Suddenly Sonam has exposed me: Anil Kapoor

Anil Kapoor has just done a photo-shoot with daughter Sonam, and he's glowing with parental pride. He speaks to Subhash K Jha.

How does it feel to share camera space with your daughter?
I'm numbed when I look at her finesse on screen. I'm just so anxious about Sawariya. I know she has done her best. And now we can only wait for reactions. You know, when I saw her in the rushes I wasn't just looking at her.

I was also looking at the entire film. There's a father and a film person looking proudly at Sawariya. As someone who understands cinema I can recognize the excellence of Sawariya. Everything works in it. Sonam is in a win-win situation.

Unlike you when you started out…
(chuckles) That's right. I started with bit roles in Ek Baar Kaho and Hamare Tumhare, then made my way up. Sonam has Sony Pictures and Sanjay Bhansali backing her ambitions. How much higher can she start?

There's so much sincerity in the project. As a matter of fact, my responsibilities towards Sonam were taken over by Sanjay.I don't think I could've done a better job.

Were you tempted to launch her?
No way! I never knew Sonam wanted to be an actress. Her decision was a bolt from the blue. By the time I got to know her ambitions Sanjay was already working with her.

Sanjay Bhansali compares Sonam to Waheeda Rehman and Rekha.
I'm speechless when he says that. Sonam has a certain god-given presence. What can I say about her? To me she's my child. I just want her to work hard and look after herself. She must enjoy herself while acting. In Sawariya she has surprised me. But honestly she has a long way to go.

Were you pained when she had to push herself so hard for her debut film?
Look Subhash, I'm a very hard worker myself. I've pushed myself beyond my capacity all my life. I'd expect nothing less from Sonam. Nothing comes easy in life. Hard work is the only way to succeed. I don't believe in sitting back and letting destiny take over.

Not sleeping, working around-the-clock…these are essential to achieve excellence. Recently I went to release the album of Ustad Bismillah Khan's pupil Shubha Ghosh. The famous classical dancer Sitara Devi was also there. I told her she was so lucky to have her guru's guidance.

You never had that kind of guidance?
I virtually crawled up to where I am. Also, there were no expectations riding on me whereas there's much expected from Sonam. More than being her father's daughter, the expectations come from being Sanjay Bhansali's heroine. I feel the guru-shishya parampara has all but vanished.

With Sanjay-Sonam the guru-shishya parampara is back.He has been as much a father to her as me. The way he has trained both Ranbir and Sonam, is unbelievable. I wish I had a Sanjay Bhansali to launch me. The end-product and the reaction to it are stupendous.

Why is your wife so aloof from it all?
She's just shy of the film industry. But she's completely involved with Sonam's career. Sunita is happy with her privacy. She has her own friends away from the industry. I believe that in every marriage the partners should do what makes them happy. She says I've spoilt her completely.I've never persuaded her to do anything.

And one filmy spouse is enough in a family.
Oh yes! I'm unabashedly filmy. I love cinema. That's my life. I've never been obsessed with money. I've done films for the love of cinema. In that sense, Shabana Azmi has always been a role model. She has made a big contribution to my life and career. I can never forget that.

Rishi Kapoor was your colleague. Now you and he share the same anxieties as expectant fathers?
Yes. We go back a long way. Not that we meet every day. But we've always been very very close.

My mom and Rishi's mom Krishnaji have been friends for over fifty years. Not a single day goes by without their interaction. The two families share a really deep bond.

Would Sonam's presence in the film industry make you selfconscious?
Me and selfconscious don't go together. I'm in a totally different zone.

I make people selfconscious… But yes, of course it makes a difference. Suddenly Sonam is there to remind the industry of my age. I'm exposed.

Anil Kapoor starts shooting for Yuvraaj

Meticulously planned as he is, Anil Kapoor's dates have gone awry, thanks to his two current projects, one featuring Salman Khan the other with Saif Ali Khan.

Says Anil, "Subhash Ghai's Yuvraaj got delayed because of Salman's problems. Saif's dates were messed up for Yashraj Film’s Tashan after his illness. Yeh sab hota hai. It can't be helped. To sit and brood over it won't help. It’s not just about what I want. It's more to do with the entire team. Anyone can cause a delay, and anything can go wrong."

