Alle porte dell’uscita del suo prossimo film “Batti Gul Meter Chalu“, Shahid Kapoor è riuscito a trovare il tempo per un’intervista per il DNAIndia che ripercorre la sua carriera di attore iniziata nel lontano 2003.
E’ un attore di spessore, ha interpretato spesso ruoli scomodi e negativi. Di recente ha vinto il premio come miglior attore in un ruolo negativo nell’acclamato “Haider” (presentato anche al Festival del cinema di Roma). Nonostante sullo schermo interpreti spesso personaggi poco simpatici, la sua cordialità è qualcosa di speciale. Kay Kay ci ha concesso gentilmente infatti questa breve intervista.
During the recent Indian film festival in Florence, the “River to River”, we met the director Onir, who was in the city for the screening of his last film, “Shab”. Onir is one of the most kindest human being we have ever known. Always comes up smiling, and it has been a pleasure to have a chat with him.
Let’s talk about your last film, “Shab”, recently screened here in Italy at the River to River film festival. Do you consider it a film about loneliness or about the pursuit of love? We know that it’s a film you care deeply for.
Could you explain us why?
For me “pursuit of love” and loneliness are linked. The film is a film about desire dreams and destiny…. how very often to achieve our dreams we forget our core. Its about people in a big city…. each lonely and looking for love.
I care for the film a lot because it’s my first script and inspired by lives of people I know, a lot of me …. my quest for love in a society that criminalises my existence is a part of the film.
We have loved a lot the music and the songs of “Shab”, too. How did you chose the songs for this film?
For me music and songs are an integral part of life and story telling in India and the language of Indian cinema. I like to use songs to take the narrative forward. Mithoon and I had many discussions and sittings and each song took a while to get composed.
You write poems. Would you like that your poems will become the songs of a film of yours?
Haha… I am still shy about my poems. I call myself a bathroom poet and not sure if they deserve to be made into songs…. but who knows!
Now we would like to talk about your first film like director, “My brother Nikhil”. It’s a film based on a true story, that talk about about an important issue, and an uncomfortable topic.
It’s my first film and will remain my most precious film. Also with that I started my cinematic journey with my friend/actor/producer Sanjay Suri and we started making independent films together. I always dreamt of being a film maker. “My Brother Nikhil” was that dream becoming reality. Was an emotional journey as al of felt keenly that what we were doing had happened to someone…it was real and not a fairy tale.
Any projects for the future? What are you working on right now?
My next film is my first romance called “Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz” (Rain soaked words). Set in Kolkata the film will release in february 2018.
There are some actors or actresses whom you’d like to work with? And why? Yes I want to work with Gael García Bernal, Jude Law and Ranbir Kapoor. And actresses like Alia Bhatt and Juliette Binoche.
What do you think about international collaborations in the future? Would you be open to this possibility?
I feel the future of world cinema would be international collaboration, so though a niche world wide distribution they make commercial sense I want to get into that space soon.
Durante lo scorso “River to River” di Firenze, che si è svolto dal 7 al 12 dicembre, abbiamo avuto modo di conoscere il regista Onir, in città per presentare il suo ultimo film, “Shab”.
Onir si è rivelato essere una persona di una gentilezza e dolcezza uniche. Sempre pronto a regalare sorrisi e disponibile a scambiare due parole.
In esclusiva per Bollyrama, ci ha concesso questa breve intervista.
Even tough he often plays negative roles on the big screen (and he is so good in acting), Kay Kay is such a sweet and kind human being.
He has given us this brief interview.
You have worked with some of most important directors (Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Ram Gopal Varma). There is a director you’d like to work with in the future?
The Directors you have mentioned are fabulous and would love to work them again&again. There are also so many others that I would love to work with, that I am afraid I would miss out on a few names and that would be unfair. All the same, Raju Hirani, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Anurag Basu, Imtiaz Ali, Shoojit Sircar, Sujoy Ghosh, Neeraj Pande, Hansal Mehta, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Vikram Motwane, Abhinay Deo, Zoya, Ritesh Batra, Homi Adajania, Subhash Kapoor, Raja Menon and many other brilliant directors come to mind.
