It was quite callous

What prompted you to open your acting school, Actor Prepares?I’d been wanting to do this for many years because I feel we don’t h...

What prompted you to open your acting school, Actor Prepares?
I’d been wanting to do this for many years because I feel we don’t have professionally trained actors, especially on television, where the standard is really deteriorating. Government-funded schools like NSD and FTII are too theatre-centric.

What makes a good actor?
Honesty. Most newcomers are brilliant in their first film. And when they become successful, they spend their whole lives trying to recapture that sincerity.

Your favourite actors…
Naseeruddin Shah, Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Balraj Sahni, Sridevi and Kajol.

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So, nobody from our current crop of actors is good?
I am not saying that. You asked for my choice. But Rani Mukerji does certain roles quite well.

You’re spotted in very few films these days…
I’ve done 306 films in 20 years. So, in a way, I’ve done it all. In the last five years, I haven’t seen anything that made me go, ‘S**t, I wish I’d done it.’ Anyway, my play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai gives me more satisfaction than 20 films combined.

Do you regret any films?
Oh, plenty. Not the films per se, but my performance in them.

Does it bother you that you don’t have a national award?
Not anymore. When you grow as a person, you forget the setbacks. ButI still go through cycles of self pity and depression.

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Your wife, Kirron, has two. Does that bother you?
Not at all. She worked hard for them.

Do you share an on-screen kiss with Mahima Chaudhry in The Chess?
Definitely not. That’s a ridiculous rumour; I don’t know how it started.

What’s the first thought that comes to your mind when I say Censor Board?
(Long pause) I’ve gotten over that episode. I didn’t feel bad that I was asked to step down, just disappointed in the way it was handled, which was quite callous. During my term, three films that could have been controversial—Black Friday, Final Solution and Amu—were passed.

Do you, as a person, hold the same views on censorship as you did as chairman of the Censor Board?
The post of chairman is a responsibility given to you. The chair is bigger than you. My personal views can’t interfere with the chair. But I stand by my opinion on certain television programs and remix videos. We have to take care of what we show.

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But who decides whats good or bad?
Parents are the best censors. But as a country, we should make sure that women and children are protected. The harassment meted out to women in some movies and television serials is pathetic. And the women in small towns have to pay a price for it.
What is your view on the Rog poster controversy?
Posters are always cleared by the Producer’s Council. So, what’s the big deal? Worse things are shown on TV and ads.

Do you plan to direct again after Om Jai Jagadish?
I’ve written the script, but I still have to decide whether I want to act or direct it. It’s a love story between a father and son.

Are you okay with your son Sikander getting into acting?
Who am I to approve? He wants to do it. Acting is the most wonderful profession if you know your job.
What happened to your autobiography??
It’s in the process of being written. Harper Collins has commissioned it and Pallavi Gupta, who wrote When The Porridge Overflows, is co-authoring it.