Sarfarosh a bold statement on Pakistan8217;s proxy war

Sarfarosh director, John Matthews Mathan spent nearly two years researching before shooting the film, which is being promoted as quot;fiction based on factsquot;. He explains: quot;I think what Sarfarosh has to say holds good because it is a bold and honest statement, whether the incident at Kargil had happened or not.quot; Khan adds that it8217;s not only about Pakistan8217;s proxy war in India, but about real issues 8211; communal discord, Partition, the human face of the police force.

Khan,who spent weeks at Mumbai8217;s Crime Branch observing the behaviour of cops for his portrayal of a tough cop 8211; ACP Ajay Singh Rathod, will be in Delhi again very soon for the pre-release publicity of his next film, Mann, scheduled to hit theatres in mid-July.

But the Khan does not like to watch his earlier films. quot;It disturbs me a lot, because suddenly I feel the kind of work I8217;ve done is all wrong,quot; cringes the actor, whose one-film-one-hit-a-year credo is still considered too risky by other Bollywood biggies to imitate.

With Mann, he breaks out of the one-film mould, which he admits put a lot of pressure on him. The soundtrack has a Khan monologue set to music, but he8217;s not singing after Aati Kya Khandala. quot;I got away with it, but I don8217;t want to mess it up now,quot; he shrugs.

There are two more releases 8211; Mela and 1947 8211; lined up for this year. However, the Khan bonanza is not an orchestrated move, and Khan, who seems to have consciously avoided sticking to a singledefining image of hero, insists that the characters he plays are miles apart8217;. quot;Creatively, it8217;s boring for me to play one kind of role again and again. I8217;d like to provoke directors to think of me in as many different roles as possible.quot;

The year 1999 also marks Khan8217;s foray into production; Lagaan, in which he is also acting, will start production in November. quot;All aspects of film-making excite me,quot; he says, flashing the trademark boyish grin that sent a million female hearts fluttering for the first time in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, way back in 1988. But he8217;s not ready to get into direction yet, which is all-consuming. quot;I8217;m peaking as an actor now, though there is still a lot to learn, to reach a level I8217;m really excited about.quot;

So, does that mean he8217;s Star Number One in Bollywood? Khan laughs, then takes an interminable minute to answer, weighing every word before he speaks it. quot;It8217;s certainly important that I should be the most loved and respected actor in the country at this point oftime,quot; is how he deftly sidesteps the question.

And no, there is no war for the number one slot between the three Khans of Bollywood. quot;It8217;s something the press is really excited about, perhaps because we are all successful,quot; is all he8217;s prepared to concede.

In addition to a lesson in political correctness, Khan also gives you insight into film classification. quot;All cinema is art, whether good or bad, but every film ought to be commercially viable.quot;

He, however, distinguishes between cinema that is popular in terms of content, and cinema that is not. And popular cinema is probably what he has stuck to, restricting his fetish for experimentation well within the mainstream.

Deepa Mehta8217;s 1947 does detour from Bollywood, but Khan says the filming experience was no different: quot;All the directors I8217;ve worked with are quite passionate about their work and very professional, so except for the fact that she is the first woman director I8217;ve worked with, it was the same.quot; He also opposes the notion thatactors these days prefer to work with a younger crop of directors. quot;It8217;s the rapport, not the age.quot;

At 34, Khan8217;s 11 years in the film industry have been good to him, perhaps because he8217;s been good to them. There are no sizzling sidelights on alleged affairs with co-stars, or interviews painting Khan, the family man at play with his two kids, Junaid, six, and Arya, one. quot;The film press is downright ridiculous and comical,quot; this Mumbaikar states, which is why he8217;s kept away from them for the past seven years.

As far as cinema is concerned, quot;I have only one aim, and that is to be involved with films that I believe in and am proud of.quot; Of course, there have been films he has not enjoyed doing, but he refuses to name any. And his most forthcoming critic? quot;My wife, who hates most of my movies,quot; he jokes.