'Ranbir Kapoor & Deepika Padukone' in conversation with G9 'Divya Solgama'

''Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' was very Madhuri Dixit centric film...' - 'Ranbir Kapoor & Deepika Padukone' in conversation with G9 'Divya Solgama'

‘Tamasha’ is the upcoming Ranbir Kapoor & Deepika Padukone’s film. It is touted to be a very interesting film and reunites the lead actors with the director Imtiaz Ali after working in films like ‘Rockstar’ & ‘Love Aaj Kal’. Our Bollywood Guide 'G9 Divya Solgama' had the pleasure of speaking to the lead pair of the movie, “Ranbir-Deepika” who spoke about this film, issues related to filmmaking and their forthcoming projects.

‘Tamasha’ is stated to be a romantic film, but the title seems bit misfit for such type of films. So kindly let us know the reason for choosing such different title for a love story.

Ranbir Kapoor – Imtiaz Ali felt that ‘Tamasha’ also means spectacle entertainment and since we are in the world of the movies, the story has been said in a ‘Tamasha’ way.

Deepika Padukone – It’s a ‘Tamasha’ of life told through a love story. So ‘Tamasha’ is not necessarily what we see in the play or in a negative way, but just a ‘Tamasha’ of life.  In a simple way I would say what Shakespeare said, ‘we are all puppets and the world is our stage’. We are different people every day and play different roles in our routine life. So, in our daily life we play different roles and we also don’t realize when those hats are changing. It’s so seamless, we are used to it. When you go to office you are a different person and similarly when you are at home you tend to be a different person than what you were in your office. ‘Tamasha’, out here, is a very positive which is a love story and journey of these two people. How they become better with each other because they add so much to each other’s life. The main thing this movie talks about is how mechanical people have become today, how mechanical relationships have become today. There is a set formula people feel like they need to follow in life, go to school, get married and have babies. It’s almost like this is the way you have to live your life. Through the film we just trying to say that follow your heart, follow your passion and be the person you want to be, don’t succumb to pressure and live your life for someone else, instead, live it for yourself.

Ranbir Kapoor – In short, write your own story. 

‘Tamasha’ also reunites you both after the massive success of ‘Yeh Jawaani Hain Deewani’. So, how different is ‘Tamasha’ in comparison with ‘YJHD’.

Ranbir Kapoor – In ‘YJHD’ the principle thought was that Ayan Mukerji was going with the film was that happiness is real only when it’s shared. It was the boy who was selfish, who wanted to do things but he also had love interest and thought that he wants to travel the world and love would come in between. In ‘Tamasha’ it’s nothing like that as the boy wants to be with the girl but the girl doesn’t want to be with this boy because she thinks that the boy is not what he was earlier. He was a different person when she met him earlier, but now he seems to be like a robot, a small screw in the big mechanism of the world where he is just running a race without realizing that which race he is running. I don’t find any similarities between these films and also as a cinema people or a director’s actor its out job to give the audience something which is comfortable at the same time give a new experience on screen. So I won’t say they will experience ‘YJHD’ or a ‘Rockstar’ or ‘Love Aaj Kal’, it’s a completely new feeling. We don’t have the formula of success and failure in movies so we have made a story which is very close to Imtiaz’s heart and believe that it could be a very engaging and an entertaining film. But having said that till the film opens to the audience, we don’t know what they will take from the film. What we take from the film is that we take a thought, we take the inspiration, we take a smile on our face, a tear in an eye and we take something which will probably change us in a way and if it does that to us than I am sure it will do that to the audience also.

Deepika Padukone – Lot of films will talk about self-discovery but, we also have to understand that every director also has a way of telling a story. In ‘YJHD’ the characters were completely different, the point of the film was completely different. By that logic we can also say that was also a love story and this is also a love story, so how are they different, but they are different. As every director has a different story to tell and the way of telling that story is also different. In lot of ways it’s not similar at all, you will discover when you see the film. As a film ‘Tamasha’ is very relatable as lots of youngsters are going from a dilemma in their life where on one hand they want to do what their parents want them to do and on the other hand there are so many more avenue and professions which you can take up which are still are considered as a legitimate career. So, in that sense it’s going to be extremely relatable film and I feel it’s going to shake up lot of people making them uncomfortable as in lot of way the film is going to tell you the truth about yourself.

