NANA PATEKAR `Doing what comes naturally`

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Doing what comes naturally
HEMALKASA STAR NANA PATEKAR DISCUSSES HIS FILMS, ROLES AND METHOD ACTING
by ASJAD NAZIR
THERE is an air of serenity about
Nana Patekar when Eastern Eye meets
up with him in central London.
It is no surprise that an actor usually
associated with explosive performanc-
es is so calm because Patekar has a lot
to be satisfied about. He is widely regarded as one of the finest actors in the
Indian film industry, and has an impressive body of work with memorable
characters in everything from critically
acclaimed low-budget films to big
commercial blockbusters. Warm, friendly and down to earth, the acting icon
took time out to meet fans who had
been waiting for his arrival before sitting back to discuss acting, his career,
latest film Hemalkasa, why acting has
prevented him from dying and more.
What has your journey as an actor
been like?
It is not a profession for me, it’s not a
business. This was my passion, my hobby and eventually it became my profession. It gave me everything – money,
fame, fortune; but more than that, I am
happy that I can breathe the way I want.
I can take out my suffocation, anger,
anguish, pain and everything else. I
can get all this out because of acting.
So this is not work for me. I will never
get tired of it.
Continued on pages 28-29
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Cinema
■ Anil Kapoor has promised that the second
series of 24 will be as thrilling and on the
edge-of-the-seat as the first season, which
will be re-run before the next one is broadcast. “As an actor and producer I experienced creative satisfaction from this show.
We were very fortunate that some of the nicest people in show business came together
on this show. Everyone, right from the actors
to the technicians put in 200 per cent and
that shows on screen,” said Anil.
■ Newly wed actress Rani Mukerji says her
husband and director-producer Aditya Chopra is fine with her working after marriage.
“I have got a supportive husband. I don’t
think he will ever want me to slow down,
until and unless I decide to,” said Rani.
■ Priyanka Chopra doesn’t
like that her recently released film Mary Kom
was billed as a woman-orientated film.
She said: “Everybody
was telling me that
you are doing a fabulous woman-oriented
film. When you watch PK
or Kick, do you say ‘I am going to watch a
male-oriented film’? Nobody says that.
Things will change for women in the Hindi
film industry when we watch a movie after
seeing its trailer, without having any gender
bias in our minds.”
■ Rising star Alia Bhatt says hard work, destiny and staying grounded have made her
successful in Bollywood, but she does fear
things going wrong. “Failure worries me, nobody wants to fail. There is a fear that oneday films will not come my way or if someone doesn’t watch your film, that is a worrying point. It is unpredictable in the industry.
But I am happy that my films have done
well,” said Alia.
■ Director Anurag Basu took a prolonged
break after his award-winning film Barfi,
and is now getting back to work by teaming
up with Ranbir Kapoor on detective film Jagga Jasoos and a Kishore Kumar biopic. “People often complain that after Barfi, I have
not made anything in two years. But I have
worked hard during the early days of my
career. There were times when I used to
direct two films in a year. I am going slow
now and it’s a conscious decision. I am
focusing on other things of life like my
family. My wife and I have an NGO
and we are busy with its work,”
said Anurag.
■ When Ranbir Kapoor was
asked when he would be
getting married, he said:
“As of now I don’t have any
marriage plans. Yes, I do
believe in marriage. I
know I am getting old,
but I am focusing on
my movies only now. I
am very happy in the
place I am in, but
hopefully soon. Who
knows when?”
■ Model turned actress Nargis Fakhri
(right) has definite
ideas about dating. She
said: “Indian boys
should learn to date
properly. You needn’t be
fancy but be creative. Ask
the girl out on a date. Do
something nice. Don’t expect anything – that is the
main thing. Never expect
anything. Have a nice time.
Have a conversation.”
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‘I would die wi
HEMALKASA LEAD STAR NANA PATEKAR TALKS MOVIES
Continued from page 23
How have you balanced big-budget films with the
smaller, more meaningful ones?
In my opinion there is no such thing as a small or
big film. According to me, wherever I get satisfaction, I work there. So for me all work is the same.
You don’t seem to realise the impact you have
made with your films?
It’s very nice when you say that, Asjad, but I have
just lived the way I have wanted to. I live my life and
sometimes people say they like me and I feel very
fortunate, but then there are some people who
don’t like me as well. I never cared about who likes
me or not, I just wanted to breathe the way that I
want. (Laughs) But I am really happy that you all
love me.
