Four decades of Jhakkas!

What was the first thing that came to your mind when you heard the story of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga?

All good stories have to be told. They have to reach the audience so that the audience can appreciate them. That is what we are working for. This film has a good story and it is very important that the audience gets the opportunity to experience that story.

You had said that your character in this film is the Mukesh Ambani of Moga. Can you give us a glimpse into his life?

In actuality, the character that I play wanted to be a chef. He loves to cook and he wanted to be the best chef in the country. Unfortunately, due to family pressure, circumstances and situations, he joined the garment business. He worked hard in it and made that business successful too, but the passion that he had to be a chef never went away. He married very young. His wife delivered two children and passed away. So, he is a young widower. He is very close to his mother; and because of his great love for his wife and family, he has decided that he will not remarry.

This is just like so many men out there who don't remarry but concentrate their effort on looking after their family. And, it is a happy family. His character is liberal and secular. He has friends and employees from all religions. He respects all religions. He is still a person who is traditional, but not in a fundamental way.

You have been in the industry for a long time. What was it like working with a debutante director?

It is very scary to work with a debutante director. I feel very insecure. I have not come in this industry to make anybody's career. I am telling this honestly, I came here first to look after myself and my future. It's scary to work with a new director because you have no idea whether they know the work or not. You do not know what will happen on set, whether things will go the right way – this fear is always there.

I have been very careful about working with new directors. Usually, I have worked with directors who have done at least one film. A completely new director is quite scary. That was my first apprehension. So, what happens is that you hear the story and you like it, you then get to know the producer and technicians. That way, you know that if anything goes wrong, there is someone to protect that person. You see to it that everything is right and then you take that gamble, go on set and shoot the film. Sometimes the gambles pay off and sometimes they don't.

Did Vidhu Vinod Chopra, being a producer you have worked with back in the day, help ease those apprehensions for you?

The thing is that a producer is not present on the set, and the tough part happens on the set. Ultimately, only the director is on set and we are just actors. But, yes, Vidhu Vinod Chopra being there is a protection of sorts, especially financially, in the sense that if there is anything that needs to be reshot or rectified, he is there to tell us that we can do it. His experience is there. But if the director is not good and if the actors have not done their job, then the producer cannot save the film. It is a very big risk.

Since the core theme of the film is very sensitive, did you think twice before taking it up?

No. I just heard this story and found the script very entertaining, a lot of fun. I felt that it was important, especially because it says something. We are communicating something important to the audience, to the masses. But we are doing that without being preachy. It has been done in a very commercial, nice, family-entertaining way, something that the young generation of today will definitely be able to relate to. That is the chance you take – that youngsters will connect, families will connect and the audience will like it. I would like to repeat what Vinod said at an event recently about the film: Acchi lagi toh bahut accha hai, agar nahi acchi lagi toh doosri banayenge (If you like it then great; otherwise, we'll make another film)!

You have worked with your children, Sonam and Harshvardhan. How does it feel to be a part of this legacy that you have created for yourself?

I think I am very lucky and fortunate to have received the opportunity of working with my children. How many people have received this opportunity? All my children are doing well for themselves in their respective fields, which is fantastic.

What do you want the audience to remember about Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga?

The film says something. Besides entertainment, it holds the power to make people think. If we can make even a few people change their attitude towards others and encourage them to stop judging other people, that would be nice and that would make me feel good. I think this film will affect people positively.

Is that still a higher gratification for you than the numbers?

Of course! A 1942: A Love Story or a Parinda did not have the numbers of a Ram Lakhan, a Tezaab, a Welcome or a No Entry. But there is immense delight because people still talk about those two films. It is definitely a greater gratification.

There is a longevity associated with those films. You automatically end up making money. We think about making money only in the short-term. But filmmakers have made the maximum money with films that last the test of longevity. There are so many ways to monetise the art that you have created, the work which you have done and what you believe in. People realise this much later.