Deepika, you are working with Imtiaz Ali after a long gap, so what difference do you find in him as a filmmaker in comparison to the one you worked with at the time of ‘Love Aaj Kal’.

Deepika Padukone – I won’t say my equation with him has changed, but there is lot of trust, love and respect for him. Ranbir and I both in a simpler way are his fan and admire him. We also have a relationship almost like a guru-shishya, but in a modern version as we are also friends. We value him a lot as he understand us individually, as human beings. He is an extremely non-judgmental person so you can talk to him about absolutely anything and he is interested in knowing. So you don’t mind sharing your journey and life with him because of two reason, he is non-judgmental and he has been a part of both of our lives right from when I started my career. So there is a kind admiration for him and really valuing what he said, if he has any advice for us, we will take is very seriously. Why I say our relationship is like a modern guru-shishya version because he is someone who is open to our criticism or our any kind of input or advice we have for him because for our love for him, he is someone who will take it openly. So that’s the kind of relationship we share and that’s what he has used it in the film. The format he has used for this film is very different, we were not bound by specific script and yes we had a broad story idea and what the message was in the film. But lot of time he wanted us to improvise, so he would give us the dialogues and say that these are the lines but I don’t know how I want to play it out, so I want you guys to do different things now and show me what all you can do. So that’s the kind of responsibility he has given us and the kind of faith he has in us, that he can give us something and that we will be able to deliver it. So that’s the relation we have now in comparison to the time of ‘Love Aaj Kal’.

Ranbir, as Deepika just mentioned that ‘Tamasha’ has been shot in different style and from what we hear that even your forthcoming film ‘Jagga Jasoos’ has also been shot in different style. So as per you what are the advantage and the disadvantages in such different style of film-making.

Ranbir Kapoor – The advantages are that it’s very organic, it’s very new, you don’t have any preconceived notions when you come to shoot. It’s all created there with the energies that are there on that particular day with the people you are surrounded with. The disadvantage is that you are going in it blind. Like when I did ‘Barfi’, the whole film was like me and Priyanka used to reach the sets and Dada (Anurag Basu) used to give us a script where it used to be a line written that ‘Jhilmil & Barfi ate pani puri’, and he used to create the scene on the spot. So in the entire film me and Priyanka had no idea what we were doing, it’s only when we saw the film we were like ‘Oh! This is what the film was about’. So you have to trust the director so much as he is taking the pressure, he is creating the movie with camera, with performances and organic energy. Having said that it’s also very scary as I could have a film like ‘Bombay Velvet’, where the whole film was improvised and when you see the result, you feel I should have taken the control over it. Of course it was not shot like that, it was shot with lot of control. So there are advantages and disadvantages in such type of filmmaking, it depends only upon what kind of an actor you are and how much you trust the director with whom you are working with.

Now a days, even before a single scene of a film is shot, its release date is already announced. So as per both of you do you feel such type of production strategies hamper the quality of a film.

Ranbir Kapoor – I feel what Aamir Khan said long back that to kill the creativity of a film give it a release date. A film is like an art, you have to let it materialize, make it and when it’s ready then release it. Putting a release date then you are working against the time.  But having said that it’s an expensive medium, you have to make money and holiday dates along with good weekends get you that numbers.

Deepika Padukone – But, I don’t agree with that as I am definitely someone who believes that your intentions for making a film have to be completely honest. Why you are doing that film, what is the story you want to tell and as an actor be very honest about your characters and about your performance. I think that truth somewhere comes out at the box office. If you are honest the audience senses that. The recent example was ‘Piku’, it got so much love and appreciation. It was a film where we dint plan a release day nor did we make any tamasha about it. A lot of people would question me that what is this film? You are working with Irrfan and such stuffs. But, I had faith in the film, its content and I had faith in the fact that our intentions of making that film were honest. If this is there everything else follows. Looking at the kind of love that film has got I am not of that opinion that one should release date in mind and work backwards, then you are just putting projects and not making a film.

