Anil Kapoor: I'm BACK    You just can't write him off. Just when you think it's. `The End' for him, he returns to make yet another beginning. At a time when big-budget bonanzas are sinking, Anil's Judaai continues to pull in the crowds in its 10th week, faring very well in comparison to new releases. And the Kapoor has been another new `life'. Suddenly , his Viraasat is hot property and with National Award winner Tabu and sparkling debutante Pooja Batra leading him able support, Anil hopes this remake of Thevar Magan will be as appreciated as the original. After a slow beginning Judaai has picked up, finally giving you a much-needed hit. You must be elated? I am, and more so with the feedback I have been getting for my performance. It was a tricky role. Despite Sridevi and Urmila having the better roles, I managed to hold my own. That must be very satisfying. But before the release of the flim, you had been far from enthusiastic about your role, insisting that you did Judaai only because your father requested you to do so. I still maintain that had any other producer-director approached me with the same role, I would have kicked him out of my house. But dad insisted I suited the role and I couldn't refuse him. It was like walking on the edge of a sword! One wrong move and the character would have lost its dignity and importance. Also, the thought that I was pitted against two talented heroines whose roles were meatier than mine, gave me the determination to go that extra mile. I worked with a lot of khunnas. Because you weren't happy with the role? I kept saying that because I did not want my fans to be disappointed. They like me to be present from the first to the last frame. I thought they'd feel cheated to see me in such a role. When the film didn't do well in the first few days, what was your reaction? Boney and I were confident the film would pick up and were relieved when it did. Such family dramas take time to catch on. Laadlaa took a while to establish itelf at the box-office too. So is it going to be happy days for Anil Kapoor again? I hope so. It may have been a long time since I'd given a hit, but nobody ever said I did a bad job in these films. But the distributors, financiers and exhibitors are not intersted in great performances. What they want is a superhit, even if the acting is zilch. Thank God for Judaai. It is only because of this film that today both the trade and the media are taking an interest in my next release. Before the success of Judaai, Viraasat was like a dead project. But now I'm back. But will Viraasat be able to live up to expectations? For viewers in the North the subject may seem alien. I have done Viraasat only to keep the actor in me alive. Everyone warned me that remaking Thervar Magan in Hindi was a risky proposition. But I enkoy taking risks. It is not an ordinary, masala film. It is a serious, thought provoking story of relationships, the conflict between father and son, the relation between a boyfriend and girlfriend, the ties between a husband and wife, the bonds between the head of village and the villagers, the rivalry between two families... In India, people have not seen the kind of action scences we have shot for this film. Wasn't JP Dutta meant to direct it initially? He was. Then it was to be Mahesh Bhatt. In fact, we had signed both of them, but things didn't work out. Then we thought of Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Bharatan, and finally settled for Priyadarshan. Even for the father's role, we had initially wanted Dilip Kumar. When he declined we thought of Shashi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna. Then Raaj Kumar was selected, but he asked for a number of changes to be made in the film and also wanted us to appoint a director of his choice - Chetan Anand. This was not acceptable to us . Eventually Amrishji (Amrish Puri) was signed for the role. We decided to make it a small budget film which would be completed in two schedules so that the day it is released it will become a hit! You seem pretty confident Viraasat will be a hit? I hope it will. Fortunately for us, the music is already popular. And another plus is that these days the audience seem to appreciate different kinds of films like Maachis and Aastha. After Eeshwar, this is the second time you're enacting a role orignally done by Kamal Haasan. Aren't you afraid of comparisons? Why should I be? I have done the role my way. Before the release of Eeshwar, everyone was waiting to rip my performance to bits. But after it celebtated silver jubilee, my performance came in for a lot of praise. I hope Viraasat will also silence my detractors. Why did you opt out of N Chandra's Wajood? That is between Chandu (N. Chandra), Nana and me. In fact it was Nana who felt that a new actor would be able to do more justice to my role. When I thought about it I realised he was right. So I opted out without any ill will. Reportedly, the reason you opted out of Wajood was because you were fed up wiht Nana's interference. Chandra, it is said, is almost a dummy director. Rubbish! In Chandu's productions, everyone works as a team. As far as interference goes, more than Nana it is I who is involved with every aspect of the film. But I don't call it interference. I call it team work or participation. When working wiht Chandu or Vinod Chopra I involve myself totally in the making of the film. Nana and I worked together in Parinda and I wanted to do Wajood because of him. I hope to work with him again sometime in the future. What happened to Karobaar? The film got stuck because Rakesh Roshan got busy with Koyla. But now that Koyla has been released, we should start shooting by the end of June or the beginning of July. You have always maintained that you won't share footage with another actor and yet both Karobaar and Deewana Mastana are new projects which have two other actors in lead roles. What made you change your mind? I did Karobaar because Rakesh Roshan is a friend and I couldn't say `no' to him. I signed Deewana Mastana for the late Manmohan Desai for whom I had great respect. I had promised him that this film would be my responsibility. In the last six years there have been many changes in the film - directors have changed, actors have changed - only I remained a constant. After Sunny Deol opted out, Shah Rukh and Aamir were brought in but things did not work out. Initially, Desai was suppose to direct Deewana Mastana, but later David Dhawan took over and he roped in Govinda. This was one film I took on blindly. I heard the subject only when the film went on the floors. After the debacles of Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and Prem, one would have thought you'd be quick to replace Satish Kaushik as director in Bus Conductor. What gives you the confidence to work with him again? Satish knows his job and if his previous films bave not done well, he alone cannot be blamed. Satish is also a very dear friend and I could not say `no' to him. So why did you turn down Yash Chopra's Parampara even though he had given you films like Mashaal and Lamhe. I turned down Parampara because Yashji did not take me into his confidence. If he had, I'd have done the film. Hey, I did a small role in Trimurti because Subhashji had been candid with me from the start. Apart from Raj Kumar Santoshi's Pukar, all your forthcoming films like Deewana Mastana, Gharwali Baharwali, Bus Conductor and Hrishikesh Mukherjee's next are comedies! Is it a conscious effort to acquire a new image? Yes, I am deliberately doing these films and in fact, I want to sign a couple more. It is not to acquire a new image but because friends and directors pointed out that these days I was doing only serious films even though I had carried off light roles successfully in films like Kishen- Kanhaiya, Ram Lakhan and Rakhwala. That's when I decided that for the next two-three years I would do only wholesome comedies. Enough of the serious stuff, it's time I lighten up.