Kalki: I would like to do a film like ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’
From Dev.D to Shaitan, the characters you have portrayed have either dark or psychotic shades. Don’t you fear being typecast in such roles?
First of all, I don’t think any of the characters are similar. Yeah, they are dark, but each of them is completely different in terms of the journey that they go through. In that way, I can say that a Kareena Kapoor or a Katrina Kaif or any commercial actor is typecast in the good-girl or the sweet romantic comedy genre. But honestly, I don’t think any of these characters are similar. Obviously I am doing other films as well. As long as I don’t think I have repeated myself, and I don’t think I have in Dev.D or Shaitan. The characters have been dark but very different.
Coming to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara…. Given the big names in the film, were you not worried about getting lost in the film?
No, absolutely not. First of all, it’s not even in that league. The story is about three men. I am not trying to be the star of the film. For me it’s about an interesting character and challenge. If I wanted to only do roles where I am the centre of attention, then I wouldn’t be doing the kind of cinema that I am doing.
Zoya’s filmmaking style is different from Anurag Kashyap and his ilk. What was your experience working in a set-up like Zindagi…?
Zoya is not your typical, full-on commercial filmmaker. I think she is in between commercial and art house cinema, but definitely it is a different kind of filmmaking. There is less stress; more time spent on certain elements, which in a smaller budget you have to be restrictive about. It was actually a more relaxed shoot, but it was still very real in terms of the emotions she was telling us to go through. It wasn’t stereotyped or limited in that way. I think Zoya is somebody who works very well on characters. The production itself is more commercial and obviously big-budget, so they have more money to spend on the art or more time to spend on how pretty we look (laughs). But definitely there is sincerity to the characters.
First of all, I don’t think any of the characters are similar. Yeah, they are dark, but each of them is completely different in terms of the journey that they go through. In that way, I can say that a Kareena Kapoor or a Katrina Kaif or any commercial actor is typecast in the good-girl or the sweet romantic comedy genre. But honestly, I don’t think any of these characters are similar. Obviously I am doing other films as well. As long as I don’t think I have repeated myself, and I don’t think I have in Dev.D or Shaitan. The characters have been dark but very different.
Coming to Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara…. Given the big names in the film, were you not worried about getting lost in the film?
No, absolutely not. First of all, it’s not even in that league. The story is about three men. I am not trying to be the star of the film. For me it’s about an interesting character and challenge. If I wanted to only do roles where I am the centre of attention, then I wouldn’t be doing the kind of cinema that I am doing.
Zoya’s filmmaking style is different from Anurag Kashyap and his ilk. What was your experience working in a set-up like Zindagi…?
Zoya is not your typical, full-on commercial filmmaker. I think she is in between commercial and art house cinema, but definitely it is a different kind of filmmaking. There is less stress; more time spent on certain elements, which in a smaller budget you have to be restrictive about. It was actually a more relaxed shoot, but it was still very real in terms of the emotions she was telling us to go through. It wasn’t stereotyped or limited in that way. I think Zoya is somebody who works very well on characters. The production itself is more commercial and obviously big-budget, so they have more money to spend on the art or more time to spend on how pretty we look (laughs). But definitely there is sincerity to the characters.