Recently we saw many female oriented films being made and out of which few were highly successful including Deepika’s ‘Piku’. But why is it that in such types of films we don’t see any top actor working in it.

Ranbir Kapoor – See the thing is that at the end, what a male actor does, what a female actor does is never beyond the content of the film. For example say a film like ‘Piku’, the content of the film is bigger than everything. It’s not that who is bringing what stardom, Deepika has chosen that film not for stardom but for her love for the film and its content as an actor. Having said that you can’t belittle anyone’s involvement in the film, if it’s Irrfan Khan, Deepika, Amitabh Bachchan, everyone adds to a films success. If a film like ‘YJHD’ works well, it’s not my success, its Deepika and my success together. The fact is that she bought her stardom and acting for Naina and I got it for Bunny. Apart from that it’s the content of that film which works. So I don’t think stardom of any male or a female actor is bigger than the content of a film. Also, in case of films like ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’, it was very Madhuri Dixit centric film and has Salman Khan also. So it also depends upon on the content of the film and from whose point of view you are seeing the film.

Deepika Padukone – It depends upon the kind of the film, you cannot generalize the film. At the end of the day what is the story you want to tell. Are we trying to add the A-lister male actor to the film just because we want to position the film in a certain way or are we planning to be honest with the story and its requirement first. Within the story it all depends upon who is correct or will do justice to that part. So it all depends upon the film and its requirement.

Lastly, Ranbir there are so many films which have been announced with you. Right from ‘Jagga Jassos’, ‘Aye Dil Hain Mushkil’, Sanjay Dutt’s biopic to Ayan Mukerji’s superhero film. So what’s the status of all these films.

Ranbir Kapoor – The writers are still writing the script of Sanjay Dutt’s biopic and Ayan’s film, so it’s unfair from my side to talk anything related to them. “Aye Dil Hain Mushkil’ is 75% complete. ‘Jagga Jassos’ is something that I have grown working in (laughs), but it’s very exciting thing to work back with Anurag Basu. It’s about a detective in a high school who stammers and is trying to find his step-father. Because he stammers he has got to sing, as when you sing you don’t stammer. It’s on the line of an ‘Indiana Jones’ type of adventure film. It’s something which will be very interesting to watch on the big screen, it’s a new genre so I am very excited with this film.

'Salman Khan' Interview By G9 'Divya Solgama'

'Stardom has not hit me yet...' 

- 'Salman Khan' Interview By G9 'Divya Solgama'

'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ is the upcoming Salman Khan flick slated for a Diwali release. It is touted to be a very interesting film and reunites the superstar Khan with his mentor Sooraj Barjatya after a long time. Our Bollywood Guide 'G9 Divya Solgama' had the pleasure of speaking to the protagonist of the movie, “Salman Khan” who talks about his film, personal life and shares a nostalgic incident related to his first hit film ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’.

Salman, first things first it’s been almost one and half decade since you last worked with Sooraj Barjatya. In this span, you have changed from a star to superstar but what changes did you find in this simple filmmaker while working with him for your latest film ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’.

