Celeb Chat

But tomorrow something you reject could become a smash hit.
I would be happy doing Hindi films if the scripts stimulated me, or otherwise it should be a role in a really prominent project, the kind I’d do even if I didn’t like it. Even if I was offered something like what Chunky Pandey did in Tezaab, I’d do it. At least the role had some substance and a graph. It didn’t begin and end just anywhere. Besides, he got to sing an immortal song (So gaya yeh jahan). They aren’t going to offer me the lead in a film with a budget of Rs 15 crore.

Why not?
Because the big directors in Mumbai don’t think too highly of me. I don’t know. Ram Gopal Varma has the guts to launch newcomers like Aftab Shivdasani. Others just don’t have the hindsight. I guess they are playing it safe with all the known names. I honestly believe that in the last five years we have had some spectacular actors on television. Given a chance they could have proven themselves on the large screen, and a lot of people would have made a lot of money. Unfortunately movie makers aren’t willing to look beyond a certain coterie of stars.

A lot of people felt you’d be the first actor since Shah Rukh Khan to make it from television to cinema.
Oh but lots of actors have come into cinema from television. There’s Manoj Bajpai, Ashutosh Rana, Sharad…

There’s a lot of Shah Rukh Khan in you.
I don’t know why everyone says that. I see no resemblance between us except for the fact that both of us come from television.

Probably the mischievous streak, yes?
But I was mischievous even before I came to know about Shah Rukh! This is quite a common observation and I’m quite tired of it.

Your career is bullish in the South, isn’t it?
Yeah, in the sense that there are at least thirty scripts ready in the South at any given time. And there aren’t that many actors to do those roles. So there’s a lot of demand for new actors. The director will bulldoze you into believing that his is the best script in the world. But you have to be careful.

Do you feel let down by the` thanda’ response that awaits you in Mumbai each time you touch down from Chennai?
I come back to Mumbai to recuperate, to get my feet back on the ground. Chennai makes one feel bigger than one is. After the way people treat me there, I am threatened by the prospect of losing my head. Mumbai puts my success and life in a proper perspective, helps to regain my composure. Here, I can be myself, even play a game of basketball on the street. It gives me clarity of thought.

Are you a very sporty person?
Oh yeah. Very outdoors. I’m into lots of games. But very professionally. If I play a game it will have to be on a national level.

What about success in Mumbai cinema on a national level?
It will happen when it will. Distributors won’t touch your film if you’ve got an unknown face.

But Hrithik Roshan was an unknown face six months back.
Correct. But his father could afford to take a risk on him. On January 18, they had Mela lined up for release. On January 26, it was Kaho Na… Pyar Hai followed by Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani and Pukar. All the distributors bought the other three films for huge amounts, while Kaho Na… was sold for a lark. The guys who bought Hrithik’s film are laughing all the way to the bank, while others cried all the way to bankruptcy.

You seem to be well clued in about trade facts.
The computer is an amazing window to the world. Can you believe it? I get all my information on my internet. My wife and I together answer all my fan mail.

What about the embarrassing fan mail?
Ever since people came to know about our marriage, there are no embarrassing letters at all. That’s reassuring. I dread the obscene ones.

Women are said to find married actors more attractive.
Really? I’m counting on that. I guess after a while the fans go beyond the skin to see the actor’s personality and what it represents. That makes a lot of difference. Then the girls start looking at the guy as a role model for the person they want in their own lives.

Which are the actresses you want to work with?
Tabu and Kajol. I have gotta tell you this. Two of my Tamil films are delayed because we couldn’t find the right actress for me. There’s no substitute for Juhi Chawla or Kajol for my generation. We need someone like them. There’s a dearth of young actresses in the South. Besides Jyotika and Simran who are at the top, there’s no one else! Now Jyotika is acting opposite Kamal Haasan. So will the youth accept her opposite me?

What are you doing about this heroine problem?
Nothing. I just keep looking. Earlier, one could get a glamorous Mumbai actress into South Indian films. But now with the rising importance of the script it is essential for every actor to know the language.

You’re a Jamshedpur-born Hindi-speaking Tamil Brahmin, who’s become a success in his place of origin? Is that irony or what?
I don’t know. I was born a vagabond. I guess I’ll remain one. I’m very happy with the way things are now. Big or small screen, I’m happy with what I do. It’s important not to get carried away. That’s the only way to remain clear-headed about your career. That’s my only defence mechanism against the failure that’s bound to follow. I know one day all this will end. It’s inevitable. No one is successful forever. So why get used to it? I’m happy and satisfied with what I am. I never went to a director soliciting roles. My optimum ambition is to just do my best and be myself.

Subhash K Jha