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A fan at work
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Kunal Kapoor finds it boring to play himself. So he gets to play a goon in “Aaja Nachle” releasing shortly.
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GOING SMART Kunal Kapoor
His serene voice and soft looks belie it. But here he is, as a local goon, “who is violent and beats up people at the drop of a hat”, in “Aaja Nachle” releasing shortly. And Kunal Kapoor is “very happy” playing one.
In Madhuri Dixit’s comeback film, he has a “sizeable role”. But he admits that he didn’t actually mind playing second fiddle. “The fan in me came to the front. That remained my driving force throughout the shooting too. I am more interested in seeing her back in action than myself in the film. I have been her great fan. So when I got this role, I didn’t actually concentrate on its length,” shares Kunal.
He plays Imran. “He is actually powerless. To hide that he ends up picking up fights, turns violent and becomes a gunda. A school bully who is not good at studies, he is unwittingly forced to become a part of Madhuri’s (dance) production house. He doesn’t want it as he thinks dancing is meant only for girls. What happens to him after that is watchable in my role,” laughs this former assistant director to Rakeysh Mehra. His looks have also been worked upon. “My character rather than my religion is the focus. I am tanned, wear vagabond clothes and surma (cohl), but not a topi or taveez to look like a Muslim. Anil (Anil Mehta, the director) didn’t want to make a caricature out of Imran. I don’t speak good Urdu either. And the politician I work for is a Hindu in the film,” he shares.
Back end work
Being an all-knower of behind the camera operations, Kunal often ends up “catching up what goes wrong”. “If you know pre and post production job you unwittingly end up becoming a part of it, so did I. I gave a few inputs which were accepted,” he chuckles.
After playing Aslam in Mehra’s “Rang De Basanti which got him a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor, he was “really noticed”. He was flooded with offers of modelling. “I never had to employ a public relations officer for me. I was just lucky that I got so many modelling offers without going to anyone,” says Kunal.
For now, he doesn’t have any other film in hand. He is concentrating on his script.
“The writer in me has refused to die despite hectic schedules, so I have put him to work. This script is actually a personal account of my life but has a very good idea for a film. If I talk about it, before I complete it, someone will highjack it and make a film,” concludes Kunal, laughing.
RANA SIDDIQUI
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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