FARHAN AKHTAR REFLECTS ON HIS CAREER IN FILMS

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23
Running away
with success
FARHAN AKHTAR
REFLECTS ON HIS
CAREER IN FILMS
by ASJAD NAZIR
WHEN it comes to all-round talent,
Farhan Akhtar is in a league of his
own in Indian cinema.
A successful producer, director,
writer, singer, lyricist and awardwinning actor, he has made a permanent mark on the Bollywood
landscape and helped to change
the face of cinema in the subcontinent. Farhan has also launched new talent and continues to
look for ways to expand the horizons of Indian cinema.
Earlier this year, he won a number of prestigious Best Actor
awards for his winning performance in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Last month, the star was in the
capital as a guest at the fifth
edition of the London Indian
Film Festival, which celebrated
his amazing achievements.
Eastern Eye caught up with
Farhan to talk about his film
journey, cinema, future
plans, why he likes working
with new talent, advice he
would give young filmmakers and more.
Have you had a chance
to look back at your
journey in cinema?
No, and I really don’t intend to. There are opportunities like this where
you can sit back and
think about things that
have happened in your
career. But apart from
sharing things that
may be of some use
or of entertainment
value, I really don’t
feel the need to.
Continued on
pages 28-29
28
Cinema
■ Hit films like Baazigar, Ajnabee, Aitraaz
and Race have turned directing duo Abbas
Mastan into leaders of the thriller genre in
Bollywood. The duo said: “Thriller films
have made us what we are today. We are
thankful to audiences for the love and acceptance to our films. Such films should be
gripping. People should get excited to see
what is going to happen next. It is important
for the audience to understand and connect
with the flow of the film.”
■ Vidya Balan is looking
forward to working on
her next film Hamari
Adhuri, which is directed by Mohit Suri
and has a script written by the legendary
Mahesh Bhatt. “I am
very excited that Bhatt
saab is writing the script.
Arth had the strongest influence on me as an actor. I wanted to work
with him but he had stopped directing when
I joined films, so I am thrilled that he has
written the story. I love Mohit’s direction. He
is great with relationship stories,” said Vidya.
■ Actor Ali Fazal is looking forward to the release of Fast & Furious 7 next year and recently revealed what he did to land the Hollywood film. “I had taken a break and was in
Mussoorie when I got a call from my agent,
who informed me about the audition and
asked me to send a video. But my interpretation of the scene was totally opposite of
what 800 other people had done. I was stuck
in the hill station and it was snowing heavily.
I could do nothing but improvise with my
costumes and everything,” said Ali.
■ Award-winning actor Annu Kapoor said
that although sex comedies have done well
in Bollywood, they didn’t guarantee box office success. “Anything related to sex always
titillates people and sometimes it works.
However, there is no formula for any film to
be a success. Nothing is predictable in Bollywood. Just because Inder Kumar’s Grand
Masti worked, that doesn’t mean each and
every film will work,” said Annu.
■ Cocktail director Homi Adajania’s next
film Finding Fanny has an all-star cast and
he said he enjoyed working with them in the
sleepy Goan village-set story. “Love
makes normal people do nutty things.
But what if they were already a little
nutty to begin with? Deepika (Padukone) and Arjun Kapoor signed
onto the film before Chennai Express and Two States had released
and didn’t waiver because they had
the same conviction. I couldn’t
make the film without Naseeruddin
(Shah) because his character was
written for him. As for Dimple (Kapadia), if I make a
film without her she will
have my head on a platter. A great joy I experienced was being introduced to Pankaj Kapur.
It was fabulous directing him. Shooting
Finding Fanny was almost as goofy and hilarious as the story
itself,” said Homi.
■ One star newcomer Varun Dhawan
(pictured) looks up to
is Salman Khan. “I am
inspired by him (Salman), but it’s not me
alone; a lot of people get
inspired by him. I think
he is a role model for everyone,” said Varun.
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Excelling at
finding talent
FARHAN AKHTAR BELIEVES IN SUPPORTING NEWCOMERS
Continued from page 23
You must be surprised by how good an actor you
have become?
