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 Aftaab
Shivdasani is one of the busiest actors in the industry today. He
is considered a ‘safe’ prospect and every other director
in town is lining up to sign him.
After
Kasoor will we see you in yet another mature role in Koi Mere
Dil Se Poochey?
No, right now I’m giving mature roles a break. I took a huge
gamble doing Kasoor . Thank God the draw was in my favour. But I
don’t think it’s right for me to play any more 30 plus
guy at the beginning of my career. Of course, if the right role
comes along, I might consider taking the risk again.
Wasn’t Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega a risk too considering
you didn’t even have a heroine opposite you?
LKLKBK
was a conscious decision. I was offered a choice of roles but
deliberately picked up this one. I was so busy romancing heroines
in all my other films that it really became a drag.
Koi
Mere Dil Se Pooche is your only solo hero film, right?
(Smiles) Wrong. Sanjay Kapoor, though he is playing a negative character,
is the other hero of the film. He has worked very hard on his role,
even changed his hairstyle and appearance for the film.
Esha Deol is your co-star in KMDSP. What kind of a future
do you predict for her?
Esha is truly amazing. Though a newcomer, her confidence is staggering.If
she continues in this vein she is poised for a long innings in this
field.
Do you feel the star kids have it easy in the sense that they don’t
have to struggle like people such as you who have no film background?
I
don’t think so. When you are in front of the camera your pedigree
won’t help you. If that was the case then all star-children
who have entered this field should have been successful, but that
is not the case.
Keerthi Reddy in PIAM, Lisa Ray in Kasoor, Esha Deol in KMDSP,
Yukta Mookhey in Pyaasa...is it a planned move on your part
to only work with newcomers?
Hey,
you are making me sound like a shrewd wheeler-dealer. No, nothing
was planned. It just happened this way. Maybe because I’m just
23 and most of my films are love stories, filmakers feel it is best
to cast me against newcomers.
What do you think of your co-stars in Pyaasa, Zulfi Syed
and Yuktaa Mookhey?
They are both very talented. I think it is a myth that models can’t
act. You never know of a person’s potential unless you give
him a chance. I’m happy that more people are realising this
and we are gettting to see pretty new faces in our films.
Pyaasa reminds us of the Guru Dutt classic...
(Interrupting) This Pyaasa is nothing like that one. If I can even
manage 1 per cent of Guru Dutt saab’s performance I would count
myself lucky. His portrayal of the anguished poet remains one of
the classic roles of all times. My role in this new film is totally
different. I’m playing a complex person whose honesty is corroded
by the lure of money.
What made you opt for a film like Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohhabbat where
you had a two-bit role?
At the onset the role looked good even though it wasn’t too
long. A newcomer has to do every role that comes his way because
public memory is very short. But to be frank, I always knew that
Arjun (Rampal) was the main hero of the film. It’s because
the film didn’t do well, that people say doing PIAM was a wrong
decision. (Shrugs) You can’t always take right decisions.
Aren’t
you apprehensive about Awara Pagal Deewana where you are
pitted against testosterone stars like Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty?
Awara Pagal Deewana is an action comedy like Hera Pheri.
(Laughs) You can say that Sunil and Akshay are there for action
and I’m there to provide the comic relief. My role is nothing
like Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat. It is a meaty role and I’m
really looking forward to the film’s release.
Has Gadar’s success changed Amisha, your co-star in
Suno Sasurji?
I’m very happy for Amisha. Now she has proved herself as an
actress of repute. Yes, she has become more confident. There is
no hesitancy in her now.
Tell us something about your other films.
I’m working in a number of films and two of them, Tips’
Kya Yahi Hai Pyaar, which is a romantic thriller, and Mahesh
Manjrekar’s next production venture directed by E.Niwas are
exiting prospects. About the rest I can’t divulge much because
nothing has been finalised as yet.
Have you ever been approached for a television venture?
I’ve got several proposals, mainly for game shows, but so far
I’ve declined to enter the small screen. I feel that I should
concentrate only on my film career at the moment. But television
is a very lucrative field and maybe after five or ten years I might
just hop on to the small screen bandwagon.
—D
S
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