More than a fantasy!

 

 

Tell us about your journey – from being an Assistant Director with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra for Aks to an actor in tinsel town.

I started off as somebody who didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. I had tried some 25-30 different professions before I became a Production Assistant in advertising. I was rather fortunate that my parents always encouraged me to keep trying new things and to keep learning from the mistakes. However, I was always clear that until I find something I really wanted to do, I would never stop or compromise.

Your family is into construction; didn’t you ever consider taking that up?

I did take it up for about six-seven months but then realised that brick and cement don’t really excite me. At that point in time, I did an ad film with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, which was a great experience. So I went ahead and asked Rakeysh if I could assist him in Aks. By about half way through it I had decided that I wanted to be an actor. Rakeysh however was always sure about me and knew I enjoyed being in front of the camera more than being behind it. So he encouraged me to take it up as a career. Then Meenaxi happened…

You’ve done theatre where you’ve worked with veterans like Naseeruddin Shah. How has that influenced your style of acting?

Theatre with Naseer gave me a completely different insight about acting as a craft. It’s here that I realised that acting is not something that comes naturally to me. It is like any other craft that can be learnt. I believe people have a misconception about acting. You may not necessarily be born with the skill. There is nothing like – you either have it or you don’t. On the contrary, I feel that acting is a craft, which can be learnt. But it is really difficult for anyone to teach you how to act. If we look at actors like Saif and Akshay, they were initially not considered good actors but today they are brilliant and that’s because they have worked hard to reach there.

How far would you go to make a character look authentic?

I feel you don’t really need to be completely psychotic and live the character to enact it. For me it is really important to do things that bring you closer to the feel of the character. For instance, my character of Aslam in Rang De Basanti hailed from Chandni Chowk. I had never been to Chandni Chowk in my life. So I decided to stay there for a couple of days. It was more about having fun and having biryani than a research to get into the soul of the character. I think it is definitely important to get a feel of the character and here the ‘look test’ works for me. If you look like the character, half your job is already done.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has agreed to bring to life your first-ever script. Would you like to share something about it.

Well I love writing and I thoroughly enjoy it. I keep writing short stories. Once a friend of mine came up with an idea which I started working on. But trust me it’s very easy to start writing but really difficult to finish! I’m still working on it… You’ve made second leads look as important as the main leads in a film. What is your criteria for selecting a movie?

I’m always on a lookout for roles that I’ve never done before. After Rang De Basanti, I was the new jihaadi or poet in town and everyone wanted to cast me in such roles. But for me it’s important to do a different role each time and work with the right people. I believe that even an ordinary script in the hands of an excellent director could turn out to be an extraordinary film. Whereas, a great script in the hands of a person whose intentions are right but who doesn’t know what to do with it could turn out to be a sad film. Also, the film should be such that I would want to watch.

In Aaja Nachle you got the opportunity to work with one of your favourite actresses, Madhuri Dixit. Tell us about the experience.

The role I essay in Aaja Nachle is very different from my real life persona. Here I play a slightly aggressive character and it was a great experience in totality. However, I’d like to add that working in this film has been very exhausting because I was acting both on screen and off screen. Every time I’d look at Madhuri I’d get excited like any other fan who has grown up watching her films. Suddenly I’d realise that she is my co-star and I must not look awestruck. So I’d land up spending the whole day acting! But we had a complete blast while shooting for Aaja Nachle. Our director Adi (Aditya Chopra) used to call us a ‘love sick’ unit (laughs) simply because we are all in love with each other. We’ve had some 35 parties already. We’ve actually partied to celebrate the completion of special effects, we’ve partied after the background music was completed, then on the completion of the music of the film and so on.

Have you ever felt intimidated by the superstars you’ve worked with?

I was not really intimidated except for, may be, the first day of the shoot. But they behave so normally that you start feeling at ease. They are all normal chilled out people and we became buddies. So it was never very difficult for me. But sometimes when I look at the posters or the CD covers, it hits me, “Oh my God, I’m in a film with Aamir Khan or say Madhuri Dixit!” You had accompanied Aamir Khan for the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Do you believe that an actor needs to be socially responsible?

As an individual it is very important to be socially responsible. People say that we actors do it for publicity but I see no harm in it, because if you can even influence 10 people towards a cause, it’s worth the effort.

Pullela Gopichand refused to endorse cola drinks because it’s harmful for health. How would you have reacted?

Well, there are opinions and counter opinions but as long as you do things in moderation, I think it is ok. For example, sitting on a computer all day long is not good but that doesn’t mean you stop using the computer. Similarly cola drinks, chocolates and chips are a part of the society that we live in. We can’t shun them away. I personally indulge in them and so would not mind endorsing them. But I don’t smoke and don’t indulge in alcohol too often, so I would never endorse such products. For me everything has a place, whether it is good or bad, honesty or dishonesty. It may be in different degrees but their existence cannot be ignored.

Your work provides you creative satisfaction and also wins you the adulation of your fans. At the end of the day, what is it that makes Kunal happy?

I’ve read somewhere that the trick to be happy is concentrating on what you have than what you don’t. One must surely work hard to achieve more in life but if it makes you unhappy, then it’s surely not worth the effort. Since childhood we’ve been told that with success comes happiness but I feel it’s about being content with whatever you have. I believe that simple things in life can bring more happiness, it could be a book you are reading or even something else, you just need to realise it.

Tell us what would your ideal lady love be like?

Honestly, what interests me in a woman is her simplicity. It is difficult for me to quantify it or rather define it in words. It may be in the way she looks or how she smiles. It’s that untouched quality in a girl which shows that she is not corrupted and that there’s lots more to her… it’s difficult to define (smiles).

How does your family react to your celebrity status?

Oh they are very normal about it, probably because it hasn’t changed me much. Also, I don’t know how to behave like a celebrity. I still get a firing from my mom for a lot of things like for being forgetful, for not carrying enough cash in my wallet etc... But I like it that way.

A very long life later, how would Kunal Kapoor’s epitaph read?

Been there… done that.