. We’re a very musical people. We can express those feelings through songs that we cannot otherwise.

Q: Do you think you can recapture the flavour of “Hum Aapke Hain Koun”?

A: No one can do that, not even me. Every project dictates its own vision. In “Vivah” I intend to look at the sanctity of marital bonding. At 40, I can look at the man-woman relationship with some detachment.

Unlike my earlier films, “Vivah” isn’t about the festivities and celebrations connected with a marriage. It’s about the definitions and dynamics of a marriage. Once that engagement ring is exchanged you suddenly become so important to someone else.

Today I feel youngsters are losing touch with the whole beauty and relevance of a relationship. My film starts with an engagement and ends with a marriage.

Q: What made you choose Shahid Kapur and Amrita Rao?

A: From the writer’s viewpoint, “Vivah” is my toughest film. There’s nothing beyond the chemistry between the boy from Delhi and the girl from Mathura to peg the plot on. The film is only about the gradual growth in the couple’s relationship. I was very impressed by Shahid and Amrita’s performances in all their films – yes, I’ve seen them all. I buy a ticket and watch all the good films in the theatres. I feel it’s very important to keep a check on trends.

Q: How will you connect “Vivah” to younger viewers?

A: I am going by my instincts. The courtship ritual is something we’ve all gone through. I’m not targeting the film at any specific audience. Today, audiences are educated and aware. They’re willing to give any genre a chance as long as the sincerity and sensibility of the filmmaker shine through. The minute you try to do something that’s for the man in Patna or Pune, you’re being dishonest. I can’t ask my assistants if I’m going right with a shot or a film. Finally, I’ve to take a decision.

Appreciation from the audience is very important. Our last three films taught me the importance of budget – we spent way too much money in “Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon” and also the importance of the Rajshri dictum – pyar ki oochaaniyan rishton ki gehraayiyan… These qualities were missing in our recent films. We went wrong in choosing the subjects.

Q: Do you think it’s tough to go beyond “Hum Aapke Hain Koun”?

A: Every one of my four films has a part of my life going into it. Some parts connect with the audience, others don’t. I can’t remake “Hum Aapke Hain Koun” because that part of my life is over. Ek film khatm karte hain aur ab kya banaaye? It’s never thought out. It just happens. I’ve always gone by instinct.

Q: Your banner is making regional films?

A: Our Oriya film has done well. We have just released a Bengali film directed by Prabhat Roy. Next year we’ll be making a Bhojpuri film. Personally I’ll focus on “Vivah”. We hope to release it next Diwali.

Q: Where do you fit in today’s cinema?

A: After “Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon”, a dude with a bali in his ear came to my office and told me he hated my movie. I asked him to sit down and explain. He told me only films that are high on morality would work under my banner. He enumerated all the films from my grandfather’s time. He thought we should always make films that conveyed high principals, which the entire family could watch together.

Q: Do you feel like a misfit when you see a film like “Murder”?

A: I can’t make “Murder”, but I liked the film. I could see the sincerity of the filmmaker. When Mallika (Sherawat) goes late to pick up her son from school, I connected completely with the film. Bhatt saab’s (Mahesh Bhatt) thought every marriage is performed around the fire, but a true test of a successful marriage is one that goes through fire-rings in my ears even now. But you’re right, I can’t make a crass film. It’s so funny. But a filmmaker’s attitude depends on the kind of cinema he makes.

Q: What other films have you enjoyed recently?

A: My favourite film is “Veer-Zaara”. Then of course “Black” is sensational. “Bunty Aur Babli” and “Page 3″ – I couldn’t connect with it – I don’t think I could make films like those. I can’t bear to sit through the complexities of life in “Page 3″.

Tabu keeps telling me to watch Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Chandni Bar”. But I can’t bear it. I couldn’t watch the little boy in the first half of “Koi…Mil Gaya” suffer so much. I feel as a filmmaker it’s my duty to give audiences hope. Even today when I sit through a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film I feel so happy.

Q: What does your banner look like beyond you?

A: I’ve two sons. The elder, who’s 15, wants to be a filmmaker. The younger, who’s 12, is bored with the sets.

“But there should be some limit to the number of shows; otherwise it will end up with no craze and lose credibility like soap operas in TV.”

When asked about her debut movie “Main Hoon Na” and the challenges a female director faces in Bollywood, Farah said every job was challenging.

“There is no job without challenge but as a female director I have not faced any problems so far. Rather, the cooperation from my colleagues has helped me do well in the industry as both a director and a choreographer,” said Farah, who is currently choreographing for a film called “Janeman”.

She also said to thrive in the Hindi film industry one needs to make good films. “When people (audiences) are so conscious about their choice, there is no place for so-so films with some underdeveloped script.

“By good, I mean, pure entertainment woven around a touching script. Unless the script is up to the mark it will be very difficult to hone the potential of actors.”

Talking about her forthcoming film, she said: “The project is in a nascent stage. The script is getting ready and after that I will give the details. But one thing for sure, Shah Rukh is going to be a part of it.”

She’s also doing a film with Hrithik Roshan. “Abhishek and Hrithik are very different but very, very good actors. But Duggu (Hrithik) is also a spontaneous actor. Both of them are very focused on their roles.”

She chuckles at the memory of the pranks shared with Abhishek.

“One day we decided we’ll take Rohan’s trip. We decided to pull a prank regarding Nana Patekar whom we were all scared of. I used to arrive half an hour before him and wait for him. No pranks when he was around. But one day Abhishek and I decided to make up this story and complain that Nana had misbehaved with me.

“I went hysterically hammy. Rohan was ready to speak to Nana when we all burst out laughing… Nana has such an aura of being private and inaccessible. But he’s a warm soul. He used to bring food for all of us.”

As for her director, Priyanka speaks from the heart.

“He made it with his heart. I came out of ‘Bluffmaster’ with great memories, great friends… All my friends are from the films I work in. Otherwise, I’ve no one to go out with. Come on, hook me up with someone.”

