You, Sunny and Bobby, will be seen together again on the big screen in Yamla Pagla Deewana, after Apne. What made you all come together for the movie?
People are saying that Yamla Pagla Deewana (YPD) is a sort of re-launch for Sunny and Bobby and that I agreed to do it as I wanted to revive my sons' career, but this is not true. How can it be a re-launch? We did Apne together; three years ago, and the movie was appreciated by the audience. While Apne was an emotional movie, YPD will be more on the comic side. The script was nice and our roles well defined. All I have always maintained that whenever we get a good script, we will come together for our audiences.
So, who is Yamla, who is Pagla and who is Deewana in real life?
(Laughs) I am yamla. Everyone knows, I was and I still am a yamla jat. Pagla I would say will go well with Bobby and Sunny is deewana. In the film, Bobby and I play buddies and in real life too, I'm more of a friend to my boys. It is Sunny who behaves like a father to Bobby.
In the 70s and 80s, you were the only hero to have a well-built body in Bollywood. Now almost every actor is into body building and a sort of trend for six pack abs and eight pack abs has been established. What's your take on this?
There's nothing wrong with having having six packs or eight pack abs; I feel it's a very healthy trend. You tell me, who doesn't want to look good and be complimented?
Among the current crop, whose body/build do you admire?
I really appreciate and admire Aamir Khan for the way he worked on his body for Ghajini.
You will also be seen with daughter Esha in Tell Me Oh Khuda. How was it playing father to your daughter onscreen?
Tell Me Oh Khuda was a very emotional experience for me. First, the script was very emotional, and then acting with Esha brought out altogether new sentiments. We both got very emotional while working on this film, but it was wonderful sharing screen space with my daughter. This was the first time I saw here acting.
But why did it take so long for you and Esha to come together onscreen?
I told you, I am a yamla jat from a village, I still have same mentality, same traditions. I am very protective and possessive of my daughters, so all that came in between. But you love your children and their happiness is your happiness. Like every father, I share a special bond with my daughters. So, when Esha asked me to play the role of her on-screen father, I could not refuse. You live for your children; and I did this movie only for her.
Your Contemporaries Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna are in the movie too. How was it getting back with old colleagues?
Oh, it was wonderfull. Waise bhi I try and keep in touch with my friends and colleagues like Dilip saab and Dev saab. Dilip saab is like an elder brother to me and a source of inspiration, and Dev saab is truly a legend. I miss Feroze Khan a lot. He was a very good friend and an amazing colleague. It hurts to talk about him. I still can't believe he's no longer with us, he was such a live-wire.
You have this image of a touch guy, but those who know you say you are a softie..
Yes, I'm a very emotional person, but I think that's a disadvantage. Emotional people suffer more in life. They don't know the tricks of the trade and they can't go after publicity. You will never see their pictures splashed across magazines and newspapers. I've been in this industry for so long, but I could never learn to promote or publicize myself. This is how we are, all of us - my family.
Do you regret not winning any popular awards?
Not winning awards used to bother me in the beginning. To be honest, I was expecting awards for movies like Satyakam, Seeta Aur Geeta, Chupke Chupke, Pratigya, etc, but you forget all about awards when you get the love of the audience. I have been in this industry for 50 years and the love that I get from people still amazes me. It is much better than dusty trophies lying on some shelf. That is where I want to be always - in people's hearts.
Yamla Pagla Deewana
(Courtesy: Suruchi Sharma | TNN)
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