A film of yours that you feel particularly close to your heart.
I put my heart and soul and a lot of hard work into every film that I do. Some work out well, some don’t. Some become popular, some don’t. That’s an actors life. But about 14-15 of my films have a shelf-life that will outlive me. Which is approx 20-22% of my work. Not many actors in the world have that kind of percentage to the total number of films they have done. I feel quite happy and look forward to increasing that percentage.
You have worked in the tamil film “Udhayam NH4”. What ‘s your opinion about regional cinema? I think about the film marathi “Sairat”, for example, that did very well last year. What do you think about the quality of indian regional cinema?
Regional cinema in India has always been rich in content, mostly. I hope it is kept that way in the future too and it does not sway or get corrupted. I am doing a Marathi film soon. It’s called “Ek sangaychay”.
In Europe (and specially in Italy) indian cinema is not well known. Something is changing thank
s to Netflix and Amazon prime, and they allow to watch the films also in States where indian movies don’t reach on big screen. What do you think about it? Do you think it could be a real change for indian cinema?
Any filmmaker would want a larger audience to watch his/her work. Hence it’s great indeed, that Netflix, Amazon etc are helping Indian cinema in its exposure to the world. I am glad that the world is getting a peek into the work we do here and it’s not just restricted to the mainstream cinema.
Let’s talk about your future. The 2018 has started with “Vodka Diaries”. What lies ahead in the coming months? What are you working on right now?
The future for me as of now looks quite busy with films(both mainstream and non-mainstream),web series etc. I shall announce them one by one whenever I am contractually allowed to.
Let’s talk about your education. You attended the National School of Drama. To be an actor was your childhood dream?
Actually, it was never a dream kind of a thing to be an actor and surprisingly, although my mother and my father both were from theatre, but still till the time I got into my college, my graduation, I never did serious theatre or I don’t even participate in college theatre group and society or whatever. So it was quite strange.
And then, definitely my college, the Players from Kirori Mal college, Delhi University, I did my graduation from Kirori Mal college, and join the dramatic society, the Players, and it has given me a completely different idea of art, and my personality and how do understand yourself so I think that something on the line had changed my whole prospective about life and career. The career was then more about thinking about yourself and self-development rather than something like to earn money or just be on fame by this field, and then I went to the National School of drama. Obviously, that was something really golden that happened with me and beautiful. When I went there, I was like “Okay, I don’t know anything, and I think I am not made for this field”. Everybody was skilled in some art or the other, but that training and in the course of three years I think it just developed me, my skills and my understanding of me.
Maybe, I was a mechanic and they made me an engineer and tons of acting, and they gave me technicality and craft and skills also and how to approach for the real truth of acting. I think that National School of Drama played a very big role in my development.
How about your experience to work with Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui? Tell us a funny episode on the set of Raees or something very noticeable during the shoot of the film.
As I have always said definitely and obviously it was a beautiful experience working with Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Though I did not have many scenes with Nawaz bhai. But we met on set I think thrice or maybe 4-5 times actually, and we had good time. That was the very first time when I was meeting him was when he was a senior from National School of Drama, but he was very senior so I’d never met him in a practical sense, but I have always appreciated his work as an actor. I think he is one of the best actors we have in India, so it was great talking to him about acting and small points and bigger points in acting and it was overwhelming to hear he also likes me as an actor, so he give me confidence somewhere and other thing
SRK… I think I am too small to comment on that, I think everybody says that Shah Rukh is great and he is outstanding and he’s one of the best costars to have, and I think it is all true.
There is no funny episode actually, not to share at least. Right now I cannot recall any. But I think the whole shoot was beautiful and I was learning something or the other, maybe not learning to do acting or something but for life and we had very good talks and to understand the art and industry through somebody else’s point of view, and specially somebody who is so successful and who has proved himself again and again. So I think it was a great life understanding experience.
Is there a director you’d you like to work with? We’d like to watch you in a film in a lead role. Will this happened in a near future?
To be very honest, there is no particular name that I would like to take as my favourite director, though there are many. And actually it’s more about… it keeps on changing with the films that I see. Even if a see some short film that is made beautifully and I feel like I should work with this director and we can have good time on set. So it’s with everybody.
