Arshad Warsi is like Leander Paes… a great doubles player, though his success as a solo player might be debatable. It is difficult to imagine a better replacement for Arshad in films such as Munna Bhai MBBS, Ishqiya and Jolly LLB — all multi-starrers. Why hasn’t he leveraged his success to solo roles? Arshad says, “Boss, it’s just more fun with other actors around. Wouldn’t you want to work in an office with fun colleagues? It’s just the same for me. Even promotions tend to be fun when with friends. Plus, the responsibility of a film’s success isn’t on my shoulders alone.”
After Jolly LLB and Guddu Rangeela , Arshad is teaming up with director Subhash Kapoor for the third time. “When you start a film with a new director, it takes about four or five days to figure them out. Occasionally, you meet a director whom you hope will keep casting you. That was the case with Subhash. I’ve become a fan of his and I love the way he works. It’s come to the point where I understand what he’s thinking even without him having to say it.” How does he pick his comedy scripts? “I sign films purely on instinct. It’s not always necessary that a comedy script will end up as a fun film, but directors do cast me for my improvisational skills. In a film like Guddu Rangeela , where comedy is backed by content, it’s easier to improvise. Fortunately, even outside cinema, I’m surrounded by people who give me fodder for comedy.”
The actor, after Guddu Rangeela , will be seen in The Legend of Michael Mishra, Fraud Saiyyan and Jolly LLB 2.
