Anil Kapoor Interview

Q.1What made you decide to do the film Tashan
It was the role of Bhaiyaji, Victor came to my residence and narrated a few scenes to me and explained the character of Tashan and I just felt that I should do this film and then he said that my script is not completed yet but I have started it but these are the few scenes which I have and that I am working on the entire script, I think sixty to seventy percent of the script was ready and then I think he had to work on the climax but listening to the three/four scenes and Victor just explained the whole film, the kind of film he wants to make and I just said to myself that I must be a part of this film.

Q.2.What was it like working with Victor
I have been very fortunate to be in touch with a lot of good writers, very successful writers and writers with a lot of depth and understanding and once I met Victor I knew that he has a certain kind if understanding of mainstream commercial cinema and he has the aesthetics of sensible cinema also so it’s a great combination which I felt and that’s the first thing which came to my mind when I said yes I will do the film and then I said such a big film, such a huge star cast and Yash Raj films is making the films so obviously they must have seen his work and they will not make a film of such a big scale and I felt they are doing the right thing by making this film’s have worked with Yashji many years back which is about almost sixteen/seventeen years back and during the last film Lamhe when I did I had a certain kind of rapport which I hit with Adi during the making of the film and I do trust his instinct from the times we were doing Lamhe. There were times when me and Adi would be late on the sets because we would be discussing what to do? How to do it? What colour to wear? What clothes to wear both of us would then come running on the sets and get a firing from Yashji because we were late as half of the time we were discussing all these things so it’s a rapport built seventeen/eighteen years back and when he spoke to me about this film, the script and the role he did say that you know Anil, Victor has written this film and role keeping you in mind if you do it would be good and if you don’t do it then I will have to change it for someone else so I said sounds great but let me hear it and when I heard it I realized that it sounded quite complicated and strange and I said whether I will be able to do it or no and why are they casting me in this role and these are the fears which I had and I said ok let me go ahead with the film and I said yes to the film.

Q.3.4.5 Can you tell us a little bit about your character in the film
The character stays in a small town in Kanpur. He rides a rickshaw and makes a living out of it. He is ambitious in his own way and the kind of person if he ever gets an opportunity to become successful and make a lot of money and even if it is not morally right and if it requires him to go against the law to fulfill his ambition he would not think twice he would just go and grab it so that’s the kind of person he is as Bhaiyaji. He is in his early twenties when he is in Kanpur, not very educated, fluent with Hindi the way the North Indians are, his education has been till third/fourth standard otherwise its been the otherwise its been the surrounding of Kanpur and the passengers which he ferries from one place to the other. He stays in Kanpur but wants to make it big, wants to go to Mumbai and make it big there and he gets this opportunity to go to Mumbai

Now because he has got used to getting things done easily and not doing it morally correct and going against the law, he comes to Bombay and starts doing things which are definitely against the law but now he has to fulfill his ambition of becoming a rich, big, power man because he is power hungry. He has got these very strange kind of likes and to achieve those likes he will go to any extent He feels that he has made it big in Mumbai, but at the same time he wants to also make it big internationally but he does not know to speak English so that’s his problem and that’s really disturbing him so he will go to any extent to get the right person to teach him English to fulfill his dream of not only becoming powerful in India but powerful all over the world, so that’s the background of this character. You have to see the film to see how he learns English and how he fulfills his dream to become the most powerful man and how he goes to any extent and how he is very possessive, very jealous but at the same time interesting, very funny and lovable in his own way. I think today there are a lot of Bhaiyaji’s all over the world, the character which I am playing; it’s a kind of character which a lot of people will be able to identify with.

Q.6.
My Tashan is my two pair of jeans which I wear almost 363 days of the year through out and a pair of boots which I wear for years and years. These are things which I feel are my style. I would do a romantic scene, death scene, and passionate scene or playing the role of a professor, cop, orphan and still carry it off the stubble in any kind of role be it negative or positive

Q.7.What was the experience of working with Akshay Kumar
I have worked with Akshay in two/three films our last film together was a huge success. He is much younger to me still I have learnt a lot from him. He is quite restrained with his comments, he has this very earthy kind of rustic humor, he is a very simple person and always a pleasure to work with and obviously with him around everybody is very physically conscious and whenever we are together working on a film outdoor, early mornings are always a kind of a thing like who is going to get up early, whose going to be at the gym first and start working out. Its great fun working with him.

