Stars have a vulnerable reputation

Do you feel filmstars tend to become media’s favourite punching bags?

For this incident to be written about widely,is expected. I am,however,amazed at the character attack by certain media sections that is depicting me as some aristocrat from the French revolution era,who is abusing common citizens as if he is above the law. Report it,but do not judge me before the truth is out. Don’t blow it out of proportion — the rape of a teen girl on page seven is far more important.

Do you have a short temper?

There are two kinds of people,docile and not,I fall in the latter category. I find some things incredibly annoying and I admit that I should learn to deal with them the right way as a public personality. There are plenty of times when people try to provoke a star and nine out of ten times,I do hold back. Sometimes,one loses control.

The male actors,recently seem to have become a big bastion of bad boys.

Indian guys are generally more aggressive. If one has the tendency to walk up to a guy and shove him around then he is likely to get slapped back. If a similar incident had happened in Delhi,then guns would have been drawn on both sides. But the ‘Bad Boy’ tag doesn’t fit me at all. I’m creative,relaxed,I read,I like my space. I don’t even have a biker jacket. I don’t do these things anymore; I used to,maybe ten years ago.

It’s supposed to be a cool spy thriller,but Agent Vinod has elements,like the song Pyar Ki Pungi,that give it mass appeal. Is this an attempt to widen the fanbase?

The kitschy title was chosen because the kitsch lures the sophisticated audience and also connects with the masses. The treatment is in no way retro. We are aware that people expect us to make a cheesy James Bond rip-off and we will instead deliver an original character that has the usual trappings of a spy — cars chases,girls,suave suits — but is also whacky with a wicked sense of humour.

You also had the additional responsibility of producing the film.

I’ve never worked harder on a film creatively. It was tougher here because Agent Vinod has multiple layers,like action,thrill,drama. So we had to get the visuals,cameras,clothes,art and every other minor detail right. There is an old saying that if you want something done in a certain way,do it yourself unless you can find someone better to do it.

Are you a control freak boss?

It is not about control but about getting the details right. Sometimes,they are the same.

Comparisons with Hollywood films are inevitable. How have you tried to match up?

You just create a world for yourself and deliver within that. You don’t take on more than you can chew. So you don’t shoot an action sequence that Hollywood would spend 50 crore on and do it cheap. If you have to create impact through violence,then break an ashtray on the other person’s head rather than having him kicked through the window.

You have considerably evolved as an actor since Omkara.

I feel it too. I look at certain pictures or films from the past and cringe. I feel more in control now. I won’t call it experience,because that can become baggage sometimes. It’s a bit like playing the guitar — one starts playing one’s own music over time rather than keeping up with notes of other popular numbers.

Is that why you have not gone back to playing a rustic character like Langda Tyagi again?

There are times when you know that despite being new,a character can’t get more different or better than what you have already done. Vishal Bhardwaj offered me the role of a one-armed man. I told him that after Langda Tyagi,he cannot have a ‘loola’ Tyagi. I wouldn’t mind playing a rustic detective with a quirky nature,like Hercule Poirot or Sherlock Holmes.