You have always been saying that you wanted to play challenging roles. Do you think 'Paa' is like a wish come true for you?
I have always thrived on challenges but have found very few. There are times when I look back and wonder what I have been doing as an actor during the last forty years. I have played the action hero, the romantic hero, the smuggler, the don and almost every other time of role but nothing very exciting or challenging. I think of some of my younger colleagues like Kamal Haasan, Naseeruddin Shah and Mohan Lal and I feel I have so much still to do to reach their standards. I am grateful to young directors like Balki and Ram Gopal Varma who come to me and this stage of my career and offered me roles which I couldn't dream of finding once. Balki's 'Paa' is certainly one of the toughest challenges I have faced. I have done my best to meet the challenge thrown at me by the young director of 'Cheeni Kum' which was an interesting film to work on. I have not taken a single decision on my own during the making of 'Paa'. I have only worked hard with all the sincerity. I have never worried about how my performance in 'Paa' is going to be received, but I know it is important for me, for the director and the industry. It is a film that will show the world that we are growing mature as an industry, we are willing to make experiments and make films that can match the fest in the world. Isn't it time we did?
What more can you tell us about in your role in 'Paa' which is the most eagerly awaited film of our time?
I can only tell you what I did. First of all, I accepted the test to play the role which was something I could not believe before my director narrated the story to me which excited me no end. I then went out of my way to prepare myself to play the role. I knew it was a role I could not take for granted. I knew I had to make my best efforts to make this difficult role a reality. I went into details about the subject with my director and other specialists and doctors and anyone who could provide me with the right inputs to play the character.
Is it true that you had to spend several hours on getting into your make up for the film?
It was a part of the whole process of getting into the skin of the character. On any shooting day for 'Paa' I woke up at 3.30 in the morning and reported on the sets at 5.30. I would sit before the make up artists for the next three and half hours and sometimes longer to be transformed into someone entirely different from what I was. It was a very difficult process and living with the make up on for the rest of the day was more difficult but I got used to it and even enjoyed the whole experience which was my first major experience. Now when I see the results of all the work put in I feel very satisfied.
How did you find playing the son of your own son Abhishek in the film?
It was a little difficult to accept in the beginning, before we started shooting. But once we realised we were professional actors doing our jobs, there were absolutely no problems. In fact, we loved playing our roles and the results will be seen soon.
Will all your millions of fans accept you the way you look in the film?
We should never under estimate our audiences. They know what is good and what is not. They have matured in recent times because of their exposure to global cinema through all the various mediums of communication. I have tried to show them another face and what different I can do as an actor with so many years of experience. I am willing to face their judgment which is the only judgment I respect. I will take their bouquets and brickbats like I always have. They have the right to love me or hate me. The only assurance I can give them is that I have done my job with all the honesty I can. Let's see what they have to say. In a way, I think 'Paa' is also a test for the tastes of the audiences.
What about Ram Gopal Varma's 'Rann' in which you have again played a very different role ? What is so special about 'Rann'?
Ramu's 'Rann' is a very modern film. It is about today's times. It focuses on the very important section of life, communication and specially the role the electronic media is playing in every aspect of life. It is all about the struggle between the channels to come up with the best at whatever cost just to raise their TRPs and another section which tries its very best to stand by all the best values and their willingness to fight all the evils that have crept in because of the strong business elements which are making in roads into the media to suit their own selfish ends . It is a real film, a film that is the need of our time.
What are the other challenging roles you are playing?
I know this is the best phase of my career. This is the only time that I can play the role I have always wanted to. The roles to come will surprise many but I have no other choice. I have to do roles that are very different. How long can I go on playing the same roles? That is a question that sometimes gives me sleepless nights ?
How long do you think you will keep working?
As long as I keep getting roles which I can do justice to. I will keep on working even if I don't get my kind of roles. I want to work till I am eighty, like Dadamoni Ashok Kumar. If you ask me I think I will continue working even if they ask me to be a part of a crowd scene.
Posted in: BOLLYWOOD INTERVIEWS
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