Whenever you improvise in a film with David Dhawan, you have to do it in David’s style or a film with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, so it has to be in his style. With Sooraj what happens is that, you got to do a lot in his style, because he already keeps improvising it with lots of humour, character, dialogues, etc. Now in this you have added some of naughtiness in the humour but, in ‘Rajshri’ banner mode, it is very tough. I don’t know if we have gone overboard with it, but I feel we have got bit carried away. So the humour here is not typical Sooraj Barjatya style but, also has little naughty style of mine. The beauty here is, that this is limited to comedy only, the moment it shifts to romance he pulls back with the whole ‘ghar ki aakhon ki sharam’, ‘maan maryada’, the dignity, the principles, etc. That is the romance which he brings in. These tracks are also linked with the brother and sister track, which is witnessed in every home. So in this way everyone is interconnected. Now to handle all these with humor and good romance it is very difficult. Generally, when filmmakers write a film they try to give some message in it, but in the case of Sooraj, when he writes, he just writes a simple tale about brothers and sisters and that message automatically comes out towards the end. The moment you come out of the cinema hall you start thinking that I need to be a correct man, a correct boyfriend, a correct son or a correct brother. My loved ones do not deserve this, they deserve better. You feel like you have come out from a pure and pious type of place. Despite of songs, dance, humour, some double meaning dialogues or romance you still will feel that you have come out from a holy place. It would be waste if people watch a Sooraj Barjatiya film on a DVD as he puts lot of good things in his films. His films should be watched on big screen and that too, with every family member of yours. Like all his good films ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ is also such kind of film which you will love to see over and over again and again. Regarding Sooraj, he is still the same simple person who cares for everyone. The length of ‘PRDP’ was quite long and inspite of that we all felt that it should be maintained as it is. Sooraj said, ‘no yaar!, let the length be restricted so that people don’t find it long’. I replied back saying that we saw the film (I usually fall asleep in my films) and liked it, let the audience enjoy the beautiful moments. Sooraj insisted on keeping it same length as of ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ and said ‘after the night show I don’t want people to be late for dinner or if they watch it after dinner it will be so late that they might not get bus or train to reach home, there will be fog in north India’. So he reduced the length of the film keeping in mind the small problems of his viewers. This is Sooraj Barjatya, the same old caring and loving person.

Salman, what was your instant reaction on the first day of shoot for your film ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’.

When I heard the script and came to know that it will be directed by Sooraj Barjatya, I told him ‘Sooraj Babu this movie is a big one’. Even on the first day of shoot when I reached there and saw the atmosphere I again told him ‘this movie is a big one’. He replied back ‘arey do a shot at least’, I smiled and assured him ‘Sooraj Babu this movie is a big one’.

Salman, many of your fans love the action in your films. ‘Bajrangi Bhaijan’ was a softer film in comparison to your earlier ones. So will your fans get to see some ‘Dhishum Dhishum’ in ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ as it’s choreographed by British action director Greg Powell.

The action in ‘PRDP’ is like a poetry. When you see the film, the way it’s shot, is just like a poetry. Greg Powell and his team also came here thinking there will be some grand action but there were just two sequences which are beautifully shot just like a beautiful song. If you have noticed properly, Sooraj’s negative characters in his films are weak and kiddish. He cannot think of writing any hard core negative characters and ended up giving us Mohnish Behl in ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ who used to hit pigeon, Bindu in ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ used to gossip or those three stylish aunties from ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’. Any other director would have got some big hunks or vamps to glorify the negative characters. So action in Sooraj’s films in comparison to other films is just like a beautiful poetry.

Salman, out of all your film characters ‘Prem’ is the most loved one. Do you feel it’s due to the real life connection you have with your family. Also, being a family man how do you deal with the troublesome situations.

Well regarding the troublesome situations, I don’t deal with them, my father does. Fortunately, we have not faced anything serious as even a small thing is solved right there and then itself. Touch wood, we have been lucky in that case. We hang out in a big family, due to which you understand the humour, you understand what level one can drag a joke which families won’t mind and which is not disrespectful. If it’s happening in your house, it’s happening in anyone else’s house. Usually, people get scared and they try and show different side of theirs’ in the movies. The way I am at home with my family I am exactly the same in outside world. I understand all the stardom and fanfare, but that guy on screen has nothing to do with me. It’s my job, I do my work, my films do well and I am still the same sitting outside my van or living in my farm. That stardom has not hit me yet and I hope it doesn’t hit me ever. I do have a serious look on my face but that’s to keep unwanted people away from me. If I behaved like Sooraj or Prem from ‘PRDP' or even Pavan from ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ people will take undue advantage of me. They would physically over pamper me which was happening from long time, people used to pull my cheeks or spoil my hair style. Yaar it’s been twenty seven years please have some respect towards me. So that is how that look came in existence, at home I don’t have that serious looks and this is what is real Salman Khan which connects properly with Prem from Sooraj’s films.