“Of all the films I’ve done so far, this one has been the most fun to make. ‘Bluffmaster’ is one of a kind. While everything was completely organised, all of us, Rohan, Riteish, Abhishek and I, were completely mad on the sets. This wasn’t an easy film to make. This kind of a film hasn’t been made in Hindi before,” she adds.

It’s been a tough year for Priyanka.

“My father fell ill. Now he’s in America recovering. He’s out of the hospital. But he has to get himself checked once a week. The doctors say he’ll be ready to return in January. He’s been in hospital for six months. It’s been a traumatic time. I think I’ve matured quite a lot.

“Professionally, it was quite a tumultuous year. ‘Waqt’ did really well… ‘Barsaat’ too did well. Now I hope to pull a hat trick with ‘Bluffmaster’.”

She seems upbeat about her future projects.

“God’s been very kind to my career. Good things happened after ‘Aitraaz’… Now I’ve Rakesh Roshan’s ‘Krrish’ and Rumi Jaffrey’s ‘God Tussi Great Ho’ which are complete, Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Don’ which I start shooting in January, Dharmesh Darshan’s ‘Aap Ki Khatir’ and Nikhil Advani’s ‘Salaam-e-Ishq’ where I pair with Akshaye Khanna for the first time…All these films will be over by July 2006.”

Is Priyanka happy inching towards the top slot?

“It’s such a slippery place to be in, dude. Mr. (Amitabh) Bachchan, Shah Rukh (Khan), Madhuri (Dixit), Kajol, Aishwarya (Rai)…they’ve been there for years. But look at them. They’re incredible actors. I’m happy being recognised as versatile. I just want to let things flow. I’ve been here for a very short span of time.”

Excerpts from the interview:

Q: Prakash Jha finds you outstanding in “Apaharan”?

A: Hopefully the audience will agree with him. Picture achi bani hai (It’s a well made film). He has chosen a very hard-hitting subject and not tried to over-commercialise it. “Apaharan” remains true to its subject. It’s a film with a conscience.

Yes, such films have almost become synonymous with my career. And why not? There’re other actors who do their own thing. Govinda has his style, Salman has his own. I’ve mine. I’m not saying their style is better or worse than mine. But my way of working is my own.

Q: Do you deliberately choose films with a conscience?

A: Such films automatically choose me. I don’t make any attempt to choose them. Because I’ve a theatre background I need to know the background for my character. Prakash Jha told me my character in “Apaharan” was modelled on a real-life politician. But I didn’t study the real character. I played it the way the director envisaged it.

An actor must mould his acting style according to what the director wants. I’ve often been accused of directing the director. That’s only when the director doesn’t know his job.

Q: From Mehul Kumar to Prakash Jha… you’ve made quite a long journey with various directorial talents.

A: There’re directors, and directors. Just as there are various pharmaceutical companies. Some make a living by making spurious drugs. Others live by making authentic stuff.

I’d count Prakash Jha and Goutam Ghosh among the drug manufacturers whose products always heal. Goutam has been making films his own way, not thinking about whether they work or not. And believe me, the budget of a film can be controlled and directors can make their films with conviction.

Q: What do you play in “Yatra”?

A: I’m a writer travelling to Delhi. It’s about his interaction with various characters. It’s the story of a writer’s emotional and topographical journey. It’s a strange kind of film. I’ve an amazing role. After a long, long time I’m doing a role that challenges me to this extent. As an actor I’ve seldom been so excited recently.

Q: You’ve an exciting assortment of co-stars in “Yatra”?

A: Yes Rekha, Deepti Naval, Nakul Vaid… all fine actors. But it doesn’t matter to me who my co-stars are as long as my role is challenging. Of course, competent actors make your job a lot easier. I’m fortunate to have had co-stars like Ajay Devgan and Bipasha Basu in “Apaharan”.

Q: Now you’re directing another film?

A: Yes, for Prakash Jha… I know what I’m going to make. But I won’t tell you right now.

Initially the plan was to stay at the Lilavati hospital a little longer. Bachchan had been advised by his close friends to stay in hospital than to move home where medical attention would be relatively lower.

“There were no plans to leave immediately,” reveals a member of the family. “In fact, he wanted to continue in hospital. But he suddenly changed his mind Saturday and said he wanted to be home with the family.”

On Sunday morning a huge crowd of onlookers gathered outside Prateeksha. Abhishek played the perfect host to them. Water was served to the strangers outside his home. The ailing mega-star made an appearance sometime in the morning.

All is well at the Bachchan front once again.

It will also be Ajay’s first film with Kareena Kapoor. “We were supposed to do Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Raincoat’ together.”

His performance in Prakash Jha’s “Apaharan” has been appreciated by critics. Both he and Jha have come a long way.

He says: “Prakash and I have worked in several films together. But it doesn’t mean I’ve to be in all the films he makes. I wasn’t there in his last picture on Jayaprakash Narayan. It all depends on suitability. We get along. We understand each other. There’s no doubt about Prakash’s abilities as a director.”

After “GangaaJal”, he delved into Bihar’s politics with Jha’s “Apaharan”. He says he was shocked when he read about the rampant kidnappings in Bihar.

“I only knew what I had read in the papers and seen in the news. I had done ‘GangaaJal’ with the director, so I was familiar with his home turf. When Prakash Jha narrated the script to me I was shocked. The kidnappers treat their work just like you and I treat ours. Everything is done so professionally. They almost have an official language and protocol for kidnappings…poora chai-pani tak ka hisaab banaate hain…”

Whether it’s “GangaaJal”, “Kaal” or “Main Aisa Hi Hoon”, Ajay has been pushing the actor’s envelope regularly.

“I learn so much from a director like Prakash. Such filmmakers help me grow and understand myself and the purpose of cinema. ‘Apaharan’ isn’t a ‘naach-gana’ (song and dance) film. But it’s a hardcore entertainer.