I think I would love to work with Rajkumar Hirani. There are many, there are so many. I think it’s more about the films, Shoojit Sircar, I would like to work with. And many with whom I want to work with I’m working with fortunately. So I think that is something very important and it is happening.
And definitely I would also like to play some lead roles, and I have played a few. And for that matter I did Katha with Khalid Mohamed and I played in Naseeruddin Shah role in that. So there are two more films but let them come out, and then we can talk about those films. And definitely, it gives you a more space to perform and to act if you get lead roles, so definitely I want to play in lead roles right now
This year you will be seen also in “Tubelight”, a film with Salman Khan. Could you tell us something more about your role in the film
Yes, it’s true that I’m working on Tubelight. It’s a very good character and I’ve always said it’s one of the most important characters that I’ve played.
It has many things to do with the core of the film. He’s not just a passing character, he’s not standing just like that. I’m not doing… he’s not a mannequin, it’s a character. I won’t be able to talk much about that because it will start revealing the story of the film and the people is very curious about.
Let the curiosity to be there and find out next 4-5 months.
Your wife is also an actor. You have worked together in theatre. What are the difference between theatre and cinema for you? Which different sensations you feel on the stage compared to act behind the camera?
I think the difference between cinema and theatre… it’s quite a big question and I wouldn’t be able to answer it in such a small interview or maybe in just a talk. I think it has its difference though I think the genesis is the same for both the things are performing arts, but mediums are different, completely different. One is on celluloid, and maybe… Basically one is two dimensions, the other one is three dimensions. One has the power of reaching, the other doesn’t have that. So I think there are many things, and I also find more similarities in there as an actor, and I think the only difference in acting would be to be like… what should I say? I think cinema is more about micro details of your character, and theatre is more about the macro, and you have to understand that you have to perform in one-go… and it gives you your reaction instantly, and you can create your character, you can understand where you are going while performing, with films I think that this is a disadvantage as an actor, that you never know how it would turn out to be, and then it is done, it is done. You cannot change it. If you find something or I think I didn’t do the scene very well, you cannot rectify it, it is there. But again, the other strength that cinema has is that if you do something, if you find the moment of truth while you are performing in front of camera, then it is captured forever, so it will always be there. Again, you don’t have to find that truth again, you captured it when you were living that moment and when you were being there. So both have advantages and disadvantages. But I would also say that every actor says: it is definitely more fun to act on stage and that not that much fun to act in front of the camera.
Let’s talk about Anurag Kashyap. You have assisted him on the set of “GOW”. And he directed you in “Raman Raghav 2.0”. Do you look at him as some kind of “master” to learn from?
Anurag sir, yes, i have assisted him on the set of Gangs of Wasseypur, and then i was lucky enough to be getting the opportunity to work with him like an actor in Raman Raghav and Bombay Velvet.I do think of him like a mentor. I’ve learned a lot from him.He was my first medium through which i interacted with cinema. And my first interaction with cinema was through him in Gangs of Wasseypur. I feel blessed that i had that opportunity like Gangs of Wasseypur as an assistant director because it was a film which was made on very limited resources, actors, live locations, real people, so it was a great experience for me and also to be a part of a team where there was no central hierarchy and everybody was just concentrated on working towards, you know, reaching that one goal of making good cinema, so that was great and also it helped me discover my next step towards acting which was interacting with actors like Manoj Bajpaye or Nawazuddin Siddiqui.I got my next step which was doing theatre which i got after interacting with actors like Manoj Bajpay, Piyush Mishra, Richa Chadda, so i got the importance of doing theatre and after that i started to doing theatre, so it was a great learning experience for me and It was my first job ever in my life. It was the transition from a boy to a man. Anurag sir helped me a lot in terms of been directed by him as an actor was also a privilege. I feel he’s a director that spoils the actors, because you feel comfortable around him when he’s directing you, he is really intimate with actors, he is really sensitive with his actors and helps any actor to achieve that role so, yes, just feel blessed that i got to interact with him and work with him so many times.
