Twinkle Khanna

Lady with the Silver Spoon!
It’s five years since Barsaat, when she took a nervous, diffident bow as an actress alongwith Bobby Deol. The film was no blockbuster. Neither was any subsequent release of hers an emphatic hit. Other heroines would have faded away quietly into oblivion by now. But not Rajesh Khanna’s blue-eyed girl. Twinkle has always had the best of banners to work with, and her choice of heroes and roles. Try explaining that! It’s the mystery that confounds even the pundits in filmdom... Now the girl, born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, is on to her next release, Baadshah. So will it be Twinkle’s Blockbuster No 1 as trade circles predict it will?...

You’re known to be very selective and to work in few films at a time. Why is it then, that you’ve had a lot more flops than hits and are yet to score a resounding hit?
Logic and planning can get you only thus far and no farther. To get any farther, you need some luck to ride on. If people could guarantee hits with careful planning, they would have worked out what would work at the box-office and what wouldn’t, by now. Unfortunately, no one’s that clever.

Some times, movies that you think don’t stand a chance turn out to be blockbusters, and at other times, movies you’re ready to bet your career on, turn out to be box-office duds. So I’d say you need a mix of judgement and luck to get by. In my case, the latter’s been in short supply.

Does it upset you when your films don’t fare well at the turnstiles?
Of course, it does. But in my case, every time I had a flop, I’ve had a hit soon after. Between Barsaat, which did reasonably well, and the hits Jaan and Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, for instance, I had a few flops to contend with. So nobody’s ever complained about my flops for too long, or blamed me for them. I’m pretty satisfied with the way things are going. No two careergraphs can be the same. Some strike it big after their first film, others are still searching for that elusive hit after the 25th. I’m in no tearing hurry. I’m not easily disturbed. And I know I’m doing fine when I am...

I guess if I had only flops so far, I’d be wondering what was happening. Even then, I’d be worried more for other people’s sake than for mine. Because success, to me, means being able to work in the kind of atmosphere I like to work in, and with the kind of banners I’d love to be with. That’s the only reason you wish to be successful. And that’s what success means to me.

You’ve had several ups and down in your career. Yet, you have the best of banners under your belt, all the top heroes of today to work with and your choice of roles. Care to part with your secret?
(Laughs) I think I continue to get good films probably because I don’t do too many films. And the producers reckon I’d make a fresh pair with just about any hero, and not look stale or jaded on screen with him... (Twinkle pauses for a moment and, perhaps, realising she isn’t being convincing enough, throws her hands helplessly in the air) I really don’t know why they take me. I’m stumped for an answer myself. I think you’d have to ask them that.

So is it by choice that you do few films at a time?
Yes, that’s intentional though the end result, quite often, isn’t! Though I pick and choose my roles and films with care, and think they’re good, some turn out to be rubbished at the b-o. But that is par for the course, and it happens to everyone.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzy Right from the start, I’ve never wanted to do three shifts a day. I’ve never craved that kind of life. I’m still partial to my share of home at day’s end. I’ve never wanted to run from one set to another not knowing what I was playing in the film or what my character was all about. Yet, even though I do few films, I still have no time for myself - absolutely none, honest! I mean, despite being so choosy, I’m working constantly. In the last three months, all I got were two measly days off. I don’t know how people manage to work more than this, but I assume, they do.

Do you work a lot on the characters you play in the movies?
I do. My homework consists in fleshing out the character. When I don’t have a well-defined role to play, I try to think of some trait or detail I can tag on to my character. You know, sometimes a director has everything worked out for you, which is really great. At other times, you’re left with the choice of adding on to your role, with the director’s permission, of course. I yearn for variety in roles.

Are you open to negative roles, too?
Why ever not? I fancy it would be fun, provided the role’s negative from start to finish. It should not seek to explain why the character is bad, or at the fag end of the movie, attempt to win the audience’s sympathy by including positive traits. If I ever play a negative role, it will be stark negative.

Are you charged up about Baadshah, your latest release?
I am. I play a girl, who is basically extremely soft and gullible, even naive. She is sympathetic towards everyone. Then things take a turn. She wisens and toughens up. And since she is basically not a tough nut, she only ends up making a fool of herself. It’s unintentional comedy at it its best! Everytime she tries to do something tough, it turns out to be comical, as she is unable to handle the humiliation.

I had a comedy track in Barsaat, too, if you rememer. So this one’s a kind of extention of the same character, as far as comedy is concerned. I really enjoyed doing the role.

Are comedy roles your favourite?
I am comfortable with both kinds of roles - comedy and serious. But yes, I do like comedy. I think it is great fun and difficult at the same time. More than in serious roles, in comedy, one’s sense of timing is important, and it should synchronise with the other artistes’ timing. That’s what makes comedy awfully difficult sometimes. Either you have the timing or you don’t.

But I don’t choose roles according to comic or serious roles. I choose roles on the basis of the story. The story of Jab Pyaar...’, for instance, was different for today’s time and age. I chose it for its novelty. I don’t choose a film because it has a comic role, I look for the totality of the project. Because even if my character works and the rest of the film doesn’t, it’d still be useless, wouldn’t it?

What was it like to work with the director duo, Abbas-Mustan?
The strangest thing about Abbas-Mustan is, though they’re two people, they share the same brain! I’ve never seen them contradict each other. It’s never happened that Abbasbhai would explain a shot one way and Mustanbhai would want it done another way. They’re exactly at the same wavelength and they’re very clear about what they want. There’s no hesitation, no pussy-footing. Their secret, I guess, lies in the fact that they come to the sets well-prepared. If they have differences of opinion, I’m sure it’s all thrashed out at home. So working with them’s absoulutely like smooth sailing.

What about Shah Rukh?
I for one, didn’t expect to feel so comfortable with him. We were very comfortable working with each other and I think it shows on the screen. He’s extremely down to earth, and he’s all there for you. He’s constantly rehearsing and forever improvising, and keeps you always on your toes as well. I found it absolutely great.

Now your next release is Mela. Tell us about it.
That’s another film I have pinned a great deal of hope on. The film has contributed so much to my growth as a person. And it’s simply due to working under the direction of Dharmesh Darshan. I think it takes talent to create belief in the film and he has it. He creates the kind of atmosphere where all the artistes believe in the film and in their roles. It’s been a great learning experience. Whichever way Mela turns at the turnstiles, I will never regret or forget it.