Do you have an acting method and has it changed
over time?
I don’t know if I have a method, but I believe that
in your life, you have so many trigger points.
Sometimes you have to use them in your performances, especially when you get stuck somewhere;.
I think it should just come naturally and it should
not look as if you are acting. Then you hope your
performance reaches people and forms a connection with them.
So I honestly don’t know if my method has
changed over time. All I can say is that until I don’t
understand the character fully, I don’t start work
on the film. I have to understand the character I
am playing and get it in my blood. From there, it
comes out automatically.
You invest a lot into your characters. Do your
roles ever affect you emotionally?
Emotionally some of them do affect me, I guess,
because you carry them with you. If you look at
certain roles they can affect you. (Smiles) That is
why I have stopped playing bad guys, because when
you are doing negative characters, sometimes you
think weird, bad and morbid thoughts. You have to
sleep with it and it can affect you, but I do
have the capacity to switch on and off
(most of the time).
Which of your performances remains a favourite of yours?
There are a few. Of course, the first
one that comes to mind is Prahaar
because it was written, directed and
acted by me. Of course it was close to
my heart. For that film I was responsible for the good, the bad, the ugly and
whatever else.
Another character is the one Sanjay Leela Bhansali wrote for me for
Khamoshi. I wanted to test myself
with that character [he plays a
man who is mute] because up
until then, my plus point was my
dialogues. So I thought, let’s try
and do a character who doesn’t
have any dialogues. That was, of
course, a very challenging role.
Have you had roles that were too
difficult even for you?
No, there’s nothing like that. I’ve
never felt that anything was too
difficult for me. As an actor, I
think you must have the capacity to do any type of role.
(Laughs) Of course, if you
ask me to sing or dance,
then it becomes a
little bit difficult
for me, but I have
done that too. But
with this kind of attitude – being open
to everything – I
have been in the industry for 42 years. I
think it’s nice.
Which performance by another actor have you
really enjoyed?
I enjoy the work of many actors, I am not competitive or anything like that. When people like Naseeruddin Shah or Om Puri do great roles, I applaud
them. My favourite performance is the one delivered by Balraj Sahni in Do Bigha Zameen. It was so
natural and effortless; even today it would not be
possible to replicate that performance.
What did you like about Hemalkasa, where you
play the role of humanitarian Dr Prakash Amte?
I am connected to this family for 42 years – Baba
(Amte), who is Prakash’s father, treated me like
a son. I wanted to work at his ashram. Baba
said, ‘Nana, you are basically an artist and
you will get suffocated over here, so you
should go, do your job and whatever you
want to, and in the process if you make
money, send some back to the ashram’.
So they have been in a big chunk of
my life and are doing lots of good
work, and they need money to
carry on that good work.
At that time, I wasn’t
planning anything so
I didn’t know if I
could make it or
not, but fortunately I got a little
name and a little fame and
a little money also.
So this charity
has been part
of your life
for a while?
Yes, for
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ithout cinema’
42 years I have been connected to them. So it was
not necessary for me to know who Prakash is and
what kind of work he is doing while doing the film;
it was already inside me.
Did you learn anything new about Prakash?
No, nothing, whatever I knew I tried to use for my
performance. But I must say that I’ve never tried to
copy him – the way he is, his personality, the way
he talks. I just wanted to project his attitude, his
work, his passion, his sacrifice and I hope you can
see that in the film.
ly in Hindi and Marathi. That must have been
difficult for you?
I would have to do the shot in Marathi and then in
Hindi straight afterwards. I don’t believe in using
glycerin [for tears], and so had to cry again the same
way. Nobody is interested in seeing your tears – as
a member of the audience, I want to see your dry
eyes then you shedding tears. I want to see that
journey. The moment you put glycerin, obviously
your eyes are wet, but then all you have is tears and
you don’t have the emotion.
‘You should
be able to
do any role’
It is a very calm performance. Was
that difficult for you?
(Smiles) What happens sometimes
is that without knowing it, subconsciously something happens during
a performance. I just did it without thinking. I was often
really angry before a shot and then
when the camera rolled, I became
the very calm Prakash. The director said, ‘if you can keep your
cool, you can perform better’.
(Laughs) I said, ‘my problem is this when I am playing Prakash, it doesn’t
mean I should kill Nana’.
