Not just an actor: Emraan

You have given some memorable performances, especially with grey characters. But what is it about these grey characters that fascinates you?

I find them very real. I don't think anyone is ever completely good or bad. Very early on in my career, I started to have an aversion to typical, righteous heroes. I didn't feel that they came with a character arc. In the beginning of your career, you don't choose scripts, scripts choose you. I kind of, by design, fit into this mould that worked for me. And, I enjoyed it because I felt there was more to do in these kinds of characters. I would, of course, vary the character in different stories and bring them out with a certain freshness as anti-heroes. In 2003, I came out with films that showcased the anti-hero whom you hated but at the same time rooted for. Why Cheat India is a simple example of this. My character Rakesh is a hero that you are seeing from a very different perspective, as a villain.

I think that was my calling very early on. I think it has something to do with my face too (Laughs). I don't think I look like a very righteous person! I don't know if I have soft features, but my writers and directors certainly don't think so (Laughs). They obviously think I can pull off a vicious con man or an anti-hero better. Not that I have not been offered traditional hero roles, but I didn't fancy them too much.

You said you got roles like these early in your career. Weren't you afraid of being typecast?

You know, early in your career, all you want to do is work. You want to do the best you can and you are grateful that you've got your next film. It is a struggle. You get the film, you do your best and you hope it does well at the box office. You hope it widens your prospects and you get your next film. One doesn't think about things like being typecast. Although, yes, that was the kind of image I acquired. I found it amusing and didn't think it would stick for long. It was an extension of the films that I did in the beginning of my career. But it did become a bit of an albatross in the sense that whenever I tried something new, people would wonder why.

Through your character Rakesh aka Rocky and the storyline, this film sends out a certain message. Do you think it is important for films to do that?

Not really. Sometimes, a silly comedy or an action film that has no message but is a popcorn flick will connect with people. It will not stay in your subconscious but still be remembered 10 years later. That is one kind of cinema and there is nothing wrong with that. I think there is a place for different kinds of films. But a thought-provoking film would have to have a message, without it being preachy. It would have to mirror society.

At the same time, it has to be entertaining, otherwise we would have rather made a documentary on the education system. We chose to make a Hindi film because we wanted to entertain you, we wanted to thrill you. With all this, it has very smartly shone the spotlight on our very fractured education system that has not changed for 100 years and is not showing any signs of changing. I am inclined towards films you can take back home and are thought-provoking, that start a conversation. I don't believe cinema really changes things overnight but if it sparks a conversation, I think it is mission accomplished for all of us. That's what Why Cheat India does.

Were you aware of the loopholes in our education system prior to this film?

I was aware of how ineffective, how bad the education system is because I have studied here. You don't realise it back when you are studying. It is only after you graduate from school or college that you realise how little you have learnt, how little real-world application that material has when you look for a career or a job and start to address your ambition. It is very limited. It has a lot to do with rote learning, which implies that you are not fundamentally understanding what you are learning. Later, you realise that you should have learnt other things in school which our system doesn't provide.

The system is also plagued by things I didn't know about, like the 'cheating mafia'. For money, they get undeserving students a seat in a college or admission to courses by sending impersonators instead of the real candidates. It is as simple as changing or morphing a photograph. These guys are doctors and engineers who take exams for other kids who get the marks. Then, these kids get admission to universities or land jobs which could have gone to meritorious students.

The other fundamental problem with our system is that it is stuck in the industrial age, the factory system. Most students, myself included, graduate from college not knowing what to do in life because there was no vocational training in school. There is no one to prepare you, to help you understand what you could take up as a job. It is very scary. Acting just happened to me. I graduated with Commerce. I shouldn't have been doing that. If someone had guided me through properly and made me realise that my calling was maybe in the Arts, I wouldn't have wasted five years pursuing a Commerce degree. But my school system didn't help me. All I did was sit like a zombie for eight hours every day and study things that, according to me, were a waste of time.

Your films are remembered for their songs. Why do good songs come your way?

I don't know (Chuckles). I have been asked this several times. It is not like other actors don't want good songs; it is just that my films probably lend themselves to good music. I have had the good fortune of working with some fantastic music directors, singers, lyricists and a bit of luck (Smiles). This comes with its share of fear of audience's expectations, which means added work.

Last year, you ventured into the digital space with Tiger. This year, you have The Bard Of Blood coming up. How do you look at the web space?

I think it is fantastic. It is the easiest way to reach out to people, as today people are tuning into many different OTT platforms. There has not been a better time for consumers than now. Viewers and consumers have a choice. On OTT platforms, you have everything out there and you can watch content as and when you please. You can even go out and have a community viewing. That is a great experience to have. So it is a great time for the consumer and it is here to stay.