http://www.screenindia.com/fullstory.php?content_id=13173


Roshmila Bhattacharya
Posted online: Friday, August 11, 2006 at 0000 hours IST

He sells everything... from films and fizzies to family cars, polio vaccines and biscuits. In just over a decade SRK has become one of the biggests brands . His face is everywhere, but the man himself admits he’s become something of a reclusive who prefers playing with his toys--his children
Karan Johar says that you and Gauri are the world’s ideal couple and are the reason he still believes that all’s not lost with the institution of marriage. So were the two of you responsible for the tag-line on the Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna T-shirts, ‘Married’ and ‘Happy’?
(With a wry grin) That T-shirt gives you an option. You can either be married...or happy. (Getting serious) Actually marriage and happiness are two very complex issues. It’s strange that someone should have coined a phrase like “happily married”. I don’t believe you’re happy just being married. You have to work to make the marriage happy. From the outside Gauri and I may seem like a happily- married couple but like any two people working or living together, we also have our share of issues. It’s just that we’ve resolved most of these issues completely.

Kabhi Alvida... is perhaps the first film in which you are torn between two women...
(Interrupts) I’m not torn between two women in Kabhi Alvida.... Dev’s very clearly interested in a woman who is not his wife. If he’s torn it’s because of his son. Otherwise he is a man who without making excuses, without being judgemental, is consciously looking at another woman outside of his wife. He’s sexually interested in Maya though the relationship is not all about sex. The simple fact is that he’s not happy with his wife, Rhea, though mind you, she’s not a bad person. If anything he’s the bad guy, though another man in a similar situation could argue that you’re not going through what he is and do not have the right to pass judgements. Dev has a marriage with Rhea but he finds love with Maya who by a strange twist of fate is also married to someone she doesn’t love either. (With another wry grin). So you could say that my character in the film is a guy who is in love with someone else’s wife.

Hypothetically speaking how would you react if you ever found yourself in a similar situation?
(Smiling) Hypothetically speaking I’d wish that God would let my story end the way Karan’s does because that would be the best way to resolve the situation. But deep down I know it’s not going to happen that way because Kabhi Alvida... is more of a wish-fulfillment.

The mood was sad during Devdas, stoical during Chalte Chalte, resigned during Veer-Zaara and perky during Main Hoon Na. What’s it like today?
(Reflectively) I’m passing through a more mellow phase today. In fact, if you notice my performances from Paheli onwards have become more mellow. It’s not because I’m hurt or disturbed. But I find myself becoming a little reclusive. Mind you I’m not a lonely recluse, I’m a child-like recluse who these days wants to play more with his toys. And my toys are my children. I like to spend more time with Aryan and Suhana because that’s where I find more happiness.

Does that mean that you’re distancing yourself from films too?
Films are my life...my livelihood. I can’t live without them. It’s a satisfying day when I give a good shot...can a few good scenes. But at the end of the day I find my children more fun.

Which are your children’s favourite films?
They enjoyed Dhoom and Koi...Mil Gaya. They requested Adi (Aditya Chopra) and Duggu (Hrithik Roshan) for DVDs of the films and a year-and-a-half ago, I caught them watching these two films quite often. Of late, Nanny McPhee’s a hot favourite...also, Pirates Of The Caribbean. The other day I found Aryan and Suhana jumping from one sofa to another, their legs wide apart. The only thing missing was the Rs 150-crown tag!

Didn’t they like Krrish?
Yeah, they liked Krrish too. (With a smile) My son’s very fond of Duggu. Also Abhishek (Bachchan) and John (Abraham).

I believe you’re into the Special Effects business now...
Yeah, my studio’s just three buildings down the road. Red Chillies VFX is a team of 30-40 young talents headed by Arjun, Ketan and Harry. We’ve worked on Main Hoon Na, Paheli and more recently Don .

What did you think of Krrish’s SFX?
Without taking away any of the credit from Krrish and its team of foreign technicians I’d want to say that what was done in the film is possible here...at my studio. You know what makes Red Chillies--VFX different? We don’t count minutes. It irritates me when I hear that an ad has 30 seconds and a film 95 seconds of visual effects. Most VFX studios are doing dhanda but I’m not in this business to make a fortune. If I can help out my team with finances and give them a chance to do some really creative work, I’ll be more than happy. They’re very talented and with some support can work wonders.

Now that you have your own Special Effects’ studio do you see yourself playing a super-hero in the near future?
(With a smile) I don’t need special effects to play a super-hero to my children and their friends.

There was a time, soon after Baazigar, when you were dreaming of playing a larger-than-life, gun-toting superhero.
(With a flash of dimples) Yeah, well, Don is that dream come true. It’s my tribute to Amitabh Bachchan. Don is the kind of film I grew up on and today, after 10-15 years in the industry, I feel blessed that I can mouth lines that have become a part of Hindi filmlore like, “Don ko pakadna mushkil nahin, namumkin hai!” (With a wry smile) It’s interesting that the film is being made by Farhan Akhtar whose father Javed was responsible for writing half of the original script and half of this one too.

