Sonia Chopra

Says Kay Kay Menon who's had two diametric films – Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd and Black Friday release in a month. The actor, known for his intense performances, talks about his films – past, present and future.

Your role in Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. has been appreciated...your letting go in the song Sajna Vaari Vaari is a rage.
My character Partho Ghosh is a nerdy husband who is very reserved to the outside world. He's ok with his wife, though slightly dominating. I enjoyed doing the role, especially when Partho wakes up, and goes to the other extreme in the song.

The choreographer was kind enough to let me go. I don't even consider it a dance sequence; it was part of my acting. I had act more than dance.

Since it's a romantic comedy, were you apprehensive that the humour would go overboard and become slapstick?
If you've seen the film, you'll agree that that's exactly what the film has avoided. The film's script was so tight and humorous, that the actors just needed to be there. Honeymoon's comedy is situational; slightly weird and skewed. The language is also colloquial and has a mix of English and Hindi, like our normal spoken conversations.

Do you think this skewed humour has percolated from writer-director Reema Kagti?
Yes, absolutely. She has a wonderful, intelligent sense of humour, and that has probably found its way into the film.

Honeymoon' s unit had everyone from senior actors like Shabana Azmi to newcomers. Didn't that lead to friction on the sets?
That's what I loved about this whole unit - it was the first time I worked with an ego-less team. The film is about six couples and when one couple's story was in focus, the others were just like extras. That's not very easy to do for senior actors, but everyone just had a gala time. I bonded with everybody - I played badminton with someone, went to long walks with another.

This was your first lighthearted role --a departure from the intense roles one is used to seeing you play.
It's all a matter of perception. Actors are actors because they can do various things. Who could have thought that Amitabh Bachchan could do a comedy after Zanjeer?

But don't you think your look lends itself to intense roles?
That's because you have seen me in those roles. It's a post-facto analysis. Before the industry saw Paanch, I was supposed to have this soft, intelligent face. Suddenly people saw Paanch, and could see only evil in me (laughs).

Bhopal Express was your first solo film, don't you want to do more solo projects?
See, in mainstream commercial cinema, I was holding the other end of the responsibility. I was the favourite villain. If the hero was holding one end, I was holding the other. In the other kind of cinema, I have done some solo roles like in Dansh.

At the same time, I am not happy doing character roles. I don't think my roles in films like Sarkar can be called character roles. I need to have lot of responsibility on my shoulders, which I do in all my commercial films also.

With Drona and Metro, are you inching more towards commercial cinema?
I think I have been fortunate enough to do enough of both kinds of films. If there's a Deewar, there's a Hazaaron Khwahishein; if there's a Sarkar, there's a Dansh.

Then there are completely diverse films like Main Meri Patni aur Woh, Black Friday and Honeymoon Travels. The best respect and compliment an actor can get is that he is cast in a variety of roles.

How does it feel now that Black Friday is in its fifth week at the theatres?
Genuinely speaking, I think Anurag Kashyap is a genius. I dare anybody to touch a topic like Black Friday, make a film which is documentary in nature, and make it look as cinematic as he has.

It's not only difficult but impossible. It's like tying a leg up and trying to dance like Govinda. The film is as real as real can be. And it takes a Shekhar Kapur to recognize that and say that it deserves to go for the Oscars.

Hats off to the producer - who stuck by the film. And I am extremely proud of the audience for accepting a film like this -- it proves that Indian cinema and its audience have come of age.

This just might prove to your year. You've had two diverse films – Honeymoon Travels and Black Friday releasing in the same month. And Paanch and Gulal are likely to release this year as well.
I can't take credit for that; it's destiny. I have seen my films stuck for years and then two films releasing in one month. I have come to a stage when I don't think of releases much.

What roles are you playing in Gulal and Shoonya?
In Gulal, I play a grassroots political leader. The way Kashyap has captured Rajasthan is unique; it's the same way that you can almost smell Mumbai in Black Friday. In Shoonya, I play a sports person. The whole technique of the film is like a play called Murder in the Cathedral.

Tell us a little about Drona?
Drona is a fantasy comic-book thriller. I play negative character. This film is truly an experiment; in fact I'd call it an extreme experiment.

You're also doing Strangers, Via Darjeeling and BBD.
Yes, Via Darjeeling is almost finished. It's a thriller, but not a conventional one. Strangers explores a triangle relationship and is also a thriller. BBD is directed by Anjan Dutt, and I start shooting for it next month.

You are paired opposite Shilpa Shetty in Metro...you think your track will attract more attention now with Shilpa's recent global fame?
Metro is a film about city life, and takes a look at urban relationships. I play Shilpa's husband in the film. If her fame brings more attention to the film, then it's good. I think anything that helps the film is great!