by Subhash K Jha

Pavan Malhotra lost the coveted role of the boorish Bangladeshi immigrant in Sarah Gavron's much-acclaimed Brick Lane at the eleventh hour.

"I was finalized.They even took me to London for a week. They adutioned 400 actors. Finally they zeroed in on me. They needed a fat guy.

The director and the casting director selected me and decided to make me fat through makeup. It was okay by them to spend three hours every morning doing my fat -man's makeup."

So what happened? "My dates for Brick Lane clashed with my dates for Farah Akhtar's Don. I even tried to make adjustments.By then it was too late. And to think Satish Kaushik who got the role wasn't even auditioned initially.

That's destiny, I guess. But physically he suits the role perfectly whereas I'd have had to do three hours of makeup every morning. But the director felt I was perfect for the part. She even agreed to postpone her film.

But I'm happy Satish and the film are being critically acclaimed. As an actor I feel bad,though."

This would've been Pavan's second British film after the well-received Brothers In Trouble in 1995 where Pavan had played an illegal Pakistani immigrant in England.

Right now Pavan is doing Bhoomi directed by cinematographer Aveek Mukhopadhyay, all over Bihar, Kashmir and Assam.

Pavan is not to happy with the way the popular awards are treating actors like him.

"Pankaj Kapoor was nominated for a negative role in The Blue Umbrella. Aamir told me they want stars nominated even for supporting roles.

But Pankaj, you want bring to the stage and yet make sure he doesn't clash with the commercial stars. But if you sideline a performance like Pankaj Kapoor's in Blue Umbrella or mine in Black Friday there's something seriously wrong with the awards.

The awards juries need to first understand the categories. When I did Buddhadeb Dasgupta's Bagh Bahadur and Saeed Mirza's Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro during the same year,there was actually a dispute in the National awards jury as to which performance should be awarded.

Today I feel Salim Langde would be nominated for best villain. I played the goonda with a lot of vulnerabilitity. Likewise I don't think my role as Tiger Memon is an out and out negative role in Black Friday."

Pavan who divorced his first wife, theatre tv person and author Aparjita Krishan is now married to script writer Aparna who has written the dialogues for Samar Khan's Shaurya. "My earlier marriage ended long back. Though for 7-8 years we were un-divorced and staying in separate homes.

Even after our marriage had ended we stayed in the same house trying to be civil with one another while she looked for a place of her own. I had become almost a recluse. I still am.

But I'm now very happily married to Aparna. She's a very talented writer. She was part of the research team and also an assistant for Black Friday. That's where I met her.

She's also done beautiful dialogues in Shaurya," says the ever-smiling Pavan who has also done a walk-on cameo on Shaurya for his wife's sake.

"I wouldn't say it's for her sake. I just believe in that kind of cinema. Destiny plays a great hand in shaping your life and career.