“The kidnappings are just a backdrop. Basically it’s an emotional father-son story. My character goes from ideological inheritance to thorough corruption and final redemption…

“I agree I’ve been getting some terrific roles. I guess I’m lucky. I just hear scripts, and go ahead and do what I believe in. I don’t regret making mistakes. I learn from my mistakes. I never see any role as a risk. ‘Apaharan’ is like any commercial film minus the songs…Even the item song starts as a song and merges into a scene.”

Right now he is looking forward to the release of John Mathew Matthan’s “Shikhar”. The film will find audiences with another Devgan.

“Looks-wise and concept-wise ‘Shikhar’ takes me into another territory. It’s about two characters who believe in differing ideologies. Again it’s a real subject but a hardcore entertainer. My character doesn’t believe in conventional definitions of right and wrong.

“I worked with John Mathew Matthan for the first time. He knew exactly what he wanted, and how to get it. See, you go into every film with the same conviction. How it finally turns out is not up to the actor.”

“Shikhar” and Raj Kumar Santoshi’s “Saamna” will follow “Apaharan”.

Santoshi’s film will carry forward Ajay’s reputation for doing hard-hitting socially conscious films.

“These are what you call socially conscious films. All three are very different from one another. Then I’ve hardcore entertainers like Ramu’s ‘Sholay’. I don’t look at a film as purposeful or purposeless. I’ve just completed an out-and-out comedy called ‘Gol Maal’ with Rohit Shetty. I also have another comedy, which I’ll be doing with Abbas-Mustan with Sanjay Dutt and Bipasha Basu.

“I’m very comfortable with comedy…I’ve done comedy with my wife (Kajol) in the cell phone ad as well. It’s worked well. This is my second ad with my wife. But it doesn’t mean we’ll be working in all our ads together. I’ve just done a solo ad for a soda.”

Ajay’s versatility of roles is unique.

“Everyone is talented. But they all want to play safe. My colleagues are doing what they like doing. I’m doing what I like. ‘Main Aisa Hi Hoon’ failed. But I stand by it.”

This is the first time she has worked with Abhishek and she plays his love interest.

“It’s got two tracks in it. Abhishek is playing the title role called Bluffmaster and he is in love with me. I don’t know that he is a con artiste. I find out and we break up and the story progresses.

“Our love story goes on one track and another track is how he meets Dittu, which is Ritesh Deshmukh)’s character, who wants him to be his ‘guru’. And how the guru-chela (teacher-disciple) go together.

“It was great working with Abhishek. He is a great actor and a very good co-star.”

Priyanka’s career has seen a meteoric rise in a very short time. Recently she was honoured with the Young Achievers Award by the Indo-American Society.

“I feel good. I do consider myself lucky for achieving as much as I have. It’s just three years and I am very grateful for that.”

So, was it a smooth ride to stardom?

“It’s not been smooth at all – I had a spate of flops and a lot of criticism from the press. I had started off with a blink-and-you-miss-it role in ‘Hero’. I have made mistakes. I have come up the rough way.”

Priyanka has been appreciated for playing a negative role in “Aitraaz” but she is not interested in continuing to play bold characters. “I don’t know. It depends. I don’t think yet I am ready for it,” she said.

But she doesn’t regret doing “Aitraaz” for which she received the Filmfare Best Villain award.

“I don’t regret doing ‘Aitraaz’. I was 18 when I did it. I didn’t understand what I was doing. Whatever people said I did. I think I have grown up a bit and I have understood what the film industry is all about and I don’t think I will make many more mistakes.”

Last year she was rumoured to be dating her married co-star Akshay Kumar and it was said she did “Aitraaz” at his behest.

Priyanka, however, said: “I did ‘Aitraaz’ because it was a mind-blowing character. I got my second award for it. I don’t do any film because of anybody. I do it because I believe in it.”

She doesn’t want to be typecast and would like to do a variety of roles. “I want to do different kinds of roles, and have always tried to do different kinds of roles. All my films are very different from each other. And that’s exactly what I aim for in the next few years.”

One of the busiest newcomers in Bollywood, she defends her “glamour girl” image.

“There is a difference between vulgarity, unnecessary exposure and today’s normal girl. I would like to be contemporary.”

Priyanka was tight-lipped about her role in Rakesh Roshan’s “Krissh”.

“I can’t tell you about my character. I can only tell you that ‘Krissh’ is a sequel to ‘Koi Mil Gaya’. And it is something I am looking forward to that will come in June or July.”

In the future she would like to sing as well. “I am waiting for the right film with the right song to come along.”

Excerpts:

Q: Amitabh Bachchan has made news beyond news with his illness.

A: I find it a damper. When we had our first screening and Mr. Bachchan hasn’t seen it. He would’ve cheered very hard. But I’m not nervous. We’ve portrayed Mr Bachchan in a novel manner. And I’m quite excited about it. He’s too cool. His dialogues are very Arnold Schwarzenneger. When he blows up the screen he turns around to say, ‘Issey hamare yahan Happy Diwali kehte hain’ (We call it Happy Diwali).

Q: The film looks pretty slick.

A: Yeah we strove to get an ultra-modern look into the film. The editing pattern is pretty much out there. I made a conscious effort to move out of the village that was part of my first film “Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost”. Very honestly “Mumbai Se…” had a script that moved slowly. It came just before “Lagaan”.

The script in “Ek Ajnabee” is based on “Man On Fire”. Once we got Mr. Bachchan, we decided to take the film to another level where he’ll do things he has not done before. At his age the physical action is unbelievable. Most of the film is shot with a tele-photo zoom lens. It looks different for sure. It’s a really modern genre.

But I love my first film too. I had written it from my heart when I was in America. Everyone including Abhishek who worked on “Mumbai…” is doing really well now. Now it’s my turn.

Q: Like “Apaharan”, “Ek Ajnabee” is also about the kidnapping industry.

A: Yes, but “Ek Ajnabee” is set in Bangkok. According to a UN survey, kidnapping is the second-most thriving industry in the world after drugs. If I had taken “Ek Ajnabee” to Bihar like “Apaharan” it would’ve been similar in ambience in “Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost”. And there would’ve been no chance to give Mr. Bachchan a whole new look. We wanted to put Mr. Bachchan in a place of hedonism, which isn’t India.