(Laughs) I think people who know me are more
surprised than I am. If there was one thing I felt I
could possibly do well – of course, that is debatable
– was acting. Since I was a kid I was always performing in school plays and somehow always felt
this is something that I would like to do. So for me
it wasn’t a big surprise eventually coming into the
field of acting. I think a lot of people, especially
when they saw a film like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,
were surprised that it was possible for me to have
done that.
I met Milkha Singh, on whom the film is based, in
Tampa earlier this year and he was very proud of
your film. How important was it to you to have
got his blessings?
Very important. Not just him but his entire family
– when we talk about his life, it’s not in isolation,
you know, there are many other people connected
to it. There are his kids, his wife, his sister and all of
them are going to watch this film. There are moments in it which probably aren’t comfortable for
some of them. For him, I know it’s difficult but cathartic as well to be sharing his story at this level
with people, but for me, it was very important that
they be happy about the fact that
the part in the film is being played
by me. They were very accepting
and very warm that I was doing
that role.
branching out, for sure, but
I think many more things
need to happen. Many different kinds of filmmakers
need to come out of the
woodwork in movies. Producers need to back their
vision and audiences need
to support them; without all
that help, it is not going to
happen. It’s very gradual, but
I believe that there are definitely healthy signs with everything that is going on.
There was only a kind of
very narrow band of creativity that was being used by
filmmakers in India before. I
feel the horizons have really
broadened now with many
people making films about
varying subjects, be it in an
emotional space, be it a social or political issue.
Whatever it may be, we
have many other things away
from ‘mainstream’ going on
right now. If everything can
co-exist and they can be films for all kinds of audiences, then I think that is a healthy
place to be.
‘I always
felt I could
be an actor’
You are also a talented director.
Have you put that on hold for
now to concentrate on acting?
(Smiles) It’s a temporary pause. I have about
three commitments left that I need to see
through as an actor. I’m not taking anything
on beyond that and don’t feel the need to.
However, I do feel the need to direct a film.
It’s coming up to three years since Don 2
was released, so I would like to go back and
make a film. I think next year probably, when
all these films are done, including [sister]
Zoya’s (Akhtar) Dil Dhadkne Do which is
shooting right now and then Raees.
Once these films are done and
released, I will direct.
Have you chosen a subject
yet for your next directorial venture?
There are many ideas.
Some are fully-fledged
screenplays and some
are at a primary stage of
development. Somewhere inside I know
which one it is going to
be, but I don’t want to
commit to it right
away because it will be
almost a year from now.
I want to be as excited
about it then as I am right
now and then take a call.
Are you proud of the fact that
Indian cinema is branching
off into so many directions?
Absolutely. We are part of that
I believe that if there is one Indian
production house that is going to
make a big Hollywood film, it is
your company Excel Entertainment. Is that on the radar?
I don’t really know what defines a
Hollywood film, to be honest. As filmmakers, I
feel we have to stay true to what it is that we believe in making, and for me, when I think of stories like the one I am very excited about, my understanding is that it is something that could
appeal to everyone regardless of what language
they speak or which culture they belong to. I
believe films end up finding audiences of their
own, so I don’t think it’s possible to design
something that you think will work in Hollywood, because you could be proved wrong
when that film is made. I think you have to
just stay true to the kind of stories you want to
tell and the ones that will cross over and connect will happen organically.
How important is it for you to carry on
working with new talent?
It is extremely important. As a company, we
probably have been a lot more supportive of
writers, directors and technicians as opposed to actors, and that is a driving force
behind what I do. I do consider myself very
fortunate for having got the kind of people I
worked with on my first film, be it Aamir
(Khan), Saif (Ali Khan), Akshaye (Khanna)
or Dimple (Kapadia), and other people
who were collaborating or financing that
movie [Dil Chahta Hai]. It gave me so
much security and so much freedom.
When you have that kind of backing and
support to be able to tell your story the
way you would like to, that is great. If it
hadn’t been for that support, would Dil
Chahta Hai have been the same film? I
don’t know, so it makes a huge differ-
CONNECTIONS: Farhan
Akhtar; (above) with EE’s
Asjad Nazir; and (above right),
after winning the IIFA Best
Actor award for Bhaag Milkha
Bhaag in Tampa earlier this
year. Also pictured are his
father Javed Akhtar (right) and
stepmother Shabana Azmi
Cinema
Follow us on www.twitter.com/easterneye • www.easterneye.eu • August 1, 2014
KICK
Starring: Salman Khan,
Jacqueline Fernandez, Randeep
Hooda, Nawazuddin Siddiquil
Director: Sajid Nadiadwalaa
ence. So f I can now do that for people and give
them that support and let them have their visions seen through in the way they would like
to, as it happened for me, it’s very important.