So I would get my anger
and frustration out between each shot.
You shot the film
simultaneous-
What was the director Samruddhi
Porey like to work with? This is
only her second film?
It was nice working with her. She is
still learning the process of filmmaking, but that doesn’t make any
difference because basically her
heart was in the right place, and
that’s what matters the most. Even initially when
she wanted to do this film, she was determined.
She gave everything to the film. I hope she recovers
her money for it. Initially it was difficult for anybody to think about this kind of subject, so I’m really happy about what she’s managed to achieve.
Do you have a favourite moment in Hemalkasa?
There are lots of great moments in the film. There
is one scene after an operation, where he has to
either save the mother or the baby, and he saves
the mother. Shortly afterwards he breaks down and
says, ‘I don’t have any right to take or save a life.
Both had the right to be in this world and who am
I to do this’. That is one of the only moments where
he cries, in the sense that he is howling tears.
I think you will win awards for your performance
in this film next year.
Awards are all byproducts. The name or fame, it
doesn’t make any difference. According to me the
moment this film reaches people, that is enough.
Finally, why do you love cinema?
I love cinema because that is my outlet. If cinema or theatre were not there, I would die in
no time. I would commit suicide because I
will get suffocated. There are so many
things happening all around and it’s
not possible for you to keep quiet. I
don’t know how a normal human
stays alive. I love this medium
because of that and it’s helped
me survive for so long. The
moment I stop working, I
don’t think I will survive.
In no time, I will die.
Special thanks to Cary
Sawhney and Naman
Ramachandran
Cinema
Fawad Khan: Bollywood
was not on my to-do list
PAKISTANI actor Fawad Khan (below) will
make his Bollywood debut in soon-to-bereleased romantic comedy Khoobsurat. The
actor, who was noticed in Lollywood film
Khuda Ke Liye and hit TV serial Zindagi
Gulzar Hai, stars opposite Sonam Kapoor in
the remake of the classic film.
The 32-year-old admitted to being nervous about the release of Khoobsurat. “The
fact that people have liked me in my TV
show means they will come out and support me by watching the film. But the flip
side is that there is a huge expectation from
my fans. So, I am nervous,” says Fawad.
Starring in a Bollywood project was not
on the actor’s agenda until he got a call for
Khoobsurat. “Bollywood was not on my todo list. It just happened and then one thing
led to another,” he admits.
In Khoobsurat, his character is called
Vikram Rathore, who epitomises the modernday Prince Charming opposite Kapoor. The
film, which also stars Kirron Kher and Ratna
Pathak, will hit cinemas next Friday (19).
“I bagged the film in a very simple way. It
was January last year when I got a call from
the casting director. I was given a script and
also the DVD of the old film. I then came to
Mumbai for readings with Sonam and that
is how I came on board,” he explains.
Fawad says the Indian film industry is in
an exciting phase right now as it has the
perfect combination of experienced filmmakers and newcomers who are taking Bollywood to new heights.
“There is so much variety and volume of
work here in Bollywood. There is so much
option for actors as well as the audience.
Every Friday some new movie comes into
theatres and surprises the audience. There
is a wonderful mix of old and new talent.”
Fawad denies signing a Yash Raj Films
project opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan, but
says he is in talks with other producers.
“I have not been offered any Yash Raj
movie. I am in talks with some directors in
India as well as in Pakistan but nothing has
materialised. It is too soon to talk about it.”
He says he won’t go on a signing spree in
Bollywood and will instead wait until the
release of Khoobsurat before deciding on
his plans in India. “I am taking things slowly,
one day at a time. I have never really planned my moves. Things just happen to me and
I take them in my stride. There is no strategy
as to how I want my career to be or which
directors I want to work with,” he says.
Although Fawad is following in the footsteps of fellow countryman Ali Zafar, who
has already established himself in Indian
cinema, he says there is no
rivalry between them.
“Ali has carved a niche
for himself. I was his
fan much before he
came to Bollywood.
He has got all the elements working for
him. But I would say
there is no competition, he has his own
things, his own way. I
am a new entrant. I have
to give myself time to see
how long I will last.”
Khoobsurat will be
in cinemas on
Friday (19).
ISSUES: Nana Patekar; (top left
and centre) In scenes from
Hemalkasa; (top) with EE’s Asjad
Nazir; and (left) with Prakash Amte
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