And what about your father? What advice, if any, did he give you? I mean, he’s very familiar with the showbiz.
My father, yes, he is part of this whole showbiz. He is an action director. But honestly speaking he always wanted me to become an engineer and when i was doing my engineering he was usually proud of me and everything. He is still, but when i told him that i wanted to be an actor he was mainly disappointed for the fact, because he thought that i wanted to be an actor because he is part of the industry and, you know, just be uneasy for me but when i told him: “No, i really wanna do this because that’s what i feel like doing, that’s what i feel my calling is”, then he was really satisfied because he loves this industry, whatever he’s got in his life is because of this industry so he really motivated me, encouraged me to be part of this industry. The only lesson is taught me and Sunny both is just to give 100% of what we doing, just be good-hearthed hard-working guys. The kind of father he has been, he is been never really concentrated when we werestudying, he has never been really concentrated on how were marks we were scoring or how good we were in academics.He was only concentrated in how much if you working hard enough or not. That’s it. He always told us like: “If you work hard and if your intentions isn’t directed, then i dont even bother if you feel or not. Because that’s what is always in making better human beings”. Because that’s what he feels that counts on the longer time. So he has just been that kind of dad. He always supported us and encouraged us and he is my role model.
Is there any actor or director you’d you like to work with in the future? If so, who?
My dream co-actor would always be Amitabh Bachchan no matter how many time I work with him.
And my dream director , as he knows, is Vishal Bhardway.
What do you think of your brother Sunny’s debut in “Sunshine, music, tours and travels?
Sunny and mem both are learning as actorsm we both are evolving as professionals, so it’s a learning process and gradual process for both of us. Seen “Sunshine” i told it was very honest effort by the team. It’s first project with so many newcomers, including technicians and actors, and i think very brave effort, and it was made with a lot of heart. Every film has got its own destiny, and got its own fate. It didnt work at the box office but that’s fine, it’s a learning process for everyone, involving us, it’s a process, it’s a journey that we both are are living, and we both are learning. So we just hope for the best for the future.
Let’s move to your future. The project of the film Manmarziyan is only been delayed or cancelled? Any news? Can you tell us something about the new projects and new films? Are you shooting in these days?
Yes, Manmarziyan has been temporaly delayed for technical reasons by the makers and the next call of the film can be taken by them only, but it’s still on hold. So that’s not happening at the moment.
Right now i’m shooting for a film produced by Ronnie Screwwala which has been directed by Anand Tiwari, who directed this web series called “Bang Baaja Baarat”, and it’s a romantic comedy set up in Mumbai so that’s i’m working on right now.
We’ve heard that after attending Cannes Festival for the second time, you took a chance for a short trip to Italy, too. Did you enjoy staying in our country (Rome, Venice)? Did you like it? Would you be willing to come back one day? What has fascinated you the most?
Yes, my trip to Rome and Venice after Cannes Film festival this year was one of the most beautiful, beautiful trips i’ve ever had and primarily because of the people over there. I instantly fell in love with the place, the people they were very welcoming and very sweet and about the times in Rome and italian culture reminds you very much of India because i remember the moment we landed in Rome and we were travelling to the place where we are staying and all of us, the friends, we were discussing that it really gives us vibes of Delhi. I remember when we stepped out. We don’t know anything, how to catch a bus, how to get a ticket, how to travel, and we would find your ways from local people that you know how to go there, how to reach there, and everyone of them was so helpful. From a guy in a local who helped us to take the right bus to reach our own place, from a lady on the bus that we met, who knew how to speak in English, she was also a law student and who had worked in tourism as well. So she spoke to us and guided us . And then we saw the Colosseum and then we saw the Vatican and everything. It was amazing and also when we reached the Vatican it rained that daym and it was beautiful. I had the most amazing pizzas and met most amazing people over there. It was just amazing and I’d love to come back to Italy any given point of time of my life.
One of the most beautiful places i’ve been: Venice. It was outstanding. There was this place, a small island, out of Venice, called the Burano island: and that’s the most beautiful place i’ve ever been to. That was really gorgeous. So it was really fantastic been in Italy.
