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Bollywood

n Shah Rukh Khan has his own way of dealing with the competition in Bollywood and that is by picking films his competitors dont do. I hit my competition hard by deciding not to play the game. I choose to change the game and I choose to select films that are so different from what the others do that they dont remain my competition because they dont run the same race, said Shah Rukh. n Doing bold scenes in forthcoming film The Dirty Picture is something Vidya Balan didnt have a problem with. I have never enjoyed being a woman more than I did while shooting for The Dirty Picture. I wasnt uncomfortable doing bold scenes because I knew I was in trusted hands, said Vidya. n Forthcoming film Raaz 3 will see Bipasha Basu team up with Vishesh Films again. The sexy star denied reports she had fallen out with the banner after Raaz and said the production house had always been dear to her. We were waiting for the right kind of role and they did not want to disappoint me with something that was feeble. They wanted to give me a strong role. We got that in Raaz 3 and are excited that we are all going to be working together, said Bipasha. n Ace director Dibakar Banerjee reckons his forthcoming film Shanghai will bring out Emraan Hashmis true acting talent. I am sure the audience will sit up and notice his true acting capability. Of course, he has acted well all through, but the focus has always been on his kissing. Shanghai will be different for him. He is a very nuanced and a firstclass actor. He can be very funny in a natural way, which has worked for his role in Shanghai, said Dibakar. n Actor Vivek Oberoi is looking forward to playing a villain in the new Krrish movie. All I can say for now is that he is like a crazy, comic-book villain. When Rakeshji (Roshan) narrated the role to me, he told me he had written this character with me in mind. I wanted to do cartwheels right there and then, said Vivek. n Newcomer Ranveer Singh denied reports he is in a relationship with Dabangg star Sonakshi Sinha. He said: I do find Sonakshi very attractive, but we are not dating. We share a healthy friendship. Right now I am single. I wouldnt mind if love comes along, but for the moment its work over love. n Although the trailers for Hrithik Roshans forthcoming film Agneepath have been getting rave reviews, he says its nothing like the 1990 cult classic that it is a remake of. I was never interested in doing remakes, I am still not interested in them and I dont think I will ever do a remake. But when I first heard the script, in 10 minutes I forgot that it was a remake. I forgot all the symbolic visuals I had in mind and just reacted as an actor. I am very, very proud to be associated with this film, said Hrithik.

Shahid: A man for all seasons

Continued from page 19

September 16, 2011 www.easterneye.eu

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kapoor on his new film, action movies and love