Q: How was it directing Mr. Bachchan?

A: How do you tell Sachin Tendulkar how to bat? We completed our film with 35 days in Bangkok. Obviously we didn’t want to tire him. So we’d start our work early morning and ask him to be on location by 11 (a.m.). He was great motivator. When you wake up and know you’ve to shoot with him you feel special. He takes a project to a level of professionalism that’s hard to follow.

We all knew, ‘Dude, this is Mr. B so don’t mess it up.’ He doesn’t ask questions. He just knows what to do. Mr. Bachchan knows everything that needs to be known about cinema… He plays an ex-commando who knows every method of self-preservation.

Q: Is he larger than life?

A: There’s no other way for him to be. I’ve kept his age in mind while making him do the stunts. But he’s definitely heroic. To me “Khakee” collapsed when a ‘subedaar’ (constable) slapped Mr. Bachchan. It’s unthinkable. It gave me pangs of indignation. I agree his character was realistic in “Khakee”. But this is still Indian cinema.

When I saw “Man On Fire” and read the book, I told Abhishek it was a good idea for his dad to do an Indian version. Abhishek showed the film to his dad and that was that. We waited a year and half to get Mr. Bachchan’s dates.

We did some photo shoots experimented with his hair and clothes… Once he signs a film he isn’t just an actor. He’s a colleague and collaborator. He was into it a hundred per cent. We all were. The producers Bunty and Jassi Wallia were very accommodating. We had gone on location in Bangkok with all the spadework done.

Q: What others USPs besides Amitabh Bachchan?

A: The little girl Rucha. After “Black” audiences will see Mr. Bachchan bonding with a young co-star girl again. I was worried about directing her. But it was the easiest thing to do. We sat with her for 90 days. We put her into two months of swimming classes. She needed to be a swimming champ for her role. By the time we started shooting she knew the entire script by heart. For a scene where she had to burp, she actually managed it!

Rucha was very comfortable with Mr. Bchhchan. Children wouldn’t be that aware of his star power. Every other member of the cast faltered with their first take with the Legend. Not Rucha. In a scene where she had to express anger with Mr. Bachchan she wasn’t getting it right. He helped her get it just right.

Q: There were some casting controversies in the supporting cast?

A: You mean about Diya Mirza? We had signed her initially. But later we got some unusual actors, like Vikram Chatwal and Perizaad Zorabian who are strangers to Hindi commercial films.

With due respects to Diya, she hasn’t featured in any successful film so far whereas Perizaad is untried in commercial cinema.

Arjun was brought up in Vancouver. “I’ve shot ‘Neal ‘N’ Nikki’ in unexplored territory, like the vineyards… It’s a well-mounted film with lots of good looking guys and girls… but at the end of the day it’s like sharing a naughty joke with your parents.”

After “Hum Tum”, which was “When Harry Met Sally”, and “Salaam Namaste”, which was “9 Months”, this one is quite a blessing.

If people see Arjun’s “Neal ‘N’ Nikki” as the third in Yash Raj Films’ trilogy, he’s okay with that.

“‘Hum Tum’ and ‘Salaam Namaste’ were among the most successful films of recent times. I’d have loved to direct both the films. If people come to see my film for those reasons, so be it.”

It’s been four years since Arjun made his last film.

“These years have taught me a lot as a filmmaker and about life. My personal life was under a cloud. Now I’m working with positive people (Yash Raj Films) and the clouds have disappeared. It’s very important to work with the right people. Otherwise your creativity is worth zilch. You can only make a film when you’re inspired. Even when I joined Yash Raj Films to make ads I felt happy and positive.

“‘Neal ‘N’ Nikki’ is a breezy romantic comedy. It’s easy to do show-off shots and frames. This is one film where I want the audience to watch the characters, not the technique. I want your full attention for two years. The 21 women that Uday meets are no bimbos. Each one has been portrayed as an individual. Yeah I love to have beautiful women in my film.”

The guy who made “Na Tum Jaano Na Hum” has moved on.

” ‘Neal ‘N’ Nikki’ is much naughtier than my first film. My heroine Esha Deol was a small-town girl in “Na Tum Jaano na Hum”. She had never been abroad. Hrithik could’ve never asked Esha if he was a virgin.

“Tanisha in ‘Neal ‘N’ Nikki’ is born and brought up in Vancouver. She hasn’t been to India. But it isn’t raunchy. It’s still about real feelings. At one point Uday tells Tanisha he suspects she’s a virgin. Such issues weren’t openly discussed in our films.

“Times have changed. Today the technology in a gadget you buy becomes obsolete in a week. Cinema has to reflect those rapid changes. But mating games have always been played in our films. Today you and I can discuss issues that would earlier have made us blush.”

Though he has cast the producer’s brother in the lead he says the choice was his.

“I auditioned both Uday and Tanisha. I let the camera roll without a written script. Tanisha and Uday are like buddies. There’s no formal love story in my film. And yet it’s a wonderful date movie.”

He then gets excited about “Signal” and says: “It’s the third part of my trilogy. ‘Page 3′ was about the world of party-hoppers. ‘Corporate’ is about the business world. ‘Signal’ will take my cinema into the underbelly of Mumbai – those people whom we see at the traffic signals – the newspapers hawkers, the fruit and flower sellers, the beggars and eunuchs. Where do they come from… Where do they go?”

The film will have only new faces in the cast. “It has to be like that, no?” reasons Madhur.

“You can’t have known faces playing these anonymous creatures who appear and vanish when we stop our cars at the traffic signals.”

The director wants to film this hardcore-reality tale immediately after “Corporate” is complete in early 2006. “I’ve got to get it out of my system before I move to something else.”

He is the second director to attempt a trilogy of films. Deepa Mehta has just completed her elemental trilogy “Fire”, “Earth” and “Water”.

