It was a treat for your fans to watch you on screen recently in ‘Made In Heaven 2’. What is keeping you away from taking up more projects?
Thank you for your appreciation. A lot of people have given great feedback on my role in ‘Made in Heaven 2’. I pick and choose my projects. I work on something if I really like the project and its theme. I am in no hurry to just keep working. I am involved in various other projects so that keeps me occupied. ‘Made in Heaven 2’ ticked all the right boxes for me. I had a fantastic cast, fantastic production, fantastic director, producer, everything. It was a real joy for all.You made your debut with Dillagi in 1999. How did that happen and was it planned?
Yes, ‘Dillagi’ was my first film and it had a casting director who knew me as a model. I did want to get into films and I came to Bombay to be an actor but I started acting in ads for 3-4 years and the casting director knew me as a model who could act, so I was an actor who got into ads. So they told me about the script. It was the role of the antagonist in the film. I found it very interesting and the set was also amazing. Working with Sunny Deol as a director was a great experience. Bobby Deol had a great energy on the set, so the whole experience was very nice.
How did Dillagi change your mundane life?
Well I wouldn’t say I had a mundane life at all. I was modeling for 3-4 years before that. I was traveling a lot. I was single, partying. A lot of excitement was going on in my life. So it was anything but mundane. Dillagi actually didn’t do well at that time. So it didn’t really change much for me career-wise. That happened afterwards. It was a great experience. Life was pretty exciting anyways. I was making decent money as a model. Traveling, partying, scuba diving, hiking, a lot of different things. Life was very exciting.
Bobby Deol drops rare picture of sister Ajeeta on her birthday; Dharmendra, Sunny Deol react
You received much needed appreciation and fame with Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding’…
Monsoon Wedding was the film that etched me into the public’s imagination, both in India and abroad. It was a huge international hit. Of course, it won at the Golden Lion Venice Film Festival. However, first and foremost, it was an amazing experience, an amazing cinematic experience. To be working with a director like Mira Nair on one of my first films was godsent. I auditioned for that film. It was an amazing experience in terms of that we had a very little budget, very tight schedule. We did a two-week workshop which was led by Naseeruddin Shah and Meera Nair where we used to do yoga and all kinds of exercises and meditation and, of course, the scenes themselves.
I feel a strong connection between me and that film. I feel a large part of me was in that film as well and of course, everybody loved that film. I think it was a game-changer in Indian cinema as well and surprised a lot of people, gave me a lot of recognition both in India and abroad and gave me an identity as well. So, I think that was amazing and I will always look forward to that experience.
What is the most memorable thing about that experience?
I think one of the best experiences I always remember is Mira’s mom, whose name is Praveen Nair, and she brings food for the whole unit, you know, home-cooked. And it was a very egalitarian experience because Mira used to ask, get feedback from the spot boys and from everybody and it was a very cooperative environment to work with and very open to listening. And the writer, Sabrina, she’s from Delhi, of course, lives abroad now, a good friend, and so it was an amazing cooperative experience in which everybody’s voice was heard and I think I’ll always hold ‘Monsoon Wedding’ very close to my heart.
You ventured into direction with ‘Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande’. It received praises from all sides including Karan Johar, Salman Khan and others. How was the entire experience of going behind the camera?
The experience of going behind the camera in ‘Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande’ was amazing. Of course, it was very tiring because I was in front of the camera as well, but very fulfilling. It was amazing getting great reviews. I wrote that script and that’s why I decided to direct it. It was based on some experiences. And I think people thought I was going to make an art film or a serious film. But the film was an action film with humour. It was like an action comedy, but it dealt with a serious subject as well. And I think that is the kind of films I would like to make, action comedies, which have some kind of a message as well. I think the message gives the film gravitas and it gives it direction.
I have always loved action and chase sequences and comedy as well. I think humour is present all around us and that’s why it’s present in my scripts also. I think people sometimes view me as a serious person because I take a little time opening up to people and I am initially shy but people who know me, know me very well. I think that film surprised many people because of its humour and action. It wasn’t the kind of film that people were expecting me to make for whatever reason. But the experience itself was amazing. We are working on some scripts and hopefully very soon in the future you will see my second directorial venture.
What’s next?
I have got a film which we shot in America called ‘The Room’, which also stars Anupam Kher. It is an amazing film. 90 percent of the shoot has been done in one room. I play the lead role in it. I think the project really pushed me as an actor. I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people.
Apart from that, I also have ‘Sharma Ji Ki Beti’, which just premiered at the Jio Mami Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival. And I also have another OTT series in the pipeline. I am really looking forward to that as well.
Of course, we are looking forward to Pro Pancha League Season 2. Season 1 was a big success. It’s been a very interesting journey with the Pro Pancha League. It has been a lot of hard work building up a whole sport and lifting up a whole community of arm wrestlers.