Are you open to working with UK talent?
Of course. That is one thing everybody
knows about Excel. The number of
scripts and stories that we receive, we
get a lot of the stuff that people
think may not be produced by other
produc-
tion houses, and Excel will probably take that risk.
So yes, we are open to working with anyone from
around the world.
According to you, what makes for good cinema?
Anything that engages the audience. I think that is
most important. If I can engage you, be it for five
minutes or 20 minutes or a three-hour film, as
long as you are interested in wanting to know
what happens next, that is a successful film.
How do you feel about being part of London Indian Film Festival?
It’s really nice to be here and be a part of something that is growing, where people are really
passionate about what they do and they
are interested in Indian films. They [organisers] are interested in exposing
Indian films to a new kind of audience, so to be here in support of it and
to be a part of that was exciting.
How important is it to support the
lower-budget films?
This is where all kinds of talent
emerges from. Unfortunately, a
lot of people don’t get the support we were talking about to
make a film they would like to,
so when they put whatever they
have into creating something,
it is important that it is supported by people. There are a
couple of films at the London
Indian Film Festival that I
have liked very much. I feel
we’re all in it together, that’s
the biggest thing I think.
What advice would you
give to a filmmaker who
is just starting out?
I don’t know what advice I
can give to any filmmaker. The only thing I can
say is to try and stay true
to your vision, and corrupt it as little as possible.
There are so many demands on you when you
don’t have that so-called
standing, where people
give you the freedom
you want to make that
film exactly the way
you saw it. Despite those
commercial demands
or creative constraints,
if you can still try and
retain your original
thought, that is a
big success.
Finally, why do you
love cinema?
I love watching it
because it entertains and engages
me. Why I love
being in it is because it’s a completely mad life.
Special thanks
to Cary Sawhney
and Naman
Ramachandran
THIS is another one of those escapist action
films where story, character development
and believable situations are secondary to
the lead star flexing his muscles and wearing
eye-catching outfits.
Fans of Salman Khan will forget about the
ridiculous plot of this remake of the Telugu
film of the same name about a master thief
with a mysterious background.
Randeep Hooda plays a dutiful police officer, Nawazuddin Siddiqui portrays a menacing villain and Jacqueline Fernandez adds
some glamour as the sexy love interest.
Unfortunately the decent supporting cast,
exotic locations and the film’s huge budget
don’t take away from the predictability of the
plot. Also, some of the scenes are too
stretched out and the soundtrack is very
poor. On the positive side, there are some
good action set pieces, a few entertaining
moments and a number of decent dialogues,
but they are few and far between.
Ultimately, just like Khan’s other movies
from the past five years, Kick will divide audiences down the middle. Some will switch
off their logic and go along for the colourful
ride, but others will see it as a self-indulgent
piece of fast-food cinema.
HEMALKASA
Starring: Nana Patekar, Sonali
Kulkarni
Director: Samruddhi Porey
ONE movie that received its world premiere
at the recent London Indian Film Festival is
a biopic that follows the selfless journey of
doctor and social worker Prakash Baba Amte
(Nana Patekar) and his wife Dr Mandakini
Amte (Sonali Kulkarni).
The drama looks at the key events that
helped shape the two humanitarian activists
and how they impacted the lives of tribal
people in a remote location called Hemalkasa in the state of Maharashtra.
Despite not having a big budget, writer,
director and producer Samruddhi Porey captures the lives of two inspirational individuals with snapshots of their life from when
they first meet to them building something
up from nothing and receiving international
acclaim for their work.
Nana Patekar and Sonali Kulkarni deliver
accomplished, heartfelt performances in a
movie that will touch the hearts of audiences
and educate, inspire and entertain them.
The great supporting cast, which includes
real tribal people, only adds to the impact.
Some of the editing is a little rough around
the edges, but this is a minor flaw in what
will, no doubt, become an important movie
when it finally gets a commercial release.
Seek out this treasure of a movie when it
comes out because it really is that good and
will inspire you to help others.
29