In Good COMPANY

So what was it about from Do Dooni Chaar that pulled you out a life of leisure and domesticity to the studios?
It’s all because of Habib Faisal,the director. My husband Rishi had already agreed to play Santosh Duggal,a schoolteacher and head of a small family in the film. But then Habib wanted me to play the role of Mrs Duggal and kept insisting that I should at least hear the script. I won’t deny that I was curious too,as Rishi had been raving about it and I agreed,but had decided to turn down the offer.

I remember it was Diwali and there were so many arrangements to be made and my telling him ‘Jaldi sunao’. But the twenty minutes I had planned to allot him extended to a few hours. It was some time halfway through the narration,that I knew I was going to be part of it.

Would you also attribute your signing on because of the cameo in Love Aaj Kal?
No,no that was too fleeting a shot for anything to sink in. I was not looking for work,neither did I want to make a comeback. At my age I knew I was suited for bhabhi or mother roles and that was not something I was keen on doing. I was very happy in my space,looking after my family and home and my leisurely lifestyle. But I fell in love with the sweet and simple story of the middle-class Delhi-based family and their aspirations for a more luxurious life.

In fact when I said yes,neither Habib nor my husband could believe it. It was not that it was a very fantastic role. But it was so different. Also there was comfort in the fact that Rishi was playing my husband.

You are playing a mother in the film.
Yes I am playing a mother,but she’s not a typical screen mother. My kids are two teenagers aged 16 and 14 and I have a very prominent part. What was more interesting was my get-up,the clothes I had to wear,my hair and the language.

Is she close to what you are in real life?
Not at all. Kusum Duggal is quite different from what I am in real life. I like to dress up,wear my hair short and am very comfortable in my jeans. Kusum is a very middle-class Punjabi, always dressed in salwar-kameez,has short nails,pins in her hair,bindi,bangles,shoes and socks. In fact I took great pains to look like her.

Do you in any way identify with the family’s greed for more?
Of course there is an identification,because whoever you are and whatever you have,there is that constant desire in every human to want a bit more. But how to achieve it the right way what the film is all about. Duggal achieves what he wants through crooked means,but there is also the right way.

What was Rishi Kapoor’s reaction when you agreed to do the film?
Rishi was very happy when I agreed to do the film. He was too excited.

What about your son,Ranbir?
He was very happy too as he loved the story idea. He wants me to work again.

What was the first thing you noticed when you started work after so many years?
Having a vanity van to myself! I remember doing my make-up on the road when I was shooting for films like Amar Akbar Anthony and here I had the luxury of doing my make-up in air-conditioned comfort.

Any other change that surprised you?
Yes,the concept of monitors was very new. I found it very strange at first to have only the cameraman in front of me but no director or assistant. But then I saw the advantages,how improvisations could be made on the spot instead of in the editing room because of this.

What was the first day of shooting like?
It was very confusing. You see I am short-sighted and also need reading glasses. On the first day of shoot when I wore my lenses for the shot I couldn’t read my lines. I told my husband if I don’t wear lenses I can’t see people and if I wear them I can’t read my lines. So the next day I stopped using my lenses. It was okay if I don’t see people but I had to read my lines. After that,it was like I had never left movies.

So it was very easy to fall into the routine. Except for the fact that I had to wake up at six in the morning and be ready by nine with Habib cribbing that I should come earlier. I told him I would have to wake up by five for that! Actually my hair would take a long time. Also the film was set in winter so we had to wear these caps,mufflers and shawls. Which was okay except for the fact that two years back when we were shooting the winter got over in 15 days and we had to complete the film wearing sweaters and shawls in the heat.

Rishi and you have worked in several films together before. Did you notice any change in him as an actor?
You know at that time I was so young I didn’t even realise what acting was all about. Today,I realise what a good actor he is,how he brings so much to the scene and lifts it to another level altogether,also in the way he goes about everything,helping me and the others around,in this case the two kids Aditi Vasudev and Archit Krishna. For this film,he went shopping for his shoes,mufflers and small things to bring out the character. My respect for him as actor has gone up tenfold after working in Do Dooni Chaar.

What would he tell you?
Many times he would say ‘Zaraa aur lift karo’ – put more life in your lines and expressions.

Is there any scene in the film that you thoroughly enjoyed doing?
There are several,but I particularly enjoyed the wedding scene because I could dress up a bit there,put flowers in my hair and some lipstick. Otherwise I looked so different from what I normally do that at times my friends who came visiting would walk past without recognising me.

Will we see you in any more films?
I don’t think I want a career at this stage. I can’t neglect my house and get completely involved with films. And even if I do I would want at least one of mthat y family members involved in the film I do. I am very insecure to be on my own. I was with my husband on Karan Johar’s show and did an ad with my daughter.

What about a film with Ranbir?
That’s a thought. We are so similar in looks that I am sure we would look good together on screen,but no one has approached us yet.