It’s progressive cinema. “Home Delivery” doesn’t have to rely on being loud or crass to be effective. A grandfather and grandson can watch it together without squirming.

Q: Your “Masti” pioneered the movement towards sex comedies…

A: Yeah, to the writer Milap Jhaveri goes the credit for starting this wave of sex comedies. I had done a lot of comedy in theatre. Doing “Masti” was a personal challenge for me. I had to push those convictions as far as I could and be convincing in what I was doing. To my surprise, families and kids loved “Masti”.

Q: You are caught between the two extremes represented by Indra Kumar in “Masti” and Sujoy Ghosh in “Home Delivery”?

A: Firstly, I don’t think I’m caught. I’m very happy with the various challenges that life is throwing at me. I had a blast working with Indra Kumar during “Masti” and now “Pyare Mohan”, which just got completed.

I love breaking the mould, doing crazy things. “Home Delivery” is quite a different experience. There’s a stunning graph for my character. He changes in 48 hours before Diwali.

The character is a celebrity journalist. Like many of the ilk, he’s full of himself. He calls himself Gyan Guru if you please! He believes he has a solution for every problem in the world. He has a beautiful relationship with his editor Juhi Chawla. He thinks the newspaper cannot do without him. And his ego gets a bigger boost when Karan Johar (Bollywood director) asks him to write a script…

The director Sujoy Ghosh has held himself back, checked the emotional pitch.

Q: Sujoy is a strange director.

A: He isn’t strange, he’s quirky. Sujoy has a certain ‘adaa’ (style) to his vision. When I read his script of “Home Delivery” I was struck with the many perspectives and layers which he doesn’t push into your face.

There’re no injections of culture and emotions. Sujoy just tells the story as he wants to. But it isn’t massy. “Home Delivery” isn’t sold to the audience like ‘bhelpuri’.

Q: So doing “Pyare Mohan” and “Home Delivery” side by side must be a culture shock?

A: I enjoyed both immensely… Just like doing Ram Gopal Varma’s “Company” and Shaad Ali’s “Saathiya” simultaneously. It was a big high for me to do an action film and an out-and-out romantic film simultaneously.

Likewise, “Pyare Mohan” and “Home Delivery” gave me a chance to stretch myself in two different directions. I’m having fun. I had taken four months off to work for causes I believe in.

Q: There was a wave of indignation against you?

A: If a Mahatma Gandhi couldn’t escape condemnation, who am I? A wave always has a short life… Even tsunami. You just have to hold your own. You have family and friends to provide you the strength.

I don’t think about the wave of indignation, just as I don’t think about why I was the blue-eyed boy two years ago… why I was the next best thing after sliced bread just the other day. Why me? Why not me? Now again, I might become the blue-eyed boy, the guy who rose from the ashes. The important thing is to grow as a human being.

Ups and downs are part of every actor’s repertoire. Two years ago, Ajay Devgan had six hits in a row. Abhishek Bachchan has four hits in a row. I can’t measure my life by a few Fridays. I want to enjoy all my 365 days. I’m doing it all.

I want to do good films, bad films, sensible films, senseless films, meaningful films, meaningless films… I want to do it all.

Q: What other assignments?

A: I’ve just done Sachin Bajaj’s “Naqsha”. And I really like the script of Vishal Bharadwaj’s “Othello”. I’ve to meet him one more time. I’m looking at a lot of scripts right now.

“Home Delivery” has to click for more directors to come forward with meaningful films. Sujoy Ghosh has such an amazing family life. His wife and children are so lovely. The warmth and comfort level that he shares with his family shows up in his film.

Q: How is it working with Priyadarshan for the first time?

A: I’m very happy. The film I’m doing is very funny. 80 percent of it is light-hearted. And then there’s drama and romance.

Kareena and I are enjoying shooting for it. Right now Priyan is on a high. All his films are doing well. I hope “Kyun Ki” (starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor) does well. It’s looking lovely.

Q: You’ve just signed Sooraj Barjatya’s film?

A: Yeah! Sooraj ji gave me a six-hour narration. He went into the details of dialogues, elaborated on how he wanted specific scenes to be done, sang songs to me. He gave me a complete picture of the experience.

After many years Sooraj ji is going back to his “Maine Pyar Kiya” roots. It’s about a boy and a girl. I play the boy, Amrita Rao plays the girl and that’s all I can tell you.

It’s a very relationship-driven plot, so a lot will depend on Amrita and me. It’s a very young film about discovering love. And since I think love stories are my forte I’m very excited about it.

Q: John Abraham thinks you need to lose that beefy look.

A: 20 years ago only action heroes needed to be in shape. Today I think everyone even the romantic heroes, need to stay fit. People like to see me as the boy next door. But even the boy next door has to have a toned body because there are gyms in every nook and corner of the city.

Abroad we’ve Tom Cruise who’s a boy next door with a good body. I think an actor needs to have all the tools at his disposal. It’s up to me to decide where I want to show my body. But yes, in “Dil Maange More” I had become too puffed up. I’ve lost weight. I want to look lean.

Q: How do you view the competition?

A: It keeps changing every Friday. My competition is with myself. And if my films do well, I’m happy. Each actor has his own journey. Look at the three Khans – they all have their own place, and they’re all irreplaceable.

Q: Are you comfortable working with Kareena?

A: We did “Fida” together. We’re now completing Satish Kaushik’s “Milenge Milenge” and Abbas-Mustan’s “36 China Town”. She’s so good I’ve to be on my toes constantly. A newcomer like me has to try twice as hard. Acting with her is like being on a treadmill.

Q: But being in love and working together …is mixing pleasure and business?

A: But we see it as a much-needed opportunity to be together. Right now both of us are at critical stages in our careers. We see it as an advantage that we’re doing so many films together. If we didn’t have three films together, we’d not be able to meet for weeks and months. And our relationship would’ve suffered.

Even if we’re on the sets with lots of people, we still get to be near to each other, and that’s enough. We’re very closely connected. Being together helps both of us grow.

