Two of your films, Bullett Raja and R…Rajkumar did decently in the BO. How do you feel?
I am super excited because both films are very different in their own spaces. Both of them have very different filmmakers who have different styles. The only thing in common is probably my presence in them both!
How easy or difficult is it to promote two films when they are up for release so close to each other?
It’s possible with good time-management and I guess I have done that pretty well. I make sure I allot time to each one because, naturally, I want both these films to do well.
From a business perspective, is it wise for an actor to have two releases on the same day?
Business-wise, every week, there is a new film releasing. In fact, this month has a big release almost every week. So I really don’t think it makes a difference. It’s entirely up to the audience. As I said, I feature in both films but they are in very different spaces and my characters are very different. One has Prabhudheva, who is the mass masala king, and the other has Tigmanshu Dhulia, who is known for his hard-hitting, realistic cinema.
Bullett Raja is your first film with Tigmanshu Dhulia. What was it like working with him?
Fantastic! I have always wanted to work with him. He gave me the freedom to portray the role as I felt I should. That was really nice because I had expected him to be the kind of director who tells you exactly what to do. It was wonderful working with him.
Since you shot for both films almost simultaneously, was it difficult to switch roles from one shoot to the other?
I am always shooting about three films simultaneously.
So by now you are a pro at it?
Once you’re on the sets, you enter that zone and it all falls into place. Besides, I am a Gemini, so I like juggling things around. I like having more than one thing to do. I am a multi-tasker. I don’t know any other way to work.
What was so fascinating about the character you play in Bullett Raja?
I play a Bengali girl, Mitali, who leaves home in Calcutta to become an actress in Mumbai. She comes across these gangsters who accidentally kidnap her because they are actually kidnapping somebody else. She just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And then it’s about her friendship with these two gangsters and she eventually falls in love with Saif.
This year, you have worked with a lot of new co-stars… Saif Ali Khan, Imran Khan…
(Cuts in) In fact, only new co-actors. There was Saif, Imran, Shahid (Kapoor) and Ranveer (Singh). It’s great to work with new people. Like I said earlier, I am a Gemini and I like to change things around. Working with new people means you have to adapt to their style of working. You learn so much from the people you work with. It’s been a good year, especially when it comes to new things and new people.
This year, we saw you working with a new set of co-stars. Will we see you working a lot more with the younger breed of actors?
Yes, that will happen. I am committed to a few films and I’m sure there will be plenty more along the way with the newer lot of actors. In fact, I will be starting a film with Arjun Kapoor in December. But it’s a remake! (Laughs)
Your films have done very well at the box office. Are you deliberately sticking to masala entertainers?
Only because I enjoy doing them; I enjoy watching them; and enjoy being a part of them. That’s why I do so many of them. But, of course, when there are four commercial films a year, I try and do one Lootera. I do that and receive appreciation for that as well. I am unapologetic about the fact that I love masala films. I want to do what I like. I truly enjoy the singing and dancing, the over-the-top dialogue, the action, drama romance… everything. I would rather do something I enjoy rather than do something for the sake of it.
Since you try to balance your slate with a film like Lootera, does it hurt you when it doesn’t do well?
It’s not that Lootera didn’t do well. We knew from the very beginning that the film had a very small audience. It released in only 1,000 screens compared to my other films which release in 2,500-3,000 screens. So, for the 1,000 screens it released in, it did really well. The appreciation it received was overwhelming. So, whether you’re talking about my role, the film itself, every department in the film, none of my other films has got that. The unanimous response to Lootera was positive, from the critics, the audience, everybody.
You have done so many action dramas. What other kinds of films would you like to do?
I would do any kind of film that appeals to me, whether a rom-com or horror. As I said, anything I would like to watch as a member of the audience. I am scared of watching horror films but I might not mind acting in one.
On special arrangement with Box Office India
I am super excited because both films are very different in their own spaces. Both of them have very different filmmakers who have different styles. The only thing in common is probably my presence in them both!
How easy or difficult is it to promote two films when they are up for release so close to each other?
It’s possible with good time-management and I guess I have done that pretty well. I make sure I allot time to each one because, naturally, I want both these films to do well.
From a business perspective, is it wise for an actor to have two releases on the same day?
Business-wise, every week, there is a new film releasing. In fact, this month has a big release almost every week. So I really don’t think it makes a difference. It’s entirely up to the audience. As I said, I feature in both films but they are in very different spaces and my characters are very different. One has Prabhudheva, who is the mass masala king, and the other has Tigmanshu Dhulia, who is known for his hard-hitting, realistic cinema.
Bullett Raja is your first film with Tigmanshu Dhulia. What was it like working with him?
Fantastic! I have always wanted to work with him. He gave me the freedom to portray the role as I felt I should. That was really nice because I had expected him to be the kind of director who tells you exactly what to do. It was wonderful working with him.
Since you shot for both films almost simultaneously, was it difficult to switch roles from one shoot to the other?
I am always shooting about three films simultaneously.
So by now you are a pro at it?
Once you’re on the sets, you enter that zone and it all falls into place. Besides, I am a Gemini, so I like juggling things around. I like having more than one thing to do. I am a multi-tasker. I don’t know any other way to work.
What was so fascinating about the character you play in Bullett Raja?
I play a Bengali girl, Mitali, who leaves home in Calcutta to become an actress in Mumbai. She comes across these gangsters who accidentally kidnap her because they are actually kidnapping somebody else. She just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And then it’s about her friendship with these two gangsters and she eventually falls in love with Saif.
This year, you have worked with a lot of new co-stars… Saif Ali Khan, Imran Khan…
(Cuts in) In fact, only new co-actors. There was Saif, Imran, Shahid (Kapoor) and Ranveer (Singh). It’s great to work with new people. Like I said earlier, I am a Gemini and I like to change things around. Working with new people means you have to adapt to their style of working. You learn so much from the people you work with. It’s been a good year, especially when it comes to new things and new people.
This year, we saw you working with a new set of co-stars. Will we see you working a lot more with the younger breed of actors?
Yes, that will happen. I am committed to a few films and I’m sure there will be plenty more along the way with the newer lot of actors. In fact, I will be starting a film with Arjun Kapoor in December. But it’s a remake! (Laughs)
Your films have done very well at the box office. Are you deliberately sticking to masala entertainers?
Only because I enjoy doing them; I enjoy watching them; and enjoy being a part of them. That’s why I do so many of them. But, of course, when there are four commercial films a year, I try and do one Lootera. I do that and receive appreciation for that as well. I am unapologetic about the fact that I love masala films. I want to do what I like. I truly enjoy the singing and dancing, the over-the-top dialogue, the action, drama romance… everything. I would rather do something I enjoy rather than do something for the sake of it.
Since you try to balance your slate with a film like Lootera, does it hurt you when it doesn’t do well?
It’s not that Lootera didn’t do well. We knew from the very beginning that the film had a very small audience. It released in only 1,000 screens compared to my other films which release in 2,500-3,000 screens. So, for the 1,000 screens it released in, it did really well. The appreciation it received was overwhelming. So, whether you’re talking about my role, the film itself, every department in the film, none of my other films has got that. The unanimous response to Lootera was positive, from the critics, the audience, everybody.
You have done so many action dramas. What other kinds of films would you like to do?
I would do any kind of film that appeals to me, whether a rom-com or horror. As I said, anything I would like to watch as a member of the audience. I am scared of watching horror films but I might not mind acting in one.
On special arrangement with Box Office India