And that's precisely what has happened with Tashan and Yuvraaj. But Anil isn't complaining. "I'm very happy with my roles in both films. My new look for Tashan has gone down very well with everyone. I’m now just enjoying the process of acting. In fact, I'm enjoying life. When I went for the music launch of Saawariya, I was glowing from inside. I just had a blast. I've never been to a better music launch in my life."

Anil Kapoor and Subhash Ghai go back a long way. And if he has surrendered to Ghai’s vision unconditionally in Yuvraaj then it's with good reason. "I've never asked Mr Ghai about the size or scope of my role. I've just gone by my instincts. Yeah Salman is the leading man in Yuvraaj. But was I a supporting actor in Mr Ghai's Taal? My role in Yuvraaj is substantial. Even if it wasn't I wouldn't mind doing it. I'd do anything for Subhash Ghai." said Anil gratefully on Friday just before he left for Australia for a long shooting schedule of Yuvraaj.

The only other big film on Anil's plate is Tashan. "I'm choosing as carefully as possible. Both Tashan and Yuvraaj take me as far away from the formula as possible."

Anil and Chunky come together after 19 years

Nineteen years after working in Tezaab [1988], Anil Kapoor and Chunky Pandey have come together again. Though N. Chandra directed Tezaab had the two actors playing friends, this new venture would see them in a different combination. While Anil Kapoor dons the hat of a producer for the second time after Gandhi My Father, Chunky Pandey is one of the key protagonists in the film.

"It is called Shortkut - The Con Is On; note the 'K' factor", quips Chunky, "I play the role of an 'acting guru' in the film". Chunky Pandey and an 'acting guru'? Now that's some combination! "That's not all. In fact, you could say that I play an 'overacting guru'. Now does that sound convincing?" he continues to joke.

What's the film about? "It is designed as a laugh-a-minute comedy", informs Chunky who has been noticed recently for his comic acts in Apna Sapna Money Money and Fool N Final, "The film is directed by Neeraj Vora who gave us a hilarious Phir Hera Pheri (Akshay Kumar, Suneil Shetty, Paresh Rawal) last year."

How does Chunky Pandey's role as an 'acting guru' come into picture? "Shortkut - The Con Is On has a flavor of Bollywood and touches upon various layers which are prevalent here. Learning how to act is one of them. But no, Shortkut - The Con Is On is not a spoof on Bollywood. We are just trying to tell a tale in a lighter vein."

And who are his partners in crime? "I am in the film along with Akshaye Khanna and Arshad Warsi. Both are simply terrific when it comes to comic timing. We have shot for around a week now and it has been absolutely fun. Along with Neeraj, it is a riot on the sets."

Talking fondly about his director, Chunky says, "What's special about Neeraj is that he has just the right expressions for all the shots. You have to just emulate the way he enacts a scene. So far I have worked in films (Apna Sapna Money Money, Fool N Final, Darwaza Bandha Rakho) which were written by his assistants. Finally I get a chance to work with the Boss!"

As a producer, Anil Kapoor started off with an offbeat Gandhi My Father. Is Shortkut - The Con Is On just an antithesis of the film? "Exactly", says Chunky, "This is going to be a full on commercial entertainer for an entire family. We finish shooting by January and plan to bring it to theaters post March once the school/college exams are over."

Coming together with Anil Kapoor must have brought a sense of nostalgia too? "It has been a long time. I too took a break and made a comeback. So many changes have happened in the industry but he remains the same. Though he is not acting in the movie, we all would make sure that he plays a part in the film. From the point of No Entry, we will now take him through a Shortkut", he smiles.

Shortcut'

Anil Kapoor is glowing and he attributes it to the incredible feedback his first film as producer, GANDHI MY FATHER, has garnered. “It’s overwhelming the way critics and audiences have reacted to the film. Although I released the film on 3rd August, I expect the box-office numbers to actually takeoff from 10th August onwards. A film like GANDHI MY FATHER takes time to grow,” Anil tells me.

Meanwhile, the enthusiastic and enterprising producer is ready to start his second venture. This one’s a complete departure from his first film. The new project, a laughathon, is called SHORTCUT and stars Akshaye Khanna, Arshad Warsi and Amrita Rao [VIVAH] in principal roles. Neeraj Vora, who scripted a number of Priyadarshan comedies and had also directed PHIR HERA PHERI, is directing SHORTCUT.