Q: People had given the two of you just a few weeks…

A: It was weeks, then months. We’ve been together for two years. I feel our relationship is for keeps. My life is currently at a decisive stage. I know I’ll get my dues. But sometimes this gets delayed. Sometimes you think you’re doing the right film. But you’re actually not.

Q. You’ve done so many adult films.

A. I don’t want to be in ‘adult’ films, please! I’m still a child. I want to go to Neverland and live happily ever after.

Q. How are the Roshans treating you?

A. This is the first time I’m on my own. My mom is looking after my dad in the US. Gudduji (Rakesh Roshan) and Duggu (Hrithik Roshan) have taken me under their wings. Not once have I felt alone here (in Singapore). My father’s illness has taken its toll on me. But the whole family has been very supportive.

The Roshans are a wonderful family. And then Manini Dey, who plays my friend, is completely mad. Both of us had a whale of a time. We drove half the crew mad.

Q. And Hrithik?

A. He inspired me to give my best. He’s so charged about his work. He has his character so beautifully worked out. He completely inspired me in “Krissh”.

Q. Then you go into Farhan Akhtar’s “Don”?

A. Yes, again this is something I’ve never played before. I play a tough yet vulnerable character. Again I want to give Roma in “Don” a different look. This will be shot in Malaysia. And it will be with Shah Rukh (Khan)!

You know, all my co-stars in 2006 except Salman Khan will be first-timers for me. Whether it’s Akshaye Khanna, Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan or Abhishek Bachchan. I’ve never worked with them before. To have such a variety of co-stars is such a blessing.

Q. What about your new assignments?

A. I’m making sure that I’m working only in films that I believe in. I do want to do a costume drama. I’ve said yes to “Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam”. But I don’t know when that happens. When I do a costume drama it has to be just right. I was offered Chandraprakash Diwedi’s “Prithviraj-Sanjukta”. But the dates didn’t work out. I regret losing out on this one since it would have paired me with my first co-star Sunny Deol.

Q. You’re working round the clock!

A. I’ve worked really hard. I love acting. I’ve an incredible passion for it. I’m learning something new every day. I think the next year will be decisive for me.

Q: But you are a filmmaker and films will, therefore, have to be the pivotal part of the partnership?

A: That would be the strategic build up. I’ll take care of the creative part of filmmaking while Mr. Shetty’s experience in exhibition will go into marketing. But eventually, we’ll have to work much more closely. Today, filmmaking isn’t just about shooting and releasing. You’ve to structure the marketing of a film.

Q: What sort of changes will this collaboration require from your Factory?

A: We need to get much more disciplined if we intend to achieve the target that we’re looking at. We may not be making the Ram Gopal Varma kind of cinema any longer. There will be a panel of people to decide what kind of films we make. I may not be allowed to be that whimsical any longer. For the first time, I’ll have to be accountable about my creativity. I’ll have to check back with my collaborators as to why I decide what to do. One has to be conscious not just of one’s own creativity but what’s required in the market. That’s where my new partners might come in. Eventually, we’re selling feelings not tangible products. We can never be sure.

Q: What motivated you into this partnership?

A: The idea is to scale up my creative and business prospects as high as possible, and to do it as fast as possible.

Q: When would the first feature film from the tie-up occur?

A: We’re looking at two-three projects. The first should be ready early in 2006. Considering a few films here and there is too narrow a view of what we’re doing here. Our big idea is to make a series of entertainment-related products. Otherwise why have such a big-ticket collaboration anyway? I think it’s time to start seriously segmenting popular entertainment in this country.

Q: How will this partnership change you professionally?

A: I see myself as more of a businessman now…though everything, including my own directorial project “Sholay”, is on.

“Koi Aap Sa” is directed by Partho Mitra who directed many of Ekta’s most important soaps.

“Like Santram and Anurag Basu, Partho is trained on television at Balajee Telefilms. He has an eye for detail and a very clear understanding of what he wants to do. He also understands the differences between the home medium and cinema.”

Mom Shobha Kapoor is also openly opposed to Ekta’s little fracas with her best-buddy Natassha who stars in “Koi Aap Sa”.

“Yes, we fought like kids,” Ekta grins sheepishly. “Natassha had been shooting 18 hours a day for our serials. After that when she was asked to do promotional interviews for ‘Koi Aap Sa’ she protested. I fired her, saying I worked round-the-clock. I sometimes forget my colleagues needn’t and cannot match my unrealistic levels of workaholism.”

To Ekta’s surprise and, ahem, horror, her mom openly sided with Natassha.

“My mom fired me. She told me it was all my fault… Natassha and I have made up, though not entirely.”

One difference of opinion Ekta isn’t willing to iron out is regarding her film’s second lead Himanshu Malik’s grievance about his lack of publicity.

“What is he talking about? He was never promised anything. If you see the film Himanshu is just not one of the main characters. It’s a three-character story and they are played by Aftab, Natassha and Dipannita.”

More reconciliation … this time with Rakhi Tandon, the enfant terrible in the serial “Hum Paanch”. Apparently Raakhi gave Ekta hell during “Hum Paanch”.

Laughs Ekta: “All that’s part of the past. We’re returning with ‘Hum Paanch’ and we felt no one but Rakhi could play her original role. In fact the entire cast is the same except Chutki who has grown up since we last saw the serial.”

With the return of “Hum Paanch”, Ekta’s professional life seems to have come a full circle. “Yes, my first successful serial was ‘Hum Paanch’. Now I’m back doing it. I hope it doesn’t mean anything ominous.”

About her series of parties recently, Ekta laughs: “We just had a couple of parties. But that’s it. I’m certainly not turning into a party animal. My only passion in life is my work.”

We’ve now started two new productions “Dhoom 2″ and “Fanaah.” The first has Aishwarya (Rai) and Hrithik (Roshan) together and the second has Aamir (Khan) and Kajol for the first time. We’ve almost completed Arjun Sablok’s “Neal & Nickie” which we’ll be releasing in December. After that, Yashraj Films will be releasing Rakesh Roshan’s “Krissh”, in some centres, and Karan Johar’s “Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna.”

