Something Strange is Happening

As an actor, what gives you a kick?
I do a film if I believe in the story. To be honest, I8217;m quite bored with acting in movies. I don8217;t have a dream role. I8217;m not dying to play Hamlet or King Lear. I did the small role in Maqbool because I knew it would help the film. I persuaded Om Puri to do his role also. I8217;ve received enough praise for my work. After a point, you can8217;t digest praise.

Does that apathy extend to theatre?
Movies never gave me the joy theatre did. It was always a job I was passionate about. In movies, communication is always via a machine. In theatre, you communicate directly with 200 people at the same moment. That high is incomparable.

You8217;re finally directing your own movie.
Oh yes. I8217;ve been dying to make a movie for a while now. I crave full control over a product. I want the satisfaction of watching actors perform a scene just as I see it in my mind.

Can you tell us something about the film?
It8217;s titled Yun Hota To Kya Hota, after a Mirza Ghalib couplet. The film8217;s largely in English so we also have an English title, What If. I don8217;t have any statement to make in the film except that life is fun.

Did producer Shabir Boxwalla influence the casting?
I resisted the producer8217;s requests. All the actors8212;Irrfan Khan, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Konkona Sensharma, Ayesha

Takia, Ankur Khanna, Saroj Khan, Boman Irani and Suhasini Mulay8212;are my choice.

Why did it take time to get your directorial venture going?
It took me five years to raise the money. People were either not confident of my ability as a director, or they thought I would make some boring art film.

You8217;ve never been fond of Bollywood stars8230;
That8217;s because they8217;re so predictable. I don8217;t think anyone is particularly good.

Do you ever catch your wife Ratna8217;s TV serial, Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai?
Yeah, I enjoy it sometimes. Satish Shah is really funny.

Which was the last film you really enjoyed watching?
I suspect it was Lagaan. Though I enjoyed Maqbool as well, I wasn8217;t bowled over by it.

Can you rate some of your favourite performances?
It8217;s a very tough call because I8217;m always hoping I8217;ll improve in the next one. There are some roles I like but I hesitate to put labels. But the performances closest to me are Masoom and my first film, Nishaant. Monsoon Wedding and Jalwa are a close third.

Do you miss the Oye Oye days?B
I don8217;t miss anything. Oye Oye was just an aberration. I knew it wasn8217;t going to happen again. I realised that I could not pull it off so, wisely, I never attempted it again.

When will we see you and Shabana Azmi together?
Ah, I don8217;t know. I8217;d love to work with Shabana again, but we both realise that it can8217;t be something we8217;ve done before. There are too many expectations and we have to live with them.

You know, something strange is happening these days. Some of the parts I turn down have been changed and given to her. Jagmohan Mundra and Aparna Sen8217;s movies were first offered to me, but when I said no, they

conveniently changed the protagonist from a male to a female. Isn8217;t that interesting?