Why isn’t Anil acting in SHORTCUT? Fine, he couldn’t fit into the role of Mahatma Gandhi or Harilal Gandhi in GANDHI MY FATHER, but he could’ve essayed a pivotal role in SHORTCUT. “I’ve signed two films as an actor -- Subhash Ghai’s YUVRAAJ and Yash Raj’s TASHAN -- and the dates were clashing with SHORTCUT. Now that I’ve floated my production house, I didn’t want to put SHORTCUT on hold to accommodate my acting commitments. That’s the reason I am not acting in it,” he divulges.

While on GANDHI MY FATHER, the international version will be released at a latter date. For those who’re unaware, the film has been shot in two versions simultaneously -- Hindi and English. While the Hindi version has released in India and abroad, the English version will follow later. “Kishore Lulla [Eros] and I will take a call on that sometime later,” he states.

Anil Kapoor moved to tears in South Africa

"What a glorious coming-home it was for Mahatma Gandhi!" said producer Anil Kapoor about the world premiere of Gandhi My Father in South Africa held this weekend. The South African president Thabo Mbeki made the time to watch the film.

Anil Kapoor could barely control his emotion. "The entire South African cabinet was there with us. The President himself spent more than five hours with me and the director and cast of Gandhi My Father. Nelson Mandela sent a special message to open the film. Mandela not only spoke about Gandhi, he spoke about me. What was heartwarming and humbling was that Mandela thanked me for making this film, whereas in truth I should thank Mandela and South Africa for letting me shoot Gandhi My Father in their country and allowing me to hold the world premiere there. Mandela identified deeply with the film."

Anil couldn't hold back his tears when President Mbeki spoke about Gandhi and saw the film. There were three screenings held simultaneously. Says Anil, "Though I had watched the film earlier this experience was something else. Because my cast – Darshan Jariwala who plays Mahatma Gandhi, Shefali Shah who plays Kasturba and Akshaye Khanna who plays their son – were not treated as actors but the characters. Because the foreigners didn't know who our actors were. So they addressed the three actors as Gandhi, Kasturba and Harilal."

Now after the South African experience Anil Kapoor feels Gandhi My Father is his most special experience in the movie business. "It's gone beyond any of my expectations. Gandhi My Father has taken on its own life. I don't know where this film is taking me. I'm interacting with people who would never have been accessible to me as a conventional Mumbai actor. When President Mbeki said that he'll show Gandhi My Father on the Ivory Coast I felt I had got the biggest award of my life. He feels the film might bring together the warring factions on the Ivory Coast. I feel the film is going beyond boundaries now."

Anil Kapoor will be having no more premieres of Gandhi My Father. "There was only one premiere of the film. And that was at South Africa. Now I'll have screenings in Delhi, Mumbai and worldwide. I repeat, the only world premiere for Gandhi My Father is in South Africa."

When Anil Kapoor cried…

It's strange and very rare, but it's true. Eros International along with Anil Kapoor Films Company kept their first ever Press conference outside India for the promotion of their film Gandhi My Father in the Courthouse Hotel in Central London. The cast and the crew who attended the conference included the director Mr Feroz Khan, the producer Anil Kapoor, actor Akshaye Khanna and Tushaar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The stage was set for the most shocking truth which was about to shock the International media present in the conference room.

The first person invited to speak was Anil Kapoor. He came, he saw, he broke down. Yes, when asked how did the journey as a producer started he said that he wasn't quite sure whether to produce it or not and it was only because of his daughter's and other family members interest he said Yes to the project.

Anil then went into flash back and described how he and Feroz became friends and how the script for Gandhi My Father came about. The moment he recalled those memorable moments, Anil Kapoor took a long pause. His eyes became moist and he started crying. The actor/producer was speechless, not because he was crying but because the film was so close to his heart.

Everyone from the media cheered Anil Kapoor on for standing up in front of the media and letting us know that how important is a film like Gandhi My Father to the talented actor.

Another crying episode also took place couple of weeks back in London's Soho screening rooms when few of the guests and media had moist eyes after the special screening of the film. Well, looks like Gandhi My Father is surely going to make its audiences go home with moist eyes but a warm feeling in heart of having watched a great cinema.