‘I’m not a textbook. I’d rather be a novel’

Do the characters draw upon Lord Vishnu’s Dashavatar?
When we were thinking of the film’s name, the iconic image of Dashavatar struck us. Like the Ten Commandments, it’s a magical number and we decided to tout it. We use Vishnu’s Dashavatar as an iconic reference, but continue with our film, which is a global story that breaks topographies and timelines. It starts in 2008, goes back to the 12th century, then comes to 2004 and ends in 2008.  

Rumour has it that the first three minutes of Dashavataram cost Rs 3 crore and that you’ve roped in Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa to play cameos.
The film is expensive. You’ll realise that when you watch it. The other is a rumour spread by my friends from your, rather our estate, as I have also been a journalist. Since we are not giving out any news about the film, they make news about it that’s not fully true.  

Was Mallika Sherawat’s role originally meant for Vidya Balan? Why cast north Indian actresses when there is so much talent down south?
That happens when we decide to take our films to the north. The business agenda of my films, which now fortunately sell in the north too, comes into play. For instance, we didn’t use a Bollywood face in my last film Virumandi, which is purely Dravidian. As a writer, I write a character with a particular actress—her strengths and weaknesses included—in mind. Of course, there are issues such as availability, willingness and affordability too.

Is there any Bollywood actresses you wish to be paired with?
I once wanted to do a film with Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. I even spoke to Shabanaji but the producers let me down. She was disappointed that I didn’t inform her about the film being dropped. I couldn’t because I was sulking so much that I forgot to tell her. Down south, I also wanted to act with Savitriji. I tried but she died before I turned producer. There are favourites among those I have acted with. Sridevi, with whom I did 27 films and who acted with me when she was 16, much before Sadma happened, shared a good rapport with me.

Your daughter Shruti is all set to make her acting debut. Do you mentor her?
She has a thinking apparatus, which works quite efficiently. I give my opinions and we disagree and then tend to agree too. Sometimes she comes back and says, “I was wrong and you were right,” and vice-versa. I didn’t like too much advice either when I was young. She has a similar mindset; blame it on DNA. She wished to be a part of Dashavataram but then she was studying music in the US when we started this film and so she couldn’t be a part of it. 

How is it for an actor of your stature in Tamil Nadu to remain apolitical?
Being apolitical is very difficult. It requires a lot of hard work. When people ask me why I am not into politics, I say, “I am a good actor, but not that good an actor. So I am not in politics.” But that’s just a joke, not the complete, true answer. I can’t say that I am not political at all, but I am not into active politics and never will be unless there comes a time when everybody must get involved in it. Like in 1946, when not being in politics meant that you did not fully understand or become a part of the evolution of the country.

Given the wave of experimentalism in Bollywood today, do we see you making a comeback?
That’s why I am coming back, it’s a very nice place to be in today. It’s not only for money but also to be part of an all-encompassing, sweeping change, like 1946. Things are changing. For instance, Shah Rukh knows how to do an Om Shanti Om but putting forward that step to do a Chak De! India is a good attempt. Aamir knows how to do a Ghajini but doing a Taare Zameen Par is laudable and such efforts should be applauded more loudly by peers. I am planning a bi-lingual film for Rajkamal Films International. It’s not yet named though the script is ready and the music will be by AR Rahman. It’s a period film, set in seventh century AD, and we have already signed Hema Malini.

You are perhaps India’s most feted actor. What do awards mean to you?
I don’t gloat over them and even when I needed to count, I didn’t. An actor’s ego should only be boosted by the applause in the theatre.
Awards are an additional applause but are not as spontaneous as the claps in a theatre. They have their own significance but they can also be political sometimes. I don’t disrespect them but I am confused about how to respect them.  

What’s your take on your status as one of the rare Indian actors to be considered a textbook in acting?
Textbooks are boring, so I hope I am not that. Anybody or anything that indulges in pontification is boring and stagnant. I would rather be a novel that’s unputdownable. I have no rules and the best possible way I could become a textbook is when others learn from my mistakes. ©