Lastly, Salman kindly share with us the incident on how did Sooraj sign you for your first hit film ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’.

No, no I approached Sooraj Barjatiya. Actually, there were three different lot of people who had recommended my name to Sooraj. There was this girl named Shabhana with whom I had worked in an AD film, she went to do screen test for the heroine’s role and at that time she asked Sooraj, who have you taken as a hero. Sooraj informed her that Deepak Tijori and Manoj Kumar’s son Kunal Goswami were tentatively finalized. So in return she recommended by name saying that I have worked with this guy Salma Khan, who is writer Salim Khan’s son, you should try him. Later my dad’s assistant Raj knew Guptaji at the Rajshri banner and he also recommended my name. Then there was a writer who gave me a script narration which I thought was a ridiculous script and thus, refused it. As soon as he went back he told another friend of his about my reaction to his script, now that writer friend also felt the same about the bad script. So he understood my perspective and went on recommending me to the writer of Rajshri banner that there is this young actor who is also Salim Khan’s son and has good sensibilities of film making. So these three people recommended me and then I went there for story narration. I thought Sooraj will narrate me a villager’s role but when he started narrating the script of ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’. At that time I realized that there is neither dhoti nor village in this film instead, has fast car, bikes, jacket in it. For the first time I am not seeing any Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Kumar Gaurav or Jackie Shroff in this film, all I saw was myself playing the role of Prem in this film. As soon as the story narration was over I cheerfully told him ‘Sooraj, superb man we will make a great film together’. He instantly replied back ‘but, Salman I have not signed you yet as we have short listed Deepak Tijori and Kunal Goswami’. I realized that this movie will not happen and thus went back to my struggling times. Producer K.C Bokadia’s associate Suresh Bhagat was starting a film which almost every young actor had refused it. So when I walked in they asked me, “It’s a small role. Will you do it? “Out of desperation, I said, ‘yes’. They did all the signing formalities and gave me a VHS of a regional film and told me to watch it for my part in the film. When I saw the film, I realized that the film is damn good but my role is hardly there. I had no choice rather than doing this film as had no work. 

Now, out there in Rajshri banner, I had also done a screen test for which I had taken a friend Farah Khan who was a bad dancer at that time (jokingly laughs). Farah trained me for a front somersault and few dance steps. When we went for the screen test, I was asked to dance on a song. When I danced, I was dancing like Jackie Shroff and at that time Farah got so angry and told me to do it properly or else I will lose the film. She also changed the sides and told Sooraj not to cast me in the film (jokingly laughs). When Farah went away, Sooraj made me do some steps with Guitar and also recite some dialogs. Sooraj showed this screen test to his cousins Charu and Chanda, they were highly impressed with me and insisted Sooraj to sign me. When Sooraj came to sign me I was doing my epic film ‘Biwi Ho Toh Aisi’, I explained to Sooraj how I, landed in this film. He said, “No problem, we will come first”, I told him this movie is almost complete. Sooraj went and spoke to his father and came back to say that it does not matter and told me that you were damn good in the test thus we changed our decision and want to cast you for ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’. Once ‘Biwi Ho Toh Aisi’ got completed I saw the rushes. At that night I called up Sooraj and told him to look for another hero as I felt I was not up to the mark, still I asked the makers to show him the film so that he can remove me from the film and take someone else. Sooraj saw the film and told me that the film is good and will do very well. I told him that’s my biggest fear is that many people will see it and after that they will see ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, they won’t enter the theater looking at me. Sooraj consoled me and said you are Prem of ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, this is not you. Let this film happen, even if it does well or fare bad it won’t affect you. Just imagine a nineteen year old boy had the maturity and had the spunk to cast another nineteen year old guy in a film when Rajshri banner was down and out. Their highest budget film was forty lakhs and then ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ cost them one crore twenty lakhs. So just imagine, what Sooraj Barjatya must’ve done to ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ in terms of its scale and budget.