Please explain the movie You Don’t Mess With The Zohan and your role in it.
For starters it is a pretty bold film. It has a cartoon-ish sense of humor and the characters at times come off ambigious. But I think the film and character have a different sort of dimension. It is the story of Zohan Dvir, an Israeli Mossad agent who wants to be America’s number one hair-stylist. On a mission to arrest an infamous terrorist called Phantom, Zohan fakes his own death and heads for America.
I play Zohan, who comes across as someone who enjoys his life and brings smiles to everyone around. In fact, I wouldn’t mind being Zohan in real life.

You have done some wild and wacky work in the past. But how did you get the outrageous idea of emulating an Israeli man living an American dream?
The idea for You Don’t Mess With The Zohan struck me in 2000 and it started with just the idea of its main character. It perhaps stemmed from my own Jewish upbringing and the influence of my hair-stylist who is an Israeli. I have always tried different characters in all my films and this time, I wanted something out of the ordinary. When I narrated it to Robert Smigel (head writer for Late Night With Conan O’Brien and creator of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog) and my onetime roommate Judd Apatow, they went, ‘Oh my God, that is so so funny’. We realised that the character had potential for a telling portrayal on the silver screen and here we were talking about Zohan’s film with Sony Pictures.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat been featured a similar premise - that of a Kazakh reporter discovering true America. Was You Don’t Mess With The Zohan made with similar intentions of presenting the world a lesser-known face of America?
The film is not meant to explore the face of America. It is a humorous look at the enmity between Israel and Palestine communities in America.

A lot of people do not regard Adam Sandler as one of the most mature actors out there, yet you did some fine work in films like Reign Over Me, Spanglish and Click. Is that an actor trying to break free of the comedian type cast?
I believe versatility is one of the finest qualities an actor can possess. I would do comedy all my life and why not, when such well-thought concepts and issues are portrayed so well in a light manner. But, within the framework of comedy, I would love do various other roles, be it romantic, serious or even negative.
I am not trying to break the shackles of a comedy typecast. I have just finished a film called Bedtime Stories, which is a family film and not a full-fledged comedy. These are serious projects with elements of frolic. I want to do whatever I can, have my creative preferences and choices, but it is very important that they should make sense to the audiences.

Do you think reactions from Indian audiences will be different than the mixed reviews your film received after its worldwide release?
I hope they will like it. We have edited the film to make it more suitable and appealing to eastern audiences. I am sure that The Zohan will be appreciated for his open-minded lifestyle and lavish thoughts. I am sure the youth would love to watch it the most. Indian audiences are sensible viewers and I know they love their cinema. I am confident the film’s contemporary concept will make it a hit. I would like to draw your attention to a cameo by Mariah Carey in the film. I am sure her beautiful legs will get some Indian guys to watch the film.

Does Adam Sandler make films to make people laugh or does he do it to satisfy his creative urge?
I look to settle my creative urge by making people laugh. (Laughs) Every film must have a story and a theme. Humour is just an element to keep the audience involved in the actual story, which at times can highlight important issues. I see to it that my film conveys what I want to say. Be it a message, a meaning or a reflection of our world.

Are you well versed with Bollywood?
I haven’t seen a single Indian film, yet I have heard from people that it has a lot of potential. I know about a couple of actors from India, but I have not still figured how to pronounce their names yet. But I have heard that they are the top guns of Bollywood.

Can one expect you to join the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards who have made news in India for their association with our films?
Acting is like a free bird, which can go places without any hindrance. I would in fact love to see an elaborate West-meets-East film. But it will have to be something out-of-the-league, something different and not a meagre publicity stunt. Working with famous Indian comedians sounds like a good idea too.