Q.8. What was the experience of working with Saif Ali Khan
I have worked with Saif in a film where he did a guest appearance in Biwi No 1.I got to know him during the making of Tashan because we hardly had the time during Biwi No 1.During those days he was going thru a rough patch and trying to make his presence felt but still he had a certain kind of personality to himself that if giving an opportunity he will make it. He is a kind of a guy whom you would like to sit, chat, discuss and have a good laugh with. Morning’s you would like to spend with Akshay and evening’s you would like to spend with Saif that’s the difference between Saif & Akshay so morning’s were with Akshay and evenings I would be with Saif to entertain myself and entertain him and have a small drink together. He is very poker, restrained and very mischievous and lots of fun.

Q.9 What was the experience of working with Kareena Kapoor
Kareena I think today is one of the most beautiful looking girls, very stunning and looking better and better. I see the change in her for the better she is talking more about her work than food otherwise when I have worked with her earlier she would not discuss the scenes but instead talk about what we should eat for lunch so now the lunch is gone its about work,health,how to look better and about scripts so it’s a positive change in her. I get along very well with her and enjoy her company.

Q.10.How was the experience shooting in different parts of the country for Tashan
According to Victor I looked my best during the Rajasthan schedule and I performed to his satisfaction. Rajasthan I was the most stressed, I hardly slept I had too many things on my mind during the Rajasthan schedule. I had to travel a lot, to and fro from Delhi so it was almost traveling the whole night and shooting the next day, I did everything and saw to it that I fulfilled my professional commitments inspite of me having to do so many things I never made them feel that I was going thru so much and I am happy that it turned out to be my best schedule because I was very physically and mentally stressed during my schedule in Rajasthan. The film has also been shot in Ladakh and South India but I didn’t have any scenes there.

Q.11. What is it about the action of Tashan that sets it apart from the other films
The action of Tashan is very rustic, very earthy, action which anybody in our country can identify with but done stylishly because Tashan means style and you have three of the best action stars. There is Akshay who is famous for his action and Saif who has done some great stunts in this film and with an action director like Peter Hinnes you tend to get inspired, he is very humble, soft and hard working and he inspires you to do things which otherwise you would not have done, with any other action director. He pushes you with a smile and gets you to do it.

Q.12.What was it like working with Yash Raj Films after so many years
I have done three films with Yash Raj, I almost started my career with them as a matter of fact the turning point of my career was Mashal, where I had the opportunity to work with Yashji and Dilip Kumar. I can never ever forget because if Yashji would not have signed me for me that film I don’t think I would have been sitting in front of you today and giving this interview. Then I did Lamhe we had such a wonderful time doing it and it was such a beautiful film and till today people remember that film. Working with them has always been like working with family. I really like them, I have also spent some great moments with them traveling abroad and staying together. I do miss them coming on the sets but at the same time, If today the film industry is doing good and the business had grown tremendously it’s because of their contribution, for introducing corporate culture, disciplined professionalism and the way films should be made a lot of credit goes to them.

Q.13.What kind of roles do you like to play personally?
It all depends on my state of my mind and what phase of my life I am going through. There are certain times when you are going through a phase where you want to do dramatic films because you are angry with something and you want to do films which are against the society or against the system, there are other films also that come your way but you choose to do these kinds of films because there is some anger in you and certain times you are at a stage where you don’t have a choice because you are not getting the right script/right role you say ok fine at least this has come and let me do it. There are times when you are going through a phase where you want to do comedy because you have had done enough serious roles and you just want to go and have some fun. Romantic roles I am always open, because I am always feeling romantic, but nobody is just offering it to me these days.