Anil Kapoor talks about ruling the television space, working with co-stars, filming experiences amongst other things.
Anil Kapoor talks about ruling the television space, working with co-stars, filming experiences amongst other things on the occassion of World Television Premiere of Welcome Back on Saturday, May 28 at 8 PM on Zee Cinema.
Q. Despite doing a variety of films, you have been most successful in comedy? Do you think comedy comes easy to you?
Anil Kapoor: Other genres of films have also been successful but I guess audiences have been most appreciative of comedy and the commercial kind of movies.
Possibly it’s in the face. In my schooling years too, I remember, my teacher used to call me a savage. So I guess, it’s the way I look. My roles of taporis seem to
work the best.
Q. What are your expectations from the TV premiere of ‘Welcome Back’ post its success at the box office?
Anil Kapoor: To start with, both the parts of Welcome I guess worked in the first place due to the fact that they were family entertainers. They had their target
audience in place. People loved the first Welcome and it worked even better on television. I know of people who have watched it 30-40 times on television and
still continue doing so. Hopefully this one will also serve the expectations of the audiences.
Q. ‘Welcome Back’ comes with some crazy dialogues. How has it been filming the same?
Anil Kapoor: People tend to believe that comedy is easy and mouthing these lines doesn’t call for effort but that’s untrue. These kind of lines actually call for a
lot of conviction and effortlessness to make it look real. The highlight of ‘Welcome Back’ is that the comedy here is not a mockery or a caricature. It’s very
situational and the humour is real. It’s a kind of film that will let you leave back your stress and have a delightful movie watching experience.
Q. How do you manage to look so young and fit?
Anil Kapoor: There is no secret to it. I just choose to work with people who make me feel young. ‘Welcome’ and ‘Welcome Back’ are definitely two films which
have helped me feel young. The kind of character Majnu Bhai is, to be convincing on screen, I have to feel and look young. So preparing for this character kept
me motivated to be fitter.
Q. You have brought 24 (TV series) to India. Which Indians stories do you think could be replicated on TV globally?
Anil Kapoor: I believe Ramayana and Mahabharata can be upgraded and executed for international audience. They would be loved for sure. In fact, the writers of
Mission Impossible once told me that they were looking for a script which they wanted to shoot in India. I had suggested Akbar-The Great. It would have made
for a phenomenal story, similar on the lines of Game of Thrones.
Q. Film shoots seem to be a lot of fun but they come with a set of challenges as well. Did you face any during ‘Welcome Back’?
Anil Kapoor: One of the biggest challenges while shooting ‘Welcome Back’ was the weather in Mumbai. It was extremely humid and we were profusely sweating
during shoots. But the work needed to be done. So I resorted to a trick. During breaks I used to keep saying ‘Ooty’ so that the name of the hill station keeps me
calmer. I would suggest people to utter Switzerland if they like that place. At the end, nothing obviously changes, the place still remains Mumbai and the weather
still irks. But then, it’s all about a little fun.
Q. While commercial entertainers continue to work, there is a section that says such content is outdated. What do you have to say to that?
Anil Kapoor: There is nothing like outdated content, it could either be good or bad. If you look at Baahubali, the basic crux of the film is a story that has existed
since years. We have seen similar movies made in India in the past as well but it still emerged as a hugely successful film. It was due to the way the narrative was
laid out. So there’s nothing as outdated content, it’s the way you pitch it to the audience and ‘Welcome Back’ has done that very well.
Q. Share your experiences of working with John Abraham
Anil Kapoor: There is so much to learn from him. He is always so convinced about himself . The best part about him is that he always maintains ‘Yes, I am trying
to learn.’ Even if, internally he knows much more than all of us put together, he will still have that eagerness to learn something new. That is a quality I truly
appreciate.
Q. You have always shared a love hate relationship with Nana Patekar. How has it evolved post Welcome Back?
Anil Kapoor: After doing Welcome and Welcome Back, he has got to know me closely as a person and he says he has found a friend in me. I would like to believe
that and take that as a compliment. Nana is an amazing actor. His command on his craft is incredible.
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