certain points. It would difficult for me to pick up on them but the whole idea was to play someone who is not me, so more than trying to use my own experiences to understand how to play the role, I leaned on the script to figure out what the character was all about. How did you find Sonam Kapoor as a co-star? Well, initially we didnt really know each other at all and I felt it was my responsibilty to make her feel comfortable because in a way she was an outsider coming into a film being made largely by family. But once we broke the ice, she was a sweet and fun girl who was very talkative. We all know that she is a fashionista, very passionate about clothes, so a lot of our conversations would be about that. (Laughs) Maybe I learned a bit about fashion from her. Overall it has been fun and she has put her best foot forward with this film. I think she has given the best performance of her career so far in Mausam. I am so happy we worked together. Tell us about the music and do you have a favourite song in the film? I am a fan of Pritam who has done so many of my films, because I dont think there is anybody better for creating music for love stories than him. With Jab We Met and now Mausam I am happy with what he has done with the music. Its difficult to choose a favourite song, but maybe I would say Rabba. I think the song sets the tone for the film and for a good love story. I feel that it has the magic which a love story needs in a song. Its very important to the film. You shot the film in interesting locations. Which one was your favourite? Definitely the portions I did at the air force base because I got to see the life of an officer. It was a very cool feeling to be suited up like one and be around the amazing aircraft. Did you have any inputs on the character because he goes through quite a physical transformation and ends up with a moustache? Everything was discussed, but the moustache was dads idea. He felt I should have one because it would give me a certain look that would separate me from anything I have done in the past. Overall it has been a joint effort, but it has been dads vision through and through, most definitely. The film is called Mausam (season), so which is your favourite season? Well if you are in Mumbai, its the monsoon and when I am in Delhi it would be the winter. It depends on where I am. Which other films will we be seeing you in? I am shooting for Teri Meri Kahani, which is just a tentative title, with Priyanka (Chopra). Its a love story that is directed by Kunal Kohli. (Laughs) And after that I dont know, man I just need to figure out what I will do next. Will you ever do an action movie? Yes, totally. That is something I am excited about and really want to do. I am waiting for a good script to come along that excites me. I really enjoyed doing a little bit of action in Kaminey and hope I get to do more. Its definitely on the agenda. You have an incredibly large fan base. How much do the fans mean to you? They mean everything to me. I am where I am because of them. I didnt get a massive launch pad or anything of that sort. I did a small little movie called Ishq Vishk, which was filled with a bunch of newcomers. All of us were desperate to find a little fame and acceptance as actors. It was the audience who accepted the film and in a way accepted me. And I am whoever I am because of their love. I will always be grateful to them. The one thing that I can promise them is that I will try to give it my best shot every time I do a new film. I hope to keep them entertained in the years ahead. How do you feel about the fact that the majority of your fans are very young? I am very happy about that dude, because they have many more years to go to the theatres. Do you know about your massive Twitter fan group called the Shanatics? (Laughs) How can I not know about them? They are a bunch of lovely, lovely people who have been supporting me, my work and my films. Its really wonderful to have them around. If you werent an actor, what would you be doing? (Laughs) I dont know man. I have no clue. I would struggle to find a job for sure. Do we now know everything about you or is there something left for us to discover? (Laughs) You will never know everything about me. Its very boring to think someone has no mystery, so I would like to keep a few things hidden about myself. It is better that way. What is the most important lesson that being an actor has taught you? Quite a few things, actually. To begin with, to never say never and that anything is possible. It has made me believe that dreams can come true because being an actor in itself was an unrealistic dream, I must say, and here I am living my dream. I am an actor doing something I love. Another thing I learned was to be patient and to understand that true success only comes from persistence. You keep a very low profile, almost as if you dont like being famous? (Laughs) No, I love being famous. I just like staying in touch with my normal side, which was a big part of me before I became an actor and still is.

What was your reaction when your father offered you the script for Mausam? Actually, it was the other way around because I was waiting for him for three years to do a film with me. Very few people know that he has been writing scripts for a few years now. Writing is his passion and I have read all of those scripts, and loved them. But I dont think he was in the state of mind or had the time to direct a film. It took me three years of convincing for him to sit down and say, lets create something. Initially we thought about recreating one of the scripts he already had, but he thought it would be better to write one with me in mind. He kept in mind the films I do and the expectations that audiences have from my movies. So he chose to write a script for me eventually.

Both of you are known to be perfectionists. Didnt you think there would be a clash? Not really, Asjad. I was really clear from the beginning that this would be a learning experience and the whole idea of doing a film with dad was to learn from him. This was not about me doing what I know, but about learning something new. Tell us a little about Mausam and the character you play in it? Well, its a film that spans over 10 years which has two principal characters, a Punjabi boy called Harry Singh and a Kashmiri girl called Aayat. Its their journey which starts in a small village in Punjab, and it then moves onto my character becoming an air force officer and how their love story continues. Its a journey of 10 years of unconditional love and what situations life takes the two protagonists through during that time. Was playing a character who ages 10 years the biggest challenge of acting in the film? Yes, it was a big challenge. There are people who think the air force portion was the most difficult. I always say, yes, it was a privilege to play an air force officer and challenging to understand what it takes to be one, but its eventually the journey of his character starting as a young adolescent to becoming a full-grown man that was very challenging.

I believe that dreams can come true

How did you approach it? Dad was bought up in Punjab, so for that portion I completely depended on him, his memories of his childhood and of him being a teenager in Punjab. I learned from him. In terms of the air force portion when my character is older, I went to quite a few bases and met air force officers. I interacted with them and actually flew an F16. I had to get as close as possible to the character. Are there any aspects of the role you play that you identify with because you also have been on an incredible journey in the last decade? A father has written a script for his son, so I am sure there are aspects of me that he has used at