Q: Is it true that there was a contract whereby Aishwarya was asked to wear a bikini for “Dhoom 2″?

A: (Laughs) This is the first time I’m hearing about this. But, yes, Aishwarya did offer to work on herself. Every artiste wants to look his or her best on screen. What’s wrong with that?

She asked for a few months for some physical training. She starts shooting for “Dhoom 2″ as soon as Hrithik comes back from the shooting of “Krissh.” What Aishwarya has to wear has been told to her beforehand.

When we signed Esha Deol for “Dhoom”, we were conscious that she was Hema Malini’s daughter. Aditya worked out Esha’s look. And we showed the look to Hemaji and Esha. They were taken into confidence. And look at what “Dhoom” did to Esha!

Q: How important is marketing for a movie?

A: Very important. But you can’t sell a product that the audience doesn’t want. Of the 150-200 films released a year, the audience chooses to go to theatres for 10. You’ve to make sure you bring the audiences in to see those 10 films through promotion and marketing.

Word-of-mouth publicity is a myth. The only recent film that ran by this method was my elder brother B.R. Chopra’s “Baghban.” It was such a brilliant subject. My brother lived with the idea for 20 years.

Q: You recently turned a year older.

A: Mentally I feel younger and younger every year. I feel I’m at the most 36 years old, not just as a filmmaker but also as a human being.

Q: Your music in “Bose – The Forgotten Hero” went unnoticed?

A: They didn’t picturise a large part of my music. When the music isn’t picturised, it goes unnoticed. The junta disregarded it. I told Shyam Benegal that it’s imperative to cash in on whatever songs I compose. Why be apologetic about the music?

But I must say I enjoyed composing for “Bose”…For me, every score is enjoyable. It can’t be helped if some of them went out of hand. Did the music for a film called “Adaa”, I don’t know what happened. I put my best effort in all of them. The rest is up to god.

Q: In Mumbai there’s a growing feeling that your songs have become repetitive?

A: Which of my songs are repetitive? Tell me, so I can correct myself. According to me, the repetitive pattern in my career was caused by the series of period films. But I got paid very well.

Q: Is money important?

A: Not as a rule. But I had invested in a studio in Chennai that cost more than I had bargained for. I didn’t have to take a loan. And I enjoyed doing all the period films. But now whatever films I have on hand – like Abbas Tyrewala’s “Jane Tu” and Rakesh Mehra’s “Rang De Basanti”, Shyam Benegal and Rajiv Menon’s new film – aren’t period films.

Q: Too many assignments in Hindi?

A: Better to be burnt out than fade way…1999 was my busiest period – “Dil Se”, “Taal”, “Bombay Dreams”, “Kandukondain Kandukondain”. I love working on musical subjects like “Taal”, “Sapne” and “Kandukondain Kandukondain”. Ghai and Mani Ratnam are two people who know what to do with music. I want to return to that format.

For now I’ve stopped doing period films though they’ve helped me go new areas of my creativity. Their fate wasn’t in my hand. I’m doing three southern Indian films. I’m happy about them. At least they won’t feel let down and they won’t feel I’ve run away, like they sometimes believe in Mumbai.

Q: What went wrong with the music in “Yuva”?

A: In “Yuva”, Mani Ratnam didn’t want songs in the first place. The songs were done largely for the background. I knew from the start there would be very high expectations from our combination. I knew they were in for a letdown, though not as much as they finally were.

I’ve been making too many sacrifices, especially with the way my songs were used. I think Hindi films need to become proud of songs and music again. That’s what the history of our cinema is about. Even my “Hum hain iss pal yahan” in Ghai’s “Kisna” was used in the background.

Q: The music boom in the Mumbai film industry is over.

A: The boom in music happened in the mid-1990s. That’s when “Roja” happened. During the last 7 to 8 years the whole equation between music and cinema has changed.

“Dhoom” had one hit song, and that song made the film a hit. I feel audiences shouldn’t be tortured with unwanted songs. At the same time why deprive them of something they love?

Q: Anything in Hindi songs that you like lately?

A: I like M.M. Kreem’s songs. “Jadu hai nasha hai” in “Jism” and some of the Pakistani songs. Otherwise Hindi music seems to be following the herd mentality. There’s no time to think…One “Kaliyon ka chaman” and everyone uses the same rhythms. Fortunately I’m not forced to do anything that I don’t want to.

Q: Are you happy with your career?

A: My career is not in my hands. I’m happy with what I’m doing. But I’m always thirsty for more. There’s no fixed working place for me. Chennai is my home, I guess. But I want to reach out to the listener in Kanjeevaram and Kolkata. Their approval means a lot to me.

Q: Television has failed for all large-screen actors except you.

A: That’s god’s grace. I’m thankful to the people who made KBC successful. It’s not me, it’s the concept taken from the international model for “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” that worked.

I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I’m just one anchor. The show is running successfully in 80 countries. And there’re many prominent personalities hosting the show across the world. In some Far Eastern countries the most popular actors are the anchors of the show. So too in South Africa. So it isn’t me. I do nothing on KBC that isn’t already tabulated by the show’s regulations.

Q: There was no film release last week, and I feel KBC is responsible.

A: That’s perhaps because of the weather. It’s got nothing to do with KBC. I don’t know how good or bad I am on KBC this time. That’s for viewers to judge.

Q: Did the schedules of KBC go haywire because of the rains?

A: Oh yes! The crew couldn’t make it to Film City. Some of the contestants couldn’t make it. That meant everything had to be re-scheduled. Since everything was planned three months ahead, the entire schedule was destroyed. I had to shoot three episodes instead of two to make up for lost time.

The schedules of two of my underproduction films “Babul” and “Family” were also ruined. I was shooting till four in the morning. Television is so psychologically draining. It requires 110 percent of your concentration. One slip-up and you’re gone.

Q: What difference do you feel between KBC then and now?

