‘There’s a sense of reality in today’s cinema’

What are your observations on the larger-than-life cinema of the past and the more realistic cinema of today?
This generation wants to break away from given formats,if it can be called that,because we were all accused in the past with ‘Oh,there’s going to be a song,a tree,some running around and then there will be a lady and a villain and then you get rid of him.’ But thank god for this generation that things have moved ahead and how wonderful that I get an opportunity to work with it.
The present generation is very conscious of the fact that it must not be labelled by the escapades of the past. They are trying to do things differently not because they want to be different but because they feel very strongly about things. Whether it is marriage,live-in relationships or the taboos of sex,they are beginning to question everything.

Has cinema moved from being escapist to the kind that can raise debate?
Maybe,it was more escapist then. I think there is a sense of reality in today’s cinema.
There is a value attached to reality and they say face the facts,and if you face the facts,you still have a story. In the Fifties and the Sixties,the common man didn’t have access to what the elite had. He needed those three hours of that little dark air-conditioned atmosphere to get away from that street-hawker existence on the pavement and see these visions of a different world. How wonderful for us to be able to have done that.
But now,in the reality that we show,we accept the fact that there is a classification because of differences in our status. A lot of credit needs to go to the electronic media. If you go past slums in Mumbai,you will find terraces covered with television antennae. Television has entered their homes and they are now determined to work for a dream and say,hey,if they can have it,so can I.
When we were in college,the emphasis was on education,and you had to do a BA,a BSc or an MA,but today,people have become ambitious and want to do many great things that will benefit the country in the long run. A portion of that effect falls on our creativity.

Do reality shows such as Bigg Boss represent that societal change?
It’s more representative of the freedom of expression. Maybe we lived in fear or suppression for 200 years and maybe our morals were dictated by a foreign power,but we have now realised that we have a voice of our own. So long as we don’t digress from the law of the land,it’s great to exercise that freedom.

After a successful run as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati,why did you choose Bigg Boss for your second innings on television?
I want to know what goes on inside the mind of a person who is locked up for 84 days with cameras following him everywhere. Being in such close proximity to strangers,knowing their temperament,I think it’s fascinating. Which is why people want to watch it. When you walk on a street and see a couple holding hands,you perhaps want to know what they are saying to each other. Here,we get an opportunity to see an aspect of the participant that we never would have.
I like to meet people and ask them questions like why do you think you would do that. For example,I had asked Kamal R Khan (the participant who had an altercation over the word ‘charity’ on the show) whether he had an aversion to that word. He said he had come to Mumbai from Roorkee to become an actor. But when he discovered within a few months that he wasn’t actor material,he didn’t want to go back for he didn’t want the sympathy of people. He said he didn’t want people to be ‘charitable’ to him which is why he didn’t like the word.
No matter what may have happened in the house,when he spoke about his feelings,he came across as strong. Here was an example that came out of something which was looked upon as something negative.

Would you say that people behave differently when being observed? Is everything a charade being played out for the cameras following them?
We don’t know,and that really is the beauty of the game because we never know.

How much of themselves do actors expose in the roles they play?
I really don’t know. Should I be conscious of how I speak or should I remain myself when I am being photographed? When we act,we act according to the instructions of the director. Yes,of course,there are things such as the way you laugh or cry in reality that trickle in while you perform.

How’s the blogging going on?
I write every day. I feel guilty and it seems as if something is missing from life if I don’t put up a post. For the most part,I don’t know what I am going to say. What is really heartening is that people who comment on my blog—my extended family—have begun connecting with each other. It’s a community now,where they exchange news and greetings.