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Sapnay is not high-brow stuff which would appeal only to the educated. It's a lively entertainer and I know everyone would enjoy it.
Sab public ki marzi
hai
Your dream film is finally ready to open all over the country. Is Sapnay giving you sleepless nights?
Not really though I have my fingers crossed. It's my first release in 1997 and since it's been much talked about, it has raised a lot of curiosity and speculations. It's not your usual formula film. And added to that is the fact that this is cinematographer Rajiv Menon's directorial debut and AVM Production's comeback film. I hope it lives up to the sky-high expectations. For me it's special and I can assure you it's really very different. And that is not just a cliche. It's a happy film, a sweet film, my kind of film.
So why did the Tamil original Minsara Kanavu open to such a thanda response?
I really wouldn't know. From what I've heard the film was a big hit in Chennai but didn't work in the interiors.
Why?
Again I'm lost. It's not high-brow stuff which would appeal only to the educated people. It's a lively entertainer and I'd have thought everyone would enjoy it.
All the Mumbai heroines who go down South rave about how everyone is so disciplined there, very punctual and absolute perfectionists. Do you think so too?
Well, Sapnay was an unforgettable experience and I enjoyed every minute of the shoot, but punctuality is not something you find only in the South. Some of the people in Mumbai are very punctual too. Maybe the difference is that everybody there is punctual whether he is a producer, star or the spot boy. If they plan a 7 a.m. shoot, everyone is there on the dot. What I really like is their simplicity. It's definitely not put on.
So are you doing any more South films?
No, because right now I am very busy with a number of Hindi films. And there's another reason. I don't know whether I want to work so hard again (Grins mischievously).
Wasn't Sapnay initially offered to Madhuri Dixit?
It was and I'm glad Rajiv thought of me immediately after Madhuri Dixit. I had a great time working with him.
Is it true that to make the Hindi version more viable you've added a song and changed the end?
We have only retained the original end which we'd changed in Minsara Kanavu. Yes, we've added a song. But what you don't know is that the film was completed in less than a year inspite of the three months' strike in Madras. Unbelievable, huh?
After Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge you'd stopped signing new films insisting that you'd take on a film only if the script appealed to you. What was so special about Sohail Khan's Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, Pooja Bhatt's Dushman and Karan Johar's directorial debut that you snapped them up in quick succession?
I've
not turned selective suddenly. At the start of my career I had decided that
whether I was offered two films or 20, I'd only accept the offers which I
liked and which would give me the chance to showcase my talent. And I promised
myself that I'd never do more than 4-5 films at a time otherwise I wouldn't
be able to give them my 100 per cent. True, with all the offers I'm getting,
I could have signed a film every alternate month, but then I'd have been
stuck for 2-3 years. That would have been so depressing. Main bore ho jaati.
Now at least at the end of every year I can consider offers, sign new films
and that should keep me on my toes and interested in my career. Also now,
if a really exciting offer comes my way suddenly, I'll be able to accommodate
it in my schedule.
So why wasn't it possible to accommodate Khamoshi? You must regret missing out on such a beautifully made film?
I never cry over spilt milk. What's the use? You should look to the future instead of whining over the past. I never think of a film as mine till I sign the contract. Not just Khamoshi, I've refused many other films. Some were good, some bad. I never think of them. God willing there'll be many more opportunities.
However, despite being so careful, why have you done some really crass commercial films?
If you don't make mistakes how will you grow? Failure is the stepping stone to success. You learn from your mistakes and are better prepared the next time. Ab main samajhdaar ho gayi hoon. But even now I can't say with complete confidence that I'll never take wrong decisions again. This industry is so unpredictable.
Sohail Khan, who's directing you in Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya has the Auzaar debacle behind him. Aren't you taking too many risks?
When I sign a film, what I consider is the role and the script. Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya is such a sweet, emotional film. I'm playing this simple, sheltered, naive girl who's terrified of her father and elder brother and yet defies them when she falls in love. Her name is Muskan. A lovely name and it reflects her character. Could anyone refuse such a role?
But what about the director?
I'm very particular about my directors too, but at the same time I work with directors I can relate to, whom I can talk to and who will be able to talk to me directly even if they are new and inexperienced. I don't like to discuss things with assistant directors, it only creates confusion. I'm a straight forward person and like to interact directly with people. I like them to tell me exactly what they want from me. That's why its important to be on the same wave length as my director.
In Dushman you are playing a double role for the first time. Will it be another of those Seeta and Geeta kind of roles?
No, this is not about twins who've been lost in the mela where one grows up to be a submissive village belle and the other a sheher ki chokri. In this film both girls are born and brought up together. Then there's a rape and a murder and that gives a twist to the tale. It's very different from the kind of films I've been doling and I'm really excited about playing a double role.
At one time you were being touted as the next number one. Now a couple of your colleagues seem to have overtaken you and moved up the ladder.
So what? I don't believe in these silly number games. I never worry about how my film will fare at the box-office or whether I'll be the next No. 1. I can't understand how the media decides that an actress is No. 1 just because her last film was a hit. And when her next film flops, she's written off. It's not for the press to decide who's the contender for the crown. It is the public who has to give the verdict. They can love an actress even when they hate her films. And if they do, that's the ultimate achievement.
Apparently you've decided not to do any more two-heroine projects. Is it really that difficult getting along with another star?
Yes, I won't do any more two-heroine projects unless I have a really great role. That's important for me. Also, I'm basically an easy-going person and don't want to get bogged down with silly controversies. I hate tension when I'm working and when two established heroines are working together, tension and controversies are inevitable.
Today every producer and director complains that stars keep them hanging for dates. You also gave Sanjay Gupta sleepless nights during the making of Hamesha.
Sanjay can't blame me for the delay of his film. I gave him the dates he wanted but he didn't plan his schedule. And when he was ready to start, I got busy with my other films. But I finally completed the film. We stars get blamed endlessly for delaying a film but can we be held responsible for the producer or director's lack of planning? It's not possible to give extra dates all the time. It's such a joy working with someone like Rajiv Rai. Even when Bobby Deol broke his leg, work on Gupt continued smoothly. Every little detail was planned and instead of requesting his artistes to work late, Rajiv would release us earlier. Sapnay was wrapped up in 70-75 days and Dilwale Dulhania...too was made real fast because the paperwork and the schedules were so tight. You should blame stars for delays only if they're doing 2-3 shifts in a day. But I never do two shifts. I've never cancelled my shooting unless I've had a major problem. And I always try to be punctual for my shootings. But what do I do if the producer is disorganised?
There were talks of a cold war between you and Manisha during the making of Gupt. Apparently both of you were worried about footage and about who had the better role and your inter personal problems reportedly delayed the film.
If the film was delayed, it was because of date problems. It was difficult to get combined dates from Manisha and me and because of this certain schedules had to be changed. Then Bobby broke his leg and couldn't walk for a month. Gupt was to be released at the end of last year but because of Bobby's accident it's been delayed by about six months.
You have five films releasing this year — Sapnay, Gupt, Hamesha, Ishq and Pyar To Hona Hi Tha. Which of these will be a blockbuster like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge?
That's for the audience to say. All I can say is that every film is different. Hopefully one of them will be another Dilwale Dulhania...On the other hand, all of them can be rejected. Sab public ki marzi hai.