A: See, when attempting something new there’s always a great deal of apprehension. The first time the medium was completely new to me. Having been there once the level of anxiety would be reduced. But the tension and energy remain.

Also, in the past two years I’ve been seen in cinema and on television extensively. There have been many, many films, and also ads and public-interest announcements on TV. I don’t know whether that’s an advantage or disadvantage.

Q: Why weren’t you seen doing anything else on TV?

A: I do have certain other commitments on TV. But my contract with Star forbade me from doing any other television until KBC was out of the way. Other TV offers just had to wait.

Q: No fiction on TV I hope?

A: I don’t know! Life is so unpredictable.

Q: People just can’t have enough of you.

A: We shall soon find out (laughs)!

Q: Your latest film “Viruddh” has been widely appreciated.

A: Yes, we’ve pulled through. As its producer we won’t lose any money. A lot of people were moved by the theme. The media wrote very generously about the film. It’s a small new beginning for AB Corp Ltd. Now we’re doing a joint venture with Keshu Ramsay called “Family”. Rituparno Ghosh’s “Antar Mahal” which we’ve produced is going to Locarno. It’s also been selected for the London Film Festival.

Q: Have you seen “Antar Mahal”?

A: Not yet. But Jaya has. And she loved it. It’s her kind of film.

Q: Will you be working only in movies based on themes like freedom and patriotism?

A: No, nothing of that sort. Mangal Pandey is not only a patriotic movie; it is a period film, which talks about a person who acted as the first spark of revolt against the British for freedom. Mangal Pandey had that fire in him, which helped him to stand up against British rule.

Q: What is the difference between the characters of “Bhuvan” in “Lagaan” and Mangal Pandey?

A: The two characters are very different from each other; one is a cool-headed chap, while the other is an aggressive character. For other details you have to go and watch the film.

Q: Heard you have also sung in this movie?

A: Yes, after “Ghulam” I have sung a few lines of a song in this movie too. All went according to the wish of our music director, A.R. Rehman. It is a song on holi, the festival of colours, and it is very different from the one that I sang in “Ghulam”. It is because in this song I have tried to sing in melody whereas in “Ghulam” I just spoke out the lines.

Q: After three to four years from “Lagaan”, Mangal Pandey is here at the theatres; how much time for the next project?

A: After “Mangal Pandey” my next release will be “Rang De Basanti”. I am planning not to keep such a big gap, but, yes, it will surely take eight months. I am trying to give at least one movie a year to my audience. But I will do only one movie at a time, because I can’t work on different projects simultaneously, I am just not comfortable working like this.

Q: Will the Indian audience appreciate your effort?

A: I am pretty sure that the audiences will appreciate this movie, simply because as a team we have put our heart and soul in this movie. Lyrics, music, dialogues, each and every aspect has been carefully studied and researched. Besides, the movie is based on facts. The audiences will be able to know about a character whose name is known to them, but they really don’t know much about him. Mangal is a character, which will fill their hearts with excitement and thrill.

Q: Is it true you’ve overnight replaced Aishwarya in Rohan Sippy’s new film?

A: Overnight? Such things don’t work like that. I was offered the role opposite Abhishek. Since I had the free time because of Hrithik’s accident and since I had never worked with Abhishek before, I jumped at the idea. They first spoke to me because of my free dates after the cancellation of “Krissh”. Then they narrated the film to me. And that’s it.

“I had no idea about Aishwarya. When I get a role, I look at its intrinsic worth, not who might’ve done it. Once I got to know Aishwarya was a candidate, I tried to contact her to clear the air. She’s a senior and a fantastic actress. I respect her a lot. I’d never do something underhand like stealing her role. Because I wouldn’t like anyone do that to me. I didn’t think there was anything unprofessional about doing Rohan’s film.

Q: Your new release “Yakeen” was a disaster.

A: Why do you say that? It was a terrific thriller with twists and turns to the end. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t have faith in it. I do whatever I sign with honesty. Whether a film does well or not is never in my hands. I go to my films without box-office expectations. “Yakeen” has a lot of scope for performance.

Actually, this trend of meaty roles started with “Mujhse Shaadi Karogi”, my first solo hit and definitely a turning point. “Aitraaz” proved I can act. Now, I’ve a reputation to live up to. Incidentally I’m back with Salman Khan in Rumi Jaffrey’s comedy. The script is funny. And I love the way it’s being shot…

And now I have (Rohan Sippy’s) “Bluff Master”. I again get to play someone different what I’ve done so far.

Q: Do you have a tough time getting meaty roles in this male-centric industry?

A: Not that tough any longer. People realise that women can be actors and not decorative dolls. I’m getting a lot of films with a great deal of scope to perform, and I’m grateful for that. In a film like (Farhan Akhtar’s) “Don” which has Shah Rukh Khan in the lead I’m also a part of the main action.

Q: Will you follow Zeenat Aman’s performance in the original “Don”?

A: We’re trying to make our own “Don” but keeping in mind the original plot. “Don” is starting in February. I definitely want to portray my character Roma differently from the way Zeenatji has done. She’s a toughie with revenge on her mind.

I’m really excited about working with Shah Rukh… and of course Hrithik in “Krissh”. Working with him has made me more focused as an actor, and it’s helping me with my other performances. Hrithik believes in giving his all to every shot.

Q: Do you have as much to do in “Krissh” as Preity Zinta had in “Koi…Mil Gaya”?

A: Of yes! In fact, a lot more! My character is integral to the plot. You wouldn’t expect that in a film that has the father and son as director and leading man. I’m lucky to be in it. Again, though (Suneel Darshan’s) “Barsaat” has another leading lady Bipasha Basu, I still have a lot to do.

Q: You did fairly unbecoming things in Suneel Darshan’s “Andaaz”?

A: I don’t do any of those unbecoming things in “Barsaat”, and I’ve a much bigger role. I guess I’ve grown wiser. I refuse to be undignified in my private and public conduct. But let me tell you while I was doing “Andaaz”, I never realised it was anything vulgar. After I saw the film, I knew I had to take a stand about what to do and not do.