All the films you have done so far have been love stories. Was it a conscious decision to shift to a thriller this time around?
I feel that to grow as an actor I have to try out different things, work in different genres. Kucch To Hai is my home production and I told Ekta that we should try something out-of-the-ordinary. She agreed with me.
Can KTH help break your loverboy image?
I don’t mind having a loverboy image. In fact, I’m all for it. Even KTH despite being a murder mystery has plenty of romance. It’s just that instead of giving the viewers a straightforward love story, we decided to give them a tale with a twist.
Wasn’t the film earlier titled Kya Pyar Karoge Mujshe?
It was but at the back of our minds we knew that Kya Pyar Karoge Mujshe didn’t give it the feel of a mystery film. Kucch To Hai conveys an impression do both a love story as well as a thriller.
And wasn’t Anurag Basu to direct it initially?
Anurag completed 25 per cent of the film before opting out following intellectual differences. His vision of the final product wasn’t tallying with ours, so, after several lengthy discussions, we decided to amicably part ways. Currently, he is working for us on the serial Kya Hadsa Kya Haqeeqat, so you can see there are no hard feelings. After he left, his erstwhile assistant Anil V Kumar took over and completed the film.
Did you make any changes in the script after Anurag’s exit?
The basic script remained the same. but we did add little twists and turns, honing and perfecting the plot in the process. We used to watch the rushes every night and only went ahead with the next plot development if the segment we’d shot intrigued us. Otherwise it was back to square one. On one hand it was hugely satisfying and on the other a tiresome, lengthy process.
Do you find it easier working in a home production?
(Laughs) On the contrary, the job is more difficult. Ekta is a hard taskmaster. I recently returned from a non-stop, 50-day marathon schedule and when I say marathon, I mean marathon in every sense of the word. It was so exhausting! Then, I also felt more responsible. Earlier, whenever a shoot was cancelled, my reaction would be, “Wow, let’s party.” Now, it was more like, “Hell, another delay!” The whole experience taught me what a harried man the producer is. I have never envied Ekta her job but this experience has left me totally in awe of her.
Thrillers performed well last year. Do you hope to emulate the success of films like Raaz and Humraaz?
We sure hope that the audience appreciates our film but we didn’t start the project because thrillers were back in vogue. I feel that these films were winners because irrespective of the genre, they were well-made films.
In all your films lately, you have incorporated a ’70s kind of a number. Is it a deliberate move on your part, a kind of homage to your father, perhaps...
(Cuts in)I never saw them in that light! I’m a director’s actor. If my director or choreographer tells me to dance in a certain manner, I do so without asking questions. I think the ’70s are a rage now. Why? You should ask the choreographers this question. As far as KTH is concerned, the script demanded this kind of a song.
After three releases, do you feel you have grown as an actor?
I feel more relaxed, more confident in front of the camera now. My timing too has improved and with time I hope to get better.
How difficult was it working with your father?
(Grins) Oh man, I dread this question. Truthfully, it was nerve-wracking. It’s okay if you miss cue with any other actor but not with your father. I was jittery when shooting with him. In comparison, my shots with Rishi Kapoor who’s a family friend, went off really smoothly. After a while, I learnt to distance myself from my personal relationship and think of dad more as an fellow actor. Everything went right after that. KTH was a learning experience.
Like your father, you to have become the blue-eyed boy of South producers...
(Interrupts) Nothing wrong about that though according to Ekta I should stop doing remakes now and concentrate on original storylines. Nothing would delight me more if I managed to reach the heights dad did.
What are your next projects?
There is Shart with Gracy Singh and Amrita Arora and Yeh Dil starring Natassha, who is playing the second lead in this film.