The Hindu : New Delhi News : Keen on films with a message

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Keen on films with a message

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

Anil Kapoor at the launch of “Learn Without Fear” campaign in the Capital recently.

Actor Anil Kapoor , about to touch 50, yet in no mood to quit the industry, talks to Madhur Tankha about his just-released ‘Yuvvraaj’, his favourite co-stars, his next film, his association with special children and his passion for acting.

He is always on the lookout for a chance to essay unconventional characters on the big screen. Acclaimed Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor says a film with a noble message motivates the actor in him to come out with his best.

Anil, who was in the Capital this past week to give go-ahead to Plan India’s “Learn Without Fear” campaign, spared a few minutes to talk about his unbridled passion for acting.

Although he loves putting on the greasepaint for challenging roles, he admits that he was reluctant to play his character in the just-released “Yuvvraaj” that revolves around a fragmented family of three brothers after hearing the role.

“I was required to play an autistic man, who is a kind of musical genius. I had great reservations about playing such a complex and difficult character but Subhash Ghai motivated me to take up the assignment. Since Ghai had launched me in films like ‘Meri Jung”, ‘Taal’ and ‘Black and White’, I had complete faith in his filmmaking abilities and knew that his film would reap dividends at the box-office.”

Pointing out that “Yuvvraaj” will be his fourth film with Salman Khan, Anil says the muscular superstar is one of his favourite co-stars. “At the moment, my favourite actors in Bollywood are Salman, Zayed Khan and Katrina Kaif, who have all acted with him in Ghai’s latest venture. I also shared excellent off screen chemistry with Sallu Bhai in ‘Biwi No.1’ and ‘No Entry’. We shot ‘Yuvvraaj’ in foreign locales for 20 days. As the shooting was done during Ramzaan, Salman was completely off booze. We would focus on exercises and doing weight training in the gym and go out to eat dinners in new eateries.”

Anil is pinning on a lot of hope on his next film “Shotcut: The Corn Is On” that he is producing himself. “It is about an assistant director who wants to become a director, while his friend aspires to become a big movie star. While Akshay Khanna believes in the mantra of honesty, integrity and principles, his friend Arshad Warsi wants to gain fame through hook or crook.”

Sharing his association with special children, Anil says: “Six months ago, I went to an autistic school in Mumbai where the teachers had all the patience in the world to handle children with special needs. I had such a wonderful time interacting with the children and the ward that I went to each and every classroom.”

Like “Gandhi, My Father” that had a meaningful message behind its story, Anil is toying with the idea of making a film in which children learn without the fear of corporal punishment.

Born to film producer Surinder and Nirmal Kapoor, Anil attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School in Chembur. “Coming from a film-oriented family, I was besotted with films and even in school had made up my mind to be a part of the show business. Films are in my blood. While Sonam is already an actress, my other daughter is working in the production side. And my son Harsh Vardhan recently got enrolled in a filmmaking institute in Los Angeles. ”

Even as the actor is about to touch 50, he is no mood to quit the glamour world. “My youthful appearance is due to a combination of exercise, diet, state of mind, family life and spiritual enlightenment. For the past ten years, I have been hitting the gym and doing weight training and cardiovascular exercises. I mostly eat vegetarian stuff except occasionally when I eat chicken.

Anil, who made his debut in Hindi films with Umesh Mehra’s “Hamare Tumhare” way back in 1979 in a supporting role, says faith in the Almighty had given him the strength to continue trying his luck on the big screen despite facing obstacles during his initial years in the film industry.

“Those days my family was not financially well off and I used to pray to God to give me a chance to become part of a film. I signed a role in a small Telugu film and thought people will forget about it. But when I went to Andhra Pradesh, I realised that people had come from far off places just to see and talk to me because of my one performance. I felt that it was nothing but God’s miracle. There is someone up there in the sky who gives you all the answers.”

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