Back in the ’70s ‘Khaike paan Banaraswala...’ made paan-chewing a fad. But today very few people ask for a Banarasi meetha after dinner.
Hey, I’m not going to be propagating paan-chewing, it’s not a good habit. In fact, I’m even running an anti-smoking campaign in the film. ‘Khaike paan Banaraswala khul jaye band akal ka tala...’ is a classic chartbuster from a cult film. We haven’t tried to add anything new nor take away any of its magic. `Khaaike paan Banaraswala...’ is a dhamaal song and I’ve done it the way a guy my age would dance when he heard it. (With a wry chuckle) Of course, I don’t dance as well as Amitji.

Devdas was a tribute to Dilip Kumar, Kal Ho Na Ho serenaded Rajesh Khanna and now Don salutes Amitabh Bachchan.
Devdas was a tribute to Dilip sahab and Don to Amitji but Kal Ho Na Ho was not stated to be a remake of Anand nor intended to be. So I wouldn’t call it a tribute to Rajesh Khanna.

Kishore Kumar was another of your childhood idols. So are you eyeing a remake of Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi or Half Ticket next?
(Smiling) I think I’d like to make a film on the life of Mr Kishore Kumar. That would be an interesting and a more apt tribute.

Karan completely endorses the emotions encapsulated in the title of your latest film, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna because, as he points out, for him a journey doesn’t end once the person is gone. Do you also hold on to moments and memories?
I hold dear moments, memories, people, thoughts...and love. In fact, most of my work has grown from these moments and memories. I may not openly express these emotions but I don’t know of anyone else who treasures and respects them as much.I’m very sensitive about them. (With a flash of dimples) May be that’s why I’m good with love stories and not so good in lean mean roles with their darker emotions.

May be not now but in the initial stages of your career you were the first of the new generation heroes to play the bad man effectively and successfully in films like Baazigar and Darr. Today, we see actors like Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan following your lead. What did you think of Saif’s performance in Omkara?
Saif was stupendous in Omkara, far better than any performance of mine as a negative hero. In fact, all the actors in the film from Ajay (Devgan) to Kareena (Kapoor) and Viveik (Oberoi) to Konkona (Sen Sharma), given their role and the darkness of the film, were excellent. I don’t watch too many films these days. This year I’ve only watched Rang De Basanti, Krrish and Omkara and I give full marks to producer and director Vishal Bharadwaj for making such a brave film.

You’ve been quoted as saying that you intend to get more selective now and are even willing to do such experimental projects?
(Frowning) I’ve only said that I’ll concentrate on one film at a time now. In fact, that’s been the way it’s been these last few years. After Paheli I was busy with Kabhi Alvida.... Then it was Don that I wrapped up only four days ago. Now I’ll start work on Shimit Amin’s Chak De.

Would you consider a Hindi adapatation of a Shakespearean play?
I don’t know about Shakespeare but yes, if Vishal had offered me Omkara I’d have done it.

Which role?
Any role. As a student of English literature I’ve read several of Shakespeare’s plays—A Mid-summer Night’s Dream, Merchant Of Venice, Romeo And Juliet, Othello...(With a twinkle) I didn’t get half of what he wrote. I’m intellectual enough to say that I don’t understand Shakespeare. But I liked what Vishal’s done with Othello. (With a sigh) I’m always open to a meaty role but unfortunately I don’t get offered films like Omkara. The makers who come to me saying they have a “different” role are often being different just for the sake of being different. In such a scenario I prefer sticking with friends like Karan - when he offers me a film I don’t even ask about the role. I do films like Kabhi Alvida..., Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om and Chak De. They are all stories I want to tell but perhaps the only really different film revolving around a great, historical character that I’ve done was Asoka. And I produced it myself because no one else was willing.

Chak De appears to be a very different film with you coaching a girl’s hockey team.
Chak De’s an interesting film. I’ll be playing hockey after 20 years. I hope I’ll be safe with the girls and not get a drubbing because I’ve heard they’re very good (Grins). I played with the Indian girl’s hockey team and they were fantastic! I like to make one woman’s film a year. Last year it was Paheli. This year it will be Chak De that will showcase the strength of our women.

Hockey’s not very popular at the moment.
Yeah, my biggest embarrassment was when I described hockey to my son and his friends explaining that it was a game played with sticks and a white ball. Soon after, I found them playing snooker. And since they were playing with sticks and white ball they thought this was hockey. I felt like such a dud! Hopefully, I’ve been able to make a difference to the lives of many young children by urging their parents to give them their polio vaccines. Now I’m optimistic that I’ll make our national sport popular with the youngsters with Chak De.

Talking about polio vaccines, it’s interesting that on one hand you should lend your support to such public service campaigns and on the other endorse biscuits that taste like sawdust and colas that are known to be loaded with pesticides. As a public figure and a responsible citizen shouldn’t you be choosing the brands you lend your name to with more care?
I sell ideas. It could be a film or biscuits, polio vaccines, cars or the `One Mumbai’ campaign...just about anything. I don’t have to justify myself. If the government believes that aerated drinks are harmful to public health shouldn’t they be banned? Shouldn’t the media ban the drinks instead of plastering their pages and gobbling up air time with ads promoting